Setting Goals: It’s easy when you have the proper motivation
I recently went to a blogging conference and knowing that I was going to be sitting a lot and eating too much, I decided to hit the gym at the hotel where I was staying.
The first day I lifted a few weights, but then I spied the Treadmill. It wasn’t an ordinary treadmill, it was a LifeFitness Treadmill.
I was motivated by the treadmill to run (5) 5K’s in 5 days because of the screen showing me running along a trail with demarcations at 1K, 2K, and so on to the finish line.
The gamification helped me stay motivated. I talked about this a bit on my blog post about “The Power of Game Simulation” and how that gamified version of golf, made it so much fun!
I also did Interval Training. This meant that based on feedback from the treadmill regarding my heart rate, I tried to keep my heart in the range of 130 to 150 beats per minute. I did this by alternating between running for about two minutes at a 6mph pace and walking for about two minutes at a 2mph pace.
What does this have to do with Learning?
“We craft our spiritual strength through physical exercise, and our physical hardiness through mental practice. In Latin, ‘mens sana in corpose sano‘, or ‘sound mind in a strong body’.” (The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday)
This is a great lesson in setting daily goals. Ironically, my personal goal is also to read 5 books per day – 1 chapter at a time. The advantage to doing this is I slowly allow the ideas that I’m learning to marinate in my brain, but because the books are also on different topics and different domains, I am getting some great cross-pollination of ideas, which makes for great blog posts!
In fact, one story I’d like to share from one of the books I’m reading entitled, “The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday, which applies to this blog post, is about Teddy Roosevelt, America’s 26th President.
Teddy was born with life-threatening asthma which endangered his life every day. His father bought him gym equipment, and for five years, he remade his body through physical exertion and exercise.
His physical activity extended his lifespan. It prepared him for the life of President of the United States and what Teddy called, “The Strenuous Life”.
This physical training was necessary for his mental health as he faced trials later in life. These included the death of his wife and mother in a short time frame. And like any president, he faced political enemies, foreign wars, and even an assassination attempt.
The ancient Romans had a saying, “Healthy Body, Healthy Mind” and they realized the holistic nature of an effective life.
What will you do TODAY to set goals for your body and mind?
Download your FREE Daily Goal Planner (PDF) to get started.
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