Prescription for Health

The Day My Body Failed Me

You know what they say: Your mind gives out long before your body does.  Not today my friend, not today.  My body gave out when my mind wanted to push harder.  I’ll explain…I’ve been working out with PiYo since it was released in June and I’ve gained strength physically and mentally over the last 6 months.  This program has taught me to believe in myself and my own abilities. 

Today, I woke up feeling a little tired and lacking energy, but I decided to push play and go for it.  And I even chose the longest PiYo workout that I have.  This was where I set myself up…not for failure…but for a test.  I realize now that I wanted to test myself and my abilities – I just didn’t think about that being what I was doing when I chose the workout.

I made it through about 20 minutes when it happened.  I was in down dog with an open hip (my PiYo friends understand this…but just know it’s HARD).  This is when my body physical quit on me, my arms and legs were shaking, I held it as long as I could, then finally my legs and arms just collapsed under me and I fell to the ground.  The old me would have been completely upset and mad at myself.  But do you know what happened?  I wasn’t mad at all – I felt great!  I knew that I had pushed as hard as I could and failed.  It is in failure that we find courage and can grow.  So, I picked myself up, caught my breath and started again.  I did fast forward past the burpees (there was no way that I could physically do those!).  BUT even though I skipped some of the workout, I pushed through my exhaustion and finished the workout.

When I finished, it didn’t bother me that I skipped some of it, I just knew that I finished.  This is what mattered.  I have a goal to become healthier and take better care of myself.  And today I am one step closer to that goal.  I am finally at the place where I can fail and not be upset with myself or feel defeated.  Admitting failure does not mean you admit defeat.  It is very much the opposite.  Admitting failure allows you to know that you pushed yourself to your limits.  This allows you to create more goals and to push yourself harder each time.  Because each time you fail, you grow and get stronger.  You develop physical strength, but more importantly, you develop emotional strength.