Riding the Bell Curve

The bell curve is a measure of evaluating performance, used in just about every aspect of life.  There’s the upward slope, then the top of the curve where the majority reside, and the downward slope to where it levels off and remains steady.

 I talked to a friend yesterday who wants to “get healthy.” It’s hard to remember back to the beginning of my journey, but we all have that beginning.  And the destination seems to evolve.  We “get healthy” in a variety of ways, and speeds, with plenty of detours along the way.  But the reality is our bodies change, so therefore the means to achieving our goal also changes.  Ok, maybe the top fitness gurus in the country, those specimens of health we all aspire to be one time or another, don’t have as many detours, but their journey also began with their own self-unsatisfaction.   Yes, running or bench pressing and bicep curls or tennis may have worked for you before.  But each year there’s another candle on our gluten-free birthday cake and our physiological needs and responses adapt and change. 

I was tired of the way I was beginning to look in pictures.  And it’s funny, I still use that as a measure of my own self-satisfaction.  If the pictures are starting to show me a certain way, or if my leaner clothes are getting pushed to the back of the closet, I re-evaluate and step up my game.  What’s interesting is we are all somewhere on the journey, with people ahead of us and behind us.  Yesterday at CFF, a whole bunch of people busted out new personal records on deadlifts, yours truly included.  But, there are still those that didn’t hit a new PR, they are stuck in temporary quicksand, hoping to hit that next 5-10 lbs at some point.  We all have someone at the gym or somewhere else that’s always a little bit ahead of us, but in my case, that’s what drives me.  Yes, your only true competitor should be yourself, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with setting your goals in sync with that one person who always lifts a little more than you or who finishes a minute or two before you. 

When toxic thoughts of failure creep into my head, usually while working out, instead of thinking “I only lifted this much,” try “Is this more than I lifted 6 months ago?”  Maybe you were on a treadmill 6 months ago, or maybe you weren’t doing anything.  Maybe you were at Crossfit, but were coming 2-3 times a week instead of 4-5.  I have a shirt that Chris bought me a year ago, it says “100% Paleo 80% of the time.” At the time, that was precise.  Then, I evolved into about 20% of the time.  Now, I’m back to 99% of the time.   When it all settles out, I’m hoping that the t-shirt exactly describes my diet.  I know that my purity of diet right now will relax in a few weeks.  But it’s up to me, and only me, how much it will relax.  I’m guessing that a piece of pizza will once again find its way into my belly.  And probably a tortilla chip or two also.  But, as long as I keep my meals healthy and my lifestyle strong, those little cheats here and there won’t make a long-haul difference. 

My friend is in the very early stages of switching her lifestyle.  She knows she has to, she even wants to, she just hasn’t taken the leap yet to make some lifestyle changes.  She’s at the beginning of her journey, and she will have some diversions along the way, just as we all do.  Then there are the others who have been at the gym a few months.  They have higher expectations of themselves, wanting to be stronger or faster on that particular day.  But guess what? They ARE stronger and faster, as are we all.  We are all stronger and faster than we were, and not as strong or fast as we are going to be.  Pushing ourselves and competing is part of the drive, the dangling carrot that keeps us pushing. 

The very person whose weights you are chasing evolved the same as you.  Their PR was 100, then 150, then 200, 250, 300, 350 – whatever.  Chris worked out at a different class than me yesterday.  He shared a bar with a Crossfit Bromance Buddy (CBB?) Dave.  He called Dave a “Sandbagger” (Sandbagging in billiards and other games, deliberately playing below one's actual ability in order to fool opponents into accepting higher stakes bets, or to lower one's competitive rating in order to play in a future event with a higher handicap and consequently have a better chance to win) because they both agreed their previous PRs were in the low 300s.  As they increased their weight, Chris ended around 365, which was new PR for him in deadlifts.  Dave launched into full-out Beast Mode and took a new PR in the high 400s.  Good thing for Chris there were no dollars, only pride, at stake. 

Put your frustrations in perspective.  First, remember where you were and how far you’ve come.  Then, use it for next time’s motivation.  We’re all on the same journey, just at different mile markers.