Failure = Recommitment to Exercise

This blog post comes on the heels of a tweet my husband posted. My husband’s views on exercising are a little different from mine. I exercise consistently six days a week including weight training and cardio. I don’t have any specific goals in mind either. He, however, is pretty much all or nothing and must have a goal set, like a race. From my standpoint, he over trains, burns out, then gives it up. It’s a cycle. Eventually he’ll find a new race to sign up for and start the process all over again. Well, the process has started…

After weeks of missing his morning master’s swim classes and not riding his bike or running because of weeks of rain, and zero weight training he decided to ride with some friends on Saturday afternoon. It was finally sunny and warm, although very windy. After more than three hours, I started to get a little concerned that he hadn’t made it home. When I called, he sounded out of breath and exhausted like he’d answered during the middle of the ride, which he never would. He told me he was at a café trying to recoup because he had died on the ride. Apparently he did what they call the death march. It was his first, and he’s determined to make it his last. So, he’s back in the training saddle again.  

I think we can all take inspiration out of our failures or missteps. Don’t use them as an excuse to quit. Use them as an excuse to refocus, reassess, and renew.

“Never be discouraged, because every wrong attempt, when left behind you, is another step forward taking you closer to your goals.” ~ Thomas A. Edison