I’m sure you’ve been in this situations countless times in your life:
You contemplate on the upcoming week and wonder how you’re going to get through it because you have so much to do.
You skip your workout because you’re too tired and you have too much on your plate?
Or.. You’re at the gym and you tell yourself I can’t do another push up, or I can’t do a pullup and so you stop and don’t do it?
Sound familiar?
Now, tell me have you ever been in either of these scenarios:
You contemplate on the upcoming week and wonder how you’re going to get through it because you have so much to do, and then you actually manage to get everything done and then some.
You tell yourself you need to skip your workout because you’re too tired and you have too much on your plate, but instead you listen to the little voice inside your head that said you should go anyway, and then you end up having a great workout and feeling so much better than you did before!
Or.. You’re at the gym and you tell yourself I can’t do another push up, or I can’t do a pullup, but your trainer tells you, yes you can, so you do it anyway and you actually do it?
Ring a bell?
My point is, we are constantly underestimating ourselves. We think we can’t, we say we can’t, when really we can.
According to Navy Seal, David Goggins, when our mind thinks we are done, we actually still have 40% left to give.
Goggins is currently the World Record holder for most pull-ups done in 24-hours (4,025), a fifth place finisher in the Badwater 135 (a 135-mile race in Death Valley), and an Ironman triathlete.
Now you may think that the 40% rule is just a great motivational tactic, but here’s some facts to back it up:
The only way to explain that 99% of people who start a marathon finish, despite the fact they they all hit a wall at mile 16, is that their will is stronger than the exhaustion and the pain they may feel in their body.
In a 2008 study, researchers found that subjects who were given a placebo but told it was caffeine were able to lift significantly more weight than those who were really given caffeine.
This is not to say that we are limitless in our abilities, but the 40% rule is a great tool to motivate ourselves past our comfort zone and recognizing that we often place limits on ourselves, when we have considerable amount more to give.
So, embrace the week and do a bit more that you did the last!
Much love,
Daniela
