Avoidance Creates Stagnancy

You do the things you enjoy and avoid doing the things you dislike as much as possible. It makes sense. I mean, if someone has a choice, why would anyone do things they dislike. Doing anything you dislike can create a lot of negative emotions – frustration, unhappiness, anger, regret, etc. 

Yes, sometimes you have to do those tasks you dislike, such as when they are part of your job or home duties. I have always disliked dusting and I cannot say cleaning the bathroom is much fun either, but I do it anyway because it needs to be done. (OK, yes, I could pay someone to do it for me, but I live in a small place and it does not take long to do, so I just deal with it.) 

When it comes to things in your training you dislike, or perhaps even hate, it is so easy to simply avoid doing it. You can skip a training day, you can do a different movement in place of the one you don’t like, you can do a completely different workout. So many options that can get you around doing a movement you dislike or simply don’t want to do. 

When it comes avoiding anything you dislike, it is important to ask why. Does it cause pain when you do it? Does it push your body or mind more than you are comfortable pushing it? Is it boring? Do you not see the benefit in it? Or is it just something that is difficult for you to do? 

So many reasons for you to avoid something. Some are justified. Personally, if I do not see the benefit in something or if it is not going to move me towards my goals, I am probably not going to do it. With that said, if it is simply an issue of me not understanding, I will ask questions to understand what the benefits of something are and then decide if it will be helpful for me and my goals. 

When it comes to other reasons, we need to dive deeper. 

If something causes pain, why is there pain and what do you need to do to fix that? Pain with any movement in the gym or outdoor training is never normal. If there is pain present, I always suggest figuring out why the pain is there and addressing that. The body is great at compensating when issues are present. If you have pain with one thing now, it is only going to get worse as your body compensates and progress to something else if you don’t take care of it. 

If something pushes your body more than you are comfortable with, is it something that is going to help you progress towards your goals? If so, then maybe you find a way to add it into you training occasionally and back down the intensity. If it is not going to help progress you towards your goals, then no sense in doing it in my opinion. 

As for being difficult, why is it difficult? Is it because you need to gain strength or endurance? Is it because your mobility is not allowing you to achieve the needed motion? Or is it because you do not have the technique down yet? Personally, I used to hate kettlebells. They were awkward. They were difficult. It required more strength and stability than I had. I was terrible at them. Over time, I gained strength and learned better technique. Now I absolutely love working with kettlebells. 

Most times, not always, the reason a movement or task is difficult is something that can be overcome with learning to move better, learning better technique, and getting stronger. That only happens by continuing to work on it and working with someone who can help you learn how to do it more efficiently. 

What things do you hate to do simply because they cause pain or are difficult to do? What do you need to work on so it is no longer painful or is not as difficult? Want some help with it? Schedule a FREE DISCOVERY CALL with Brianne to discuss our situation and figure out what you can do about it.