No bears...

So remember Goldilocks?  You know, that entitled housebreaker who terrorized a fine, law-abiding bear family?  We want to be a little bit like Goldilocks when we work out.  (No, I am not referring to my oft-repeated declaration that I only run if there is a bear involved…)  Please do not break into any bears’ houses.  However, when faced with choices, choose the one that is just right.

 

We all know when we are slacking.  We show up for our workout half asleep and we never wake up.  We pedal on autopilot or lift light weights mindlessly.  Goldilocks rejects this workout as Too Easy.

 

Sometimes, though, we get to our workout and we think we have to do literally everything at full speed and full intensity all the time.  We wonder why we are always sore and tired.  Goldilocks says this workout is Too Hard.

 

Goldilocks wants us to do a workout that is Just Right.  We want a balance between challenge and achievability.  We want rest days at appropriate intervals.  We want, in short, a sustainable level of activity because in the long run, we need to keep showing up for workouts.  That won’t happen if our workouts are Too Easy and boring or if our workouts are Too Hard and injure us (either in an immediate way or in a cumulative overuse kind of way).

 

The goal here is to live happily ever after.