Excuses: I Can't/I Could Never Do That

Man oh man, how we rely on this old favorite to get us out of anything remotely challenging. And this one really bothers the shit out of me -- because what we're essentially doing is limiting ourselves. We're putting ourselves in a box, setting "comfortable" boundaries and (therefore) making ourselves weaker.

How sad is that?

Give up cheese? I could never do that.

Work out at 7AM?! Good for you, but I couldn't do it. 

HA, 100 push-ups? I could never do that. 

Cook EVERY night? Sorry, I just couldn't do that. 

Give up red meat? No way. I couldn't. 

Put a man on the moon? We could never do that. 

At the beginning of the year, Joanna and I purchased a pair of HydraCoach water bottles that calculate how many ounces you drink per day with the aid of a special mechanism in the straw. We used an online calculator to determine how much water each of us are supposed to drink each day.

Surprisingly, the most common reaction to the bottle is not oh, how cool or wow, you're like a super nerd, aren't you? but rather:

100 ounces a day? Oh, I couldn't do that!

Oh really? Have I been endowed with a special water digestion system? Are my kidneys freakishly large and sponge-like? Thank god I have these two massive camel humps on my back, designed for this specific purpose. You're right -- you can't do it. Only I can do it. 

Give me a break. And that goes for anything you "can't do" or "could never do." Last year I could hold a solid plank with good form for about a minute consistently. These days, I can do four minutes. Do you think four minutes seemed EASY or even WITHIN REACH a year ago? Of course not. But it also didn't seem IMPOSSIBLE.

Oh you're vegan? You gave up steak? Gosh, I could never do that.

Right. Thankfully I had my taste buds surgically removed and took a semester in "Vegetables" at Yale. Guess that's why I can do it.

potential (n.) : 

1. something that can develop or become actual

2. the work required to move a unit positive charge from a reference point (as at infinity) to a point in question

The first of the two definitions above is inspiring (something that can become actual), but the second is more realistic. The work required to make a change. Work. Friction. Struggle. Conflict. Discomfort. Words synonymous with social and political movements, movements like civil rights and women's suffrage.  Did those changes come about because they were meant to ... or because some willful, determined (but not superhuman) individuals caused a stir, created a conflict and endured discomfort?

Perhaps, in your mind, you aren't meant to be healthy. Healthy people are meant to be healthy ... right? They have special powers, special abilities. People like that are born thin, enjoy eating salad, have higher metabolisms, have more free time, etc. "I could never do what they do."

Well I know a few people who would be happy to step up and call you out on your bullshit ... like runners and bikers who have participated in marathons and long-distance rides with artificial limbs. Like Damian Lopez Alfonso, the Cuban competitive biker who has no forearms. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to tell you a thing or two about thinking you "can't." 

I have a challenge for you ... you 3 or 4 loyal readers out there. It's called the POP MUSIC PLANK challenge. It's specifically designed for you.

1. Choose a song that really gets you moving, one that you love to sing along to in the car or dance to at the club. 

2. If you don't know how to do a plank, watch a video on YouTube to make sure you're doing it properly. I haven't seen this one, but I'm sure it's fine. (If not, there are a hundred others.)

3. Get into a plank position and ask your friend/partner/husband/wife/roommate to press PLAY when you begin. Hold the plank as long as you can -- yes, THROUGH THE DISCOMFORT .

4. Ask your friend/partner/etc. to record the time that you "drop," i.e. "00:35 seconds into the song."

5. REPEAT this exercise every single day for a month (at least). Why every single day? Because that's when you'll see the most change. Watch as that time increases day by day. If your starting time is 0:08 seconds, that's perfectly fine. Within a month or a few month's time, you'll be planking through a minute of the song. Within a year's time, you may need to find a longer song. :)

ENJOY - and please send me your results.

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On a personal note, I want to congratulate my sis on huge changes and an even greater accomplishment. By giving up dairy (after learning about its negative effects), she's lost 10 pounds in 3-4 weeks. She's dropped dress/pant sizes, and, more importantly, she feels amazing. I couldn't be happier for her.