Idea of the Week

Tri-athelete and personal trainer Greg Angel shares this tip from successful athletes: slowing down for a period in one's training is the only way to increase speed without injury.  This is why one is expected to rest more right before an athletic event, not train harder-- it rests the body that it might renew at a higher level. In this way, resting is actually a key element in any successful training program.

This principal also applies in our daily lives, and is a key to success that all super-achievers intuitively understand. So, how can you use it to have more of what you want in life?

When we slow down the following highly beneficial things happen:

1)  Slowing down causes us to perfect our form.
In athletics this translates into better body posture, breathing, and biomechanical movement. In other areas of life, it translates into mastery of fundamentals, such as communication, relationships, and sense of personal mission.

2) Slowing down can increase aerobic fitness.
"Trotting" increases stamina and explodes energy-- very different from sprinting which exhausts muscles. In other areas of our life, "trotting" can increase longevity by deflecting burnout and preventing stress. It is also possible to carry on a conversation while moving more slowly (see number one above!)

3) When we slow down, our effort is minimized while our enjoyment is magnified.
This is very good for re-associating us with the pleasure of our chosen activity, and compelling us effortlessly to stay the course...

Besides all the reasons why slowing down is beneficial, on a practical level-- it is downright necessary. No matter what we are doing, as humans we must rest regularly... or else something in our lives will happen to ensure that we do. In athletics this is almost always injury; in other areas it may be illness, crisis or surprise.

Ask yourself this: how many extraordinarily successful folks do you know that take down-time for themselves to regroup? Probably all of them. The secret here is to know what those folks do: Take the time for yourself BEFORE your next leap, because you'll burnout if you decide to do it afterward. Use rest like the key to your success... and push on with a cushion!!

Copyright 2001 By Elizabeth Mullen. All rights reserved. May be duplicated iwith contact information intact for not-for-profit purposes only. Contact: www.elizabethmullen.com

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Ask yourself: What is my ideal cycle of rest and activity? How can I maximize the rest part in order to detonate the power of my activity?

ORNERSTONE QUOTE OF THE WEEK: To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first. -William Shakespeare

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