By Laurie Sweig
The term comfort zone is used quite a bit these days. One definition I found for it is: A place or situation where one feels safe or at ease and without stress. That makes perfect sense and what a great place to spend time. Or is it? COVID-19 is pushing us to the edges of our comfort zones in many ways, making this a perfect time to take a hard look at the limits we have and potentially push ‘em out a bit!
What if comfort (and convenience) is actually making us sick? I believe it is. Our physical and mental health have been compromised since the moment we started valuing “leisure” time. Think about that for a moment. I remember getting up to answer the telephone. Sometimes racing my sister to get there. I also remember doing the dishes by hand (hated it) and learning how to boil water to cook potatoes. Actually, I think I was boiling the water to cook hot dogs. Growing up, hot dogs were my favourite food. Here I am sharing that with everyone. At the time, they were one of the few processed foods that could be purchased. Wow, have things changed – all in the name of comfort and convenience.
There is so much to review when it comes to the comfort zones that we find ourselves in, so I’m going to tackle this topic in four separate articles. This is the first article. The following three articles will go into detail with regards to movement, nutrition and rest. Each article will provide you with a challenge. Here’s the first one:
• Over the next week observe your behaviours.
• Make note of the times that you feel comfortable.
• Make note of the times that you feel uncomfortable.
• Think about changes that you might like to make to either of those situations.
I would suggest actually writing down the observations that you make. Be sure to leave any type of judgment out of the comments. That’s not the purpose of this exercise. The intent is to develop self awareness and that process provides an opportunity to build strength in all areas of life. Right now, we need all of the strength that we can get.
Be sure to tune in next week!
Something to think about.
Laurie Sweig is a certified personal fitness trainer and spinning instructor. She owns and operates The Point for Fitness. She can be reached at laurie@thepointforfitness.com.
