Achievement and discomfort

I think it is timely that Anna writes about discomfort as a motivation.  I just clicked through all the links to delete the broken ones.  Vern Gambetta has a sort essay and a good graphic about this topic, too: Achievement Triangle.  Interestingly he doesn't explore the irony of saying "peak performers are completely comfortable with discomfort."  And "for how long" is the first question that occurs to me?  How long can a person sustain that?  How long before they have to seek some comfort?  How long before one is adapted to that level of discomfort and has to create additional in order to sustain "peak performance"?  Discomfort is one of many motivations and it is a good one, but, what else can we employ to keep us keeping on?  As, I mentioned I liked Chip's New Years meditation I've linked to it in a previous post and it is available in the RSS feed labeled Bodytribe Fitness.  He explores both negative and positive motivations -- I work out so that I don't die, avoiding bad, or I work out so that I may thrive, seeking good.  I think a subtle difference here is whether a person is training for an event, or training for life.  Let us build a foundation of fitness based on training for life, and then, seek out peak performances, occasionally training for an event.

For body image, for being a strong woman, I really like:

The Might Kat

and

stumptuous.com

Body image and self image are not separate we know this and we know the power of societies fun-house mirror all we have to do is compare the anorexic and the bodybuilder the two extremes on the same continuum and we see this complex.  Neither is fit for life and both are incredibly intensive and expensive to maintain.  So, we have to invent for ourselves what fitness means and looks like.  Hence my starting point: what is it that I want to do?  Canoe trips, hunting in season, cross country skiing, day hiking, rake the leaves from the yard without being disabled by soreness and needing a trip to the Chiropractor, stack and split wood.... Do, I have any sport specific goals, run an adventure race, or canoe the length of the Northern Forest Canoe trail... actually that is a harder question.  I said in a recent post that just getting back to a regular workout cycle was the short term goal.  I think for now I'll keep the cards close to my shirt.