Good health starts with the mind. If you can make a mental shift, you can change your life forever.
I put that to the test last year.
On Jan. 1, I prepared for Army Officer Candidate School by running two miles, and sometimes five. I wanted Army training to be a breeze, so I pushed extra hard.
I prioritized progressive overload which is the most effective way to get faster and stronger. That means adding new stressors to your body.
For example:
- Weekly Hill Sprints (the hill I ran was insane, ask Cody Collins)
- Slow-metabolic burning exercises (i.e. one really slow painful push-up as opposed to 10 fast shitty ones).
- Increasing the distance on my runs — it eventually makes five miles seem like cake and so on.
The 20 Mile Run That Changed My Life
My dad is a former D1 track athlete.
But don’t let that fool you. I hated running growing up. I hated exercise and didn’t start working out at all until three years ago.
However, after a few months of consistent two-to-five mile runs, I wanted to see if I had it.
It meaning the factor that means your different from everyone. You can push when exercise — or life for that matter — gets excruciating.
My dad had it when he ran a 47-second 400m, shattering the county record. That’s a lap around a track in less time than it takes to eat an apple.
I wanted to find out if I was cut from the same cloth. I wanted to prove all the haters wrong, and silence my self-doubt. So, I went out for a 20 mile run with little training.
And 3 hours later…
I did it. It was horrendous. I couldn’t walk for two days after.
But it was worth it. I never felt happier not being able to feel my legs. That’s when I realized we’re all in control of our life story. We don’t have to live life as if it’s already determined. If you push hard enough in one single direction, life is going to give.
When it eventually does, you’ll never be the same person. You pushed past your limits.
Do The Stupid Things Before You Say They’re Impossible
People said running 20 miles was stupid. But I did it.
They said running 30 miles was impossible. So I did that too.
You define what is possible or not.
This whole journey inspired me to write an eBook about it (I can write that off my bucket list too).
The only way to find out if it’s truly impossible is to first try. Don’t quit until you have nothing left in the tank. You’ll often find you had way more energy than you thought.
You only get one chance at this. You’d be crazy not to give it everything you got.
My ebook on the psychological benefits of healthy habits is being released today! It’s the price of a cup of coffee:
When I read this I had the urge to highlight, just like you can on Medium. Great story, good luck at Officer Candidate School.
Hahaha tell me about it. We’ll work on bringing that feature here – still developing. If you have the time, what do you like about the site and what would like to see improved?