What an Olympic Champion Teaches Us about Persistence and Priorities

I was struck listening to what Bodie Miller had to say just after winning his first gold medal. Rather than talking about the thrill of victory , he was talking about how difficult it was to get up the focus, desire, and motivation to take the risks necessary for his event. He said it was very hard to make someone outside the sport really understand what it takes to do event after event. I was also touched when they asked him if he had anything to say to his daughter at home and he said, “Poppa loves you.”

I don’t know about you but even performing the necessary tasks each day can sometimes, in the words of the Cheers theme, “takes everything you’ve got.” And “taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot.” In the process of adding an exercise routine to your life and helping your children to be more active you do need to take time to rejuvenate yourself. It’s important to remember what’s really important and who we love. We might not get a chance to say it on television in front of billions of people but expressing our love and care in words and actions will still mean a lot to the recipient.

Just like in our efforts to exercise, we can make progress in supporting those around us. With working out, it’s straight-forward: a program that isn’t progressed will leave you stuck with the same results. Progress too quickly and you risk burnout and injury. The Exercising Values program has an ebb and flow to it designed to progress you without overwhelming you. Some days are designed to be harder than others. Doing more in less time is one example of a way to progress.

It’s not a good plan to just decide to train hard all the time. On a physiological basis our bodies like homeostasis and they will resist our efforts to get stronger or to lose weight. But when provoked with the correct stimulus it will throw off that extra fat, build muscle, improve your nervous system, strengthen ligaments and tendons, and improve flexibility. Recovery time plays an important role in these changes. Quality sleep is very important. So savor your progress and small victories and share your happiness with those you love.