Yesterday we discussed applying Benjamin Franklin’s Thirteen Values into this health & fitness lifestyle to get the most out of our efforts.
Temperance in the classic sense is having discipline to limit one’s self.
For the individual this may involve their nutrition, alcohol, negative habits, spending patterns, or even holding back on what is normally positive actions such as exercise as to not to turn it into an obsessive act.
Temperance=Balance.
How can you infuse temperance into your fitness pursuits?
If you have a tendency to overeat, make it a goal if only for the day to eat to satisfaction and not to an indulgent level.
If you tend to drink heavily or binge drink, decide today is the day that you stop at one-two drinks because you are worth more and your body and mind deserve to be treated optimally and not poisoned.
If you have any negative habit, decide today that having the discipline to stop this habit will create a better pathway in the long term to reach all of your goals.
Finally, as is such the case with so many of us, the enthusiasm we have for this lifestyle can lead us to always strive for exceedingly more.
There is a tendency to toil for 110% effort in all we do, more workouts, more sets, more reps, forced reps, more research etc.
This lifestyle is way more effective when there is an ebb and flow approach.
Work hard, rest harder and repeat.
Temperance is about balance and taking an approach of patience and keeping focus locked-in on the end goal, not what feels right in the moment.
When you infuse the concept of temperance into your fitness ideology you will reap rewards that will be sustained and also create room for further growth as you continue your health & fitness quest.
(Next week we will talk about the value of order.)
John
