I hate cardio. Let me begin with that statement. I love being outside. I love walking, in fact, I have done many long-distance walks over the years for various causes. I love getting stronger and lifting weights. What I don’t love, is cardio. I don’t get that runner’s high. I don’t feel a competitive edge. I just tend to count the minutes until it is over. But that is changing, I am learning to embrace pushing to the edge.
As we come out of the darkness of the pandemic, I had the vaccine, masks are coming off, and there is a feeling that we are finally coming out to the other side of all this. But there are still so many unknowns, and the news is constantly reminding us how much work we have to do as a society on just about every level, and we continue to live in a world of uncertainty. Over these final few weeks, we are winding down this crazy COVID-driven school year and I am once again looking at what changes may be in store for the fall. Change again is inevitable, and with that, I am looking for some sense of control. something outside of my work world. So life gave me a new positive force in my life, her name is Janille.
When you have the right coach at the right time, life improves. Recently I started working out back in person at the gym. I have been holding my own through this pandemic, not gaining the weight many are now carrying, but certainly, not in the shape, I want to be. I’m ready for a change in routine and willing to push myself in ways I wasn’t willing before. I believe when you are ready, life brings you the tools to take that next step so in walks “The real deal Janille”, a fiery force whose whole purpose is to help me reach my goals. I told her not only do I want to get stronger, but leaner as well. I complained of feeling stuck, being a woman of my age, my body is stubbornly remaining unchanged. She looked at me, and immediately told me the truth, you have to work harder, push yourself to do more, and not make excuses. We have to start living in the red.
The red zone is the area of cardio I have not really been a part of. It is pushing yourself to 90 percent or more of your effort. I consider this zone beyond what I can do. It makes me uncomfortable, even a little fearful working out that hard. I live in the 75 percent range in the green, but that is not where change will come from. I have to learn to get physically uncomfortable if the changes I seek are going to happen. This is true for all parts of life right? Change happens when you leave your comfort zone. So slowly the red zone needs to become part of my daily life.
In three short weeks, Janille has changed up my routine. I have cardio 5 days a week. I hate it, but I do it. Right now I feel like there are so many things in life that are out of my control, but my own body, my efforts are something I can master. Yesterday during a group training I just couldn’t get my pace to the point of being in the red. At the end of the session, I was frustrated. I expected Janille to say, it’s ok, we all have ups and downs. You will get it next time. Instead, she looked at me and simply said, “You didn’t push yourself hard enough. Go hit a cardio machine, and get after it.” No judgement. No shame. Just facts. Data doesn’t lie. So I did, and I got in the red zone. I went home sweaty and happy.
That is what effective coaching looks like. No excuses, just looking at the data and making real time decisions. It isn’t just cardio either. It is about form. Making slight adjustments in how I hold the weights, the number of reps I do, the pace at which I work out, the water I drink, the food I put in my body. All of this has an impact, and all of it relys on two things, the skill of the coach and my willingness to follow through and push myself.
In thinking about my work with students these next few weeks, it is also about pushing them to the red zone. It is easy to be complacent, give in the end of the year fatigue and the overwhelming feelings that some of my students have at the moment. But as their academic coach, I need to set the small steps, adjust their thinking and push them to do more than they think they can, holding them accountable and cheering them on all the way. We have to live in the red zone to cross that finish line, and it is my role to convince them they can.