by Tyler Quinn
Growing up, my brothers and I spent a lot of time in the basement playing ping-pong. Each of us had our own spot on the back of the wooden staircase where we would make a tally mark each time we won a match. Over the years, my older brothers accrued hundreds of tallies under their names, each representing a hard fought victory. On the other hand, by the time we had grown into adulthood, my name had three. There was something about being the little brother that made beating either of my older siblings not just unlikely, but impossible. I lost because I felt I was supposed to lose. This phenomenon extended beyond ping-pong. Despite being a decent athlete, with a decent brain, I was never more clumsy or less capable than when my brothers where there peering down at me. I’ve become so conditioned to perform at less than my best when under the pressure of older-brotherly judgment that I don’t even question it anymore. And this got me thinking – in what other areas of my life have I become conditioned to fail, fall short, and underperform? More importantly, at what point is it time for me to buck the trend?
Habituation is the idea that the more we experience something, the more we get used to it – event if it is quirky and inconvenient. In a recent article written for Fast Company, Lauren Schwartzberg used the fantastic example of those pesky stickers placed on fruit that we have to peel off before we can enjoy them. We just lie down and take it because we’re habituated to do so. Now think about all the areas in your life in which you are habituated to be a certain way. How are your relationships? How is your nutrition? What about your work productivity? Your workouts? If any of these are not up to your standards, it’s time to ask why and attack the problem.
Bucking negative trends of habituation begins with asking hard questions and making just one good decision. At Alchemy, we believe that a 50-minute class like the A10 or A20 can be just the thing to get you moving on a new and better track. Life has a real talent for kicking you when you’re down and silly as it might sound, so do burpees, thrusters, and any other movement or workout that you wish you could quit half-way through. The more you get your butt kicked in at Alchemy, the more you’re going to be able to grind through the butt-kicking life has in store from time to time.
Start today. Use the hashtag #Alchemytrend on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, show it to one of our front desk workers and enjoy your first class on the house. Caught in the groove of a negative trend? Time to break free. Do it now. Today is the day.
Tyler Quinn is a coach and founder of Alchemy and Union Fitness. In his spare time he enjoys reading, hockey, jiu jitsu, and gun-slinging.
