Exhaustion glory
The other day, just walking down the street I felt super tired, like I got hit by a truck.
Then I remembered that I lifted that morning and I had lifted more than ever before in my life. No wonder I felt exhausted. I had noticed I was lifting more than before that morning, but it slipped my mind when I went out for the day.
I don’t lift heavy weights compared to people who seriously lift, only that the longer I keep lifting, the longer I increase the weights I lift. I’ve lifted regularly for a few years and I’ve reached higher weights than ever.
I’m not complaining about feeling out of energy for the rest of the day. On the contrary, I found the word to describe working hard whether or not anyone else knows and there’s no penalty for giving up: glory.
I may have lifted more in college, but I focused on playing ultimate then, not lifting, so I didn’t keep track.
Oh yeah, I feel similarly after some of my challenging rowing days, especially when I row Tabatas or other intense intervals. I consistently perform personal bests on them. Again, I’m not performing near the peak of human potential, just continually improving. And, man, do I exhaust myself rowing and lifting.
As a side note, I also notice that my jeans that fit comfortably when I bought them are too tight in thighs. Again, I’m skinny, not muscular, but the discomfort feels great. I’ll take that discomfort over my muscles atrophying any day.
Read my weekly newsletter
On initiative, leadership, the environment, and burpees