Feel the burn

Do you remember the Jane Fonda fitness videos of the eighties (I apologize to the men who are reading this who most probably do not even know about the existence of these videos, but I am trying to make a point so bear with me)? Jane Fonda was dressed in pink leotards and a striped unitard along with a color coordinated belt(!). The most memorable part of her stylish attire was the woolly footless leggings that covered her calves (to keep them warm and flexible perhaps?). Think of the movie Flashdance (of the same era) and you've got the picture.

I would follow her moves and instructions diligently in the hopes of one day having her ageless slim body and, as I did so, I would swear under my breath as my muscles ached and shaked. Jane Fonda would say over and over, "Do it until you feel the burn." I would shout back to the TV, "I am feeling the burn all right, how come I don't look like you yet?"

Perhaps because I was inspired by Jane Fonda, I became a professional fitness instructor in the early nineties and still teach 15 years later. Funny enough, we still challenge our participants to "feel the burn" because that is the trademark of a good workout.

By the way, for those of you who are curious for the scientific explanation for this phenomena, your muscles begin to “burn” when lactic acid builds up in your muscle cells. There are differing points of view on whether or not lactic acid actually causes the burn or, coincidentally, just happens to accumulate at the same time the burning sensations start.

Why am talking about this today? I just came back from a particularly difficult weight training class and feel quite sore. The instructor invoked the phrase to motivate us to try harder because "it is only by challenging your muscles that you will develop them and become stronger." It struck me that this idea of pushing our physical muscles beyond what is comfortable could also be a great metaphor for coaching. As coaches we help people strengthen their intellectual and emotional muscles as they redefine who they want to become. Most of us seem to be pre-programmed to find the path of least resistance and settle into what is comfortable. We tend to use the same patterns of behavior over and over again because we find it is easier. Those behavior patterns may be easier but not necessarily more effective. We rely on a set of intellectual and emotional abilities that are like a well worn path. You don't need to think too hard about what to do next, the path will always get you to the same place. Stepping outside of the path to explore new landscapes is much more difficult because it means that you have to venture out of your comfort zone. Pushing beyond the comfort zone takes a lot of effort and self-discipline or sometimes it is precipitated by some kind of urgency (an illness, death of a loved one, loss of a job, etc.) The pain you feel when you try something new is not unlike the pain you feel when you push you muscle beyond its usual range of weight bearing and resistance. You "feel the burn".

When I teach temperament type theory (like Myers-Briggs Type Inventory or Personality Dimensions) I remind students that even though we may have natural abilities and preferences in the way we understand and process information, we all have the potential to develop complementary abilities in other areas. Like the muscles in our bodies, some of our intellectual abilities become weak or atrophied because of lack of use.

In his book A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink urges us to develop parts of our personalities that are under-utilized especially the abilities that are more right-brained abilities like empathy, play, and meaning. Pink believes that the future belongs to right-brainers and proposes exercises for left-brainers to build up their more creative muscles so they can also take part in this intellectual revolution. His book is like an fitness program for the brain ...

If we were to design a personalized fitness program to develop your intellectual muscles, which abilities would you like to further develop and strengthen? Ask a coach to recommend some exercises ...