Knowing when to change back again

Back in October I slid into an autumnal slump, and (fresh from 10 days of holiday food) realised it was time to pick up the fitness pace again. At this low ebb it was hard to really fathom that I ran my 4th half marathon this year - I’m far from peak health and fitness.

So I reached for the lycra and thought about what to do next. I like trying new things; as a specialist in change that may go without saying. I clicked on an old app from when I was an early follower of a fitness instructor 5 years ago. Her business was new – just an online group first, then an app, then the recipe ebooks, and so it grew. (She now has a whole network of gyms, which inconveniently are mostly to be found 10,500 miles away in Victoria, Australia). The workout was tough, short, high energy and exactly what I needed.

Why did I drift away from her in the first place? The novelty of another offering, no doubt. I also wonder if my early-adopter inner snob crept in at the point where the community grew and the conversations felt less personal – which I suppose means I felt less ‘special’. I have other examples of this, such as a wonderful social enterprise that I supported a lot more before its products were stocked on the high street and winning awards!

Key observations, then:

-         Frequent change can be good if it helps to keep you stimulated

-         Scanning the horizon is valuable so you don’t miss something new

But

-         Beware of spending all your effort horizon-scanning when you already have what you need in your hands

-         Be happy to stick with what works, or come back to it later. There’s a huge comfort in returning to a product or model that you know works for you.

I can see this being equally applicable to fitness regimes, recipes, and even career decisions. If you already know what you love, then of course look up to check what you can add to your basket, but don’t necessarily change just for the sake of it.

 

PS I’ve now registered for my 5th half marathon in February 2020! Same toolkit, new goal…