getting up

I find people’s largest explicit wall of resistance to pre-dawn bootcamp is: "Why should I go? I can't get up."

Why do I go? I don't even ask myself that anymore. I just go, because it feels great and I can see all the goodness it has brought me.

The simplest thing I can do - and some may find this the hardest - is obey my phone alarm. When it goes off at 0420h, I just Get Up. This is so that by 0520h I Show Up at the field.

It's become simple because in 2010, I worked hard at Getting Up. It stopped being work when I learned, to my surprise, that I really love running around in a field with my fellow recruits.

Getting Up and just Showing Up are extremely underappreciated, both in what is needed and what is achieved.

At REBEL Boot Camp, Getting Up expresses itself not just as an actual exercise, but as the mental challenge you face every time you do a rep, every time you choose a positive thought over a negative one. It's the energy you use to keep yourself off the ground (like in planks), in taking the next step in your sprint, or in keeping motivated.

What I've found so valuable is that how you train yourself to behave at bootcamp is how you eventually end up behaving outside of it. The energy that you use to do that extra pushup, when you feel your muscles can't take it, becomes the energy you use to pull your head off your pillow in the morning, or the energy that drives you to treat those around you kindly, rather than otherwise.

It can only be a good thing then, when we become a positive, rather than negative force. So on the field, at work, at play, at home, in how we are with others, don't give up and say "I just can't."

Dust yourself off and Get Up.

 

Comments

[Leonard Loh]

Yes I totally agree, it's the mental thing. These days I get excited with bootcamp, I always wake up before my alarm, no matter what time I set. If I set 5.45am, I'll wake up 10 mins before. I set this morning 5.30am, I woke up 10 mins before the alarm.

I also find myself mentally ready to do just anything. I can be in my shirt and tie and I'd still just go down on the office carpet to do grunts to show what is a proper 'grunt' to my colleagues. I can be in the office right now and let's say Jason were to call me and ask me to go to the ground floor and run up the staircase to my 19th floor office, I'll do without asking. That's just it. This is just powerful, such empowerment.

[saying yes to life]

That is awesome to hear Leonard! I love hearing stories like these... it took me a long time to realise just how much of a mental game it is, exercise. Sure, I had a theoretical understanding about flow, of second wind, mental strength and stamina, but nothing like bootcamp to ground that knowledge in practicality.

Empowerment - that's exactly what it is. And I'm glad we're working on that as a team :)

[Leonard Loh]

You like stories? Here's another one...

I went for a 5-hour hill trekking with a group of newly met people last Sunday. After that we had lunch in Cheras and it rained heavily right before we paid and left. I told one of the girl who happened to park near my car that I'll go get my car and drive around to pick her up to her car. Just before she could say no I just said "don't worry I'm not afraid of the rain" and took off.

Running in the rain I heard behind me the other girls sort of commented "Wow... so man!". LOL!

Well I wasn't actually trying to be manly in front of them or trying to fetch any praise but... you know, some ego boost would be nice from time to time. Hahahahahaha.

What's rain to us these days? NOTHING!!!!

[lennie]

Very funny Leonard. You so man.

[saying yes to life]

Leonard! Er... very manly...LOL!