“Life is a marathon, not a sprint.”
I’m sure you’ve heard this quote before (apparently, it’s a Dr Phil special). You may even use it yourself.
But if you really thought about what it means, and how it applies to your personal goals and happiness?
I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m always sprinting; metaphorically and literally. Always rushing to the next thing. Focusing on the next goal. My life feels like a series of short races. I’m sure you can relate.
We have been trained to crave the next endorphin rush – to hit a goal, get a quick buzz, and move on to the next thing.
The instant, modern lifestyle many of us live is constantly encouraging us to run a sprint to reach these goals in the fastest way possible.
We want it all and we want it now but we’re not ready to invest, push past our limits and persevere.
We forget about the journey, and just focus on sprinting there.
However, running a marathon is a completely different premise. It requires a strategy, devotion, discipline, willingness, and balance.
A marathon tests our endurance, challenges our mental toughness and ability to keep going, and forces us to constantly assess our strategy.
The fastest man in the world can run 100m in 9.58 seconds.
While the world record for the 42km marathon is 2 hours 2 minutes and 40 seconds.
If I asked you which distance you’d rather run, I’m pretty sure you’d answer the 100m.
Why? Because it’s highly unlikely that you could do the latter without having done the hard work – without being focused on the process and the journey.
Most of us could run 100m. We might not do it in Usain Bolt-like fashion, but we could do it, and we would immediately receive that endorphin rush for having achieved another quick goal.
We’ve spent half of our life sprinting towards quick wins only to experience severe burnout, and then we do it all again and again. In this crazy race called life, we’ve forgotten to find our own pace and to focus on the long-term.
When you start viewing life as a marathon, instead of satisfying yourself with short-term goals and happiness, you start seeing things in long-term mode.
This philosophy applies to all kinds of goals – life, career, business, health, wealth, and fitness.
You’re far more likely to achieve your goals if you take a long-term view, with a well-thought-out strategy in place. It’s far more fulfilling to focus on the process, the planning, and to celebrate the small wins on the way to that big victory.
I take the same approach with my clients when it comes to their health and fitness. Because when it comes to moving from stuck to unstoppable, there’s no quick fix.
In fact, that’s why we have created our 12-month Fit, Full and Fab Program – because weight loss should also be viewed as a marathon not a sprint. Quick fixes, like fad shake-based diets and meal replacements, don’t deliver long-term results.
Firstly, we work on their goals.
What’s your big goal? How much weight do you want to lose? What are your fitness and lifestyle objectives? What does success look like for you?
And then we create a strategy – consider that your training schedule.
Just as a marathon runner has a coach, your Loz Life coach will keep you focused on following your long-term plan, on achieving that big goal at the end of your marathon.
Yes, together you’ll celebrate small wins along the way. That’s super important.
But, as noted above, by taking a long-term view, you’ll also benefit from the discipline, perseverance, and balance experienced along the way.
If you’re interested in learning how you can take a “marathon not a sprint” approach to your health and fitness, visit www.lozlife.com.
