Blogging and exercise – Not so different!

Posted on 17. Jan, 2008 by Susan Wright in Life Coaching

I discovered that blogging isn’t that different from exercise. How? One may ask. Because it’s easy to avoid! But it serves no purpose not to do it since we only stand to gain, whether it be a skill, health benefit or simply a way to connect with our body, mind or others.

A blog is a way for me to share a perspective, ideas to help people make positive lifestyle changes, or at least connect on some level and be part of a community. Of course the response may not be immediate; much like exercise, but at least I’m in action, making some progress and stretching beyond what it comfortable.

Similar to exercise, it’s the act of doing, moving in a way that challenges your ability or current state of being. For some people the thought of exercise is dreadful as Bob Greene (Oprah’s former Personal Trainer) acknowledged when referring to the fact that Oprah simply does not like exercise but does it anyway. So how does she do it, if she doesn’t like it? Well like many of us, it really is a matter of recognizing it’s value, being coached and encouraged. For many who have made a start and created a routine, the activity may feel more natural over time or at minimum the resistance diminishes with the noticeable gains.

Whether it be writing, trying a new activity or working out, all require some sort of frequency to see, feel and reap the benefits and rewards. I was encouraged to write this blog, after listening to a teleforum hosted by ICCO (International Consortium for Coaching in Organizations) with guest speaker Donna Karlin, CEO, founder of A Better Perspective. http://www.abetterperspective.com/. She spoke about the value of technology and how it enables us to connect globally, collaborate and tap into resources that we might never have found if it wasn’t for writing and having presence in virtual networks. Then she said something that really had impact for me, she stated that having a blog is like “standing in front of the world through the web.” This statement caught my attention-what an amazing opportunity, although a stretch, it’s certainly more exciting and beneficial than not doing it! Listening today, I realized that my original intention of writing my blog was validated and I honoured that by taking action and writing today.

The benefits of most activities, like exercise or writing, start when we take ourselves into action and trusting that there will always be someone to encourage, empathize (when it’s hard) and champion us along the way. Avoidance is easy, but taking action is by far, more adventurous and gratifying!