Workout Meditation or Distraction?

Someone on Facebook posted this quote the other day:

"Failure. Get comfortable with it. If you’re not failing, you’re not getting better. And if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse." In other words, make your workouts intense. Make them a challenge to YOU. If you aren't challenging yourself - if everything is easy or perfect - then you aren't doing yourself any favors.

Then I found the blog the quote came from and read further. This guy does CrossFit workouts, but of course it's true for anyone trying to maximize their fitness results.

"The people who get the most out of workouts are not the ones who complete them easily, or those who zone out halfway through in an effort to “just get through it.” If you ever find this to be the case during a workout, you’re missing the point."

"The bottom line is that fitness requires failure. Your body adapts to challenges it cannot meet in order to better prepare itself for the future. This process involves levels of fear and intensity that are typically uncomfortable, but absolutely necessary. If you’re not outside your comfort zone, you will not improve. And if you’re not trying to improve, what exactly are you doing?"

This really got me thinking about my own attitude lately with my workouts. I've been in the mindset to "let's just get this over with" or "I'm tired, I'm not going to work hard today" or "Hurry up, I want to be DONE". My workouts have been a distraction. But if this is my attitude, then why exactly am I wasting an hour of my day doing a half-a$$ed workout? Shouldn't I MAXIMIZE this time I'm taking to work on my fitness? Shouldn't I focus on what I'm doing and "BRING IT" and "DIG DEEPER" like Tony and Shaun T are always telling me?

So yesterday, I took this new attitude to heart doing P90X Legs & Back. I pushed HARD. I stayed FOCUSED on what I was doing. I didn't keep taking breaks to put dishes away in the kitchen or check my Facebook (YES, I've been known to do those things in the middle of a workout!) I decided to USE my hour to WORK MY BODY and it was AWESOME! I focused on FORM, I got DEEP in my lunges and squats. It almost felt like a meditation. It was great! I have not been so tired after a Legs and Back workout in a LONG time.

So how do you want to feel after your workout today?