Comfort Zones: Get Out of Them (as Illustrated by LOL Cats)

Where are you most comfortable?

Frankly, I like an oversized chair in front river rock fireplace with a blazing fire in it, a glass of red wine, and pages and pages of chick lit. T Junior’s snuggled on the floor with our three calm dogs and Mr. T sits in an oversized chair next to me watching a movie. Snow falls softly out the window.

Okay, this is my comfort fantasy. I got a little carried away. A girl can dream, can’t she!

Let me be more specific: Where are you most comfortable in your workout? And are you a little too comfortable?

One of my DailyMile friends posted a Jillian Michaels quote this morning about getting out of your comfort zone:

“It’s about getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new.” ~J. Michaels

This quote was so perfect for me this morning. Today, cross-training and/or strength was on my schedule (Day 5 of sub-2 half training). I couldn’t decide if I wanted to ride my bike by myself  (#scary) or do two levels of Jillian Michaels’s 30-Day Shred (ironically, my comfort zone).

I normally tow my 3-year-old behind me when I ride my bike. This is sort of inconvenient, but it also gives me a great excuse to go slower and for less time. If I went by myself, I wouldn’t have my “safety net.” I am terrified of being 10 miles away from my car and my tire blows or my chain comes off or, worse, I crash even though I wear my RoadID and I have my phone.

With 30-Day Shred, I could just stumble downstairs, pop the DVD in, and voila! I has exercise.

But, this morning, I knew I needed to just get out to the trail and ride my bike solo. I needed to overcome my fears. Basically, I had to get out of my comfort zone.

I also thought of the mega-calories I could burn on the bike versus with the video. (I gained three pounds last week. Costco spinach artichoke dip: You are going in the trash because I can’t be trusted around you.)

So this morning, I did it. I got out of my comfortable place. Even though I didn’t feel like getting up at 6. I didn’t feel like putting my bike in the car. I didn’t feel like driving to the trail.

But I did!

Fifteen miles, one hour and 10 minutes, 10 frozen toes and one sore butt later, I am so glad I did it! I stepped out of my comfort zone! I conquered my fear of riding solo (even though going 15-16 mph was super scary).

Now, I’m thinking of popping that Jillian DVD in, too. Good thing I don’t have that river rock fireplace, or the oversized chairs. And I definitely don’t have the calm dogs. Or time to read a book…