The Elliptical Mind-Machine

Life is all about perspective. The glass can either be seen as half full, half empty, or somewhere in between. Here’s where, maybe, the waiter forgets about your table and never gives you a refill.

In the world of fitness, life is like the elliptical machine. You have the option to select time elapsed, time remaining, or how many calories you’re expending.

Select “Time Elapsed”  and this keeps you fixated on the past. Reminiscing about what was, seeking approval from past achievements, this selection can leave you stuck in your failures, or successes, in that era that prevents you from moving forward.

Select “Time Remaining” and this has your mind focused to what’s to come. You are pondering what potential the next steps can create for you. Having learned from the past, you’ve created strength and resistance for what may be ahead. The remaining is untouched territory, awaiting your footsteps, like a sandbar after a wave cleanses the shores with any previous marks, wiping a clean slate for you to explore.

Select “Calories” and you’re drudging in the zone of wasted energy. It’s those moments you wish you could take back in time. The times that leave you ten years or so from now wondering why the hell you spent so much time focused on the small sh*t that didn’t really matter.

In the perspective of life and fitness, then, what button do you choose to put your focus on? The past, the future, or the mindless calories in between?