The Wellness Column by Matt Spencer of Crossfit Orillia

Change is Uncomfortable…

“Whether you think you can or you can’t, either way you’re right.” – Henry Ford

Now I am the first to admit that quotes can be a little cliche but the above one from Henry Ford resonated with me the first time I heard it.

The root cause of this crisis lies in something that exists inside all of us as humans: the survival need to seek comfort. Seeking comfort has been the natural human instinct that has motivated us as a species from day one, but I believe now, it’s gone too far. 

Everything now is wired for comfort. I see more and more people walking around in expensive running shoes because they’re more comfortable. Beds are more comfortable. Large sectionals have taken over living rooms (my own included) because they’re more comfortable. But it goes a step further. It’s not that any of those things are inherently bad, not at all, but like anything in life, what happens when we have too much of a good thing? It becomes an issue when seeking comfort starts to affect our other behaviors.

“Life happens at the end of our comfort zone” – unknown. 

You see I believe that when we succumb to comfort, we stop challenging ourselves. When we stop challenging ourselves, we stop growing. Growth, spiritually and emotionally, should be a lifelong pursuit. It is, however, a very uncomfortable one. It requires challenging oneself and the confidence to know that we all can do hard things. Because as cliche as it is, life is hard. 

Every single aspect of life is hard. And we’ve lost the drive as a society to continue to pursue hard things because they can be very uncomfortable. Also, when challenging yourself there’s also the idea that you might fail. And that’s a scary word as well: failure. But anyone who embraces challenges will tell you the only failure is not trying.

Because now what we’re actually talking about is patience. 

One of my favourite movies is the 2018 adventure film entitled “Free Solo,” where rock climber Alex Honnold climbs the rock face called “El Capitan” in Yosemite National Park – without a rope. You want to talk about discomfort! This feat is clearly at the extreme end of the extreme spectrum and perhaps lacks a little context in the sense that many would say “Oh he’s crazy!” Or they would try to find a reason why he scientifically is wired differently to take on the task. In fact, in the film, they go so far as to do a brain scan on him to show his brain doesn’t register fear the same way a regular brain does, and that he might be slightly on the Autism spectrum.

But the reason why I love the film is they show the level of detail and preparation that Alex puts into the stunt, to the point where he has every single foot and hand placement mapped out. It’s very easy to overlook those elements in the spectacle of it all, but from his point of view, yes there’s danger, but it’s mitigated by the preparation he put in prior to the event.

He shows his patience in his preparation, something that many would certainly lack nowadays. If you think about it, even having patience can be uncomfortable now. And the one we often have the least patience with is ourselves.

When it comes to your health and wellness it’s all about patience. What’s scarier is that this advice would almost be considered counterculture now, when you’re being constantly bombarded with ads, programs, plans, packages and deals that offer weight loss in 28-days, 6-weeks or any other time crunch.

It’s because the advertisers are appealing to your lack of patience and knowing that if your brain can wrap your head around the time frame, you’re going to be more willing to purchase from them. That’s because you convinced yourself that “yes, you can” do this thing for that amount of time.

Any true wellness professional will tell you that healthy, successful, weight loss that’s the result of a lifestyle shift equates to about a pound per week of weight lost. Yep. One pound per WEEK! So, if you want to lose 50 pounds, you’re looking at about a year to do so. So now you can see how patience factors back into things. Now your brain might be saying “I can’t do that!” because change is uncomfortable. Embracing that discomfort for a year is quite a challenge. 

But just like when Alex was scaling the mountain, he didn’t keep looking up at the top thinking “Am I there yet?” he stayed focused on the next move in front of him. A loss of patience for him would equal a loss of life. An extreme example I know, but hopefully you see the point.

I take this philosophical and metaphorical analogy for weight loss because you’re reading this at the end/start of a new year, which inherently comes with a “reset” of habits and new goals. If those goals involve weight loss or establishing a new wellness routine, I want you to seriously consider the words can versus can’t, as well as comfortable versus uncomfortable.

As you embark on these changes, remind yourself that change is hard and inevitably uncomfortable. 

However, it’s the seeking of comfort that probably got you to the point where you needed to make a change in the first place: a nice little irony loop there. But it’s just uncomfortable. As you set your goals, be patient with yourself as they unfold in front of you and remember: whether you think you can, or you can’t, you’re right.