I couldn’t wait to write to you this week because I had a pretty big AHA moment. I am a big believer in small and steady changes. I love helping perfectionists overcome all-or-none thinking. After all, I am a perfectionist who would live in this thought distortion.
Lately, I have been testing myself. My latest test was on my treadmill taking a class with Chase Tucker from Peloton. I love Chase Tucker’s class… and I proudly identify as a member of his wolf pack. He always promotes a beginner mindset, so this is what I explored on my latest run.
I got on the tread and planned to do a 20 minute HIIT run. If you followed my Instagram this week, I talked all about EPOC and the Afterburn effect. So - I was getting in my HITT to optimize the afterburn effect of my workout. During the workout, I pushed myself on this HIIT run… but not as much as I could have. And that was ok.
But I was curious. I am working on developing more lean muscle mass and getting stronger, so I have been making an effort to challenge myself.
When the run was complete, I had ranked 2,500 out of 5,000 runners. Right smack dab in the middle of the bell shaped curve. I then had a moment in thought. What does it take to excel? How could I come out of the average and move ahead? I could feel my competitive energy coming on strong. How much extra effort would it take?
So - I decided that I would repeat the 20 minute HIIT. And I would increase all speeds by 10%. So if I were at 6.0, my new speed would be 6.6. If I were at 9.0, my next speed would be 9.9. I was starting to wonder what results I would get by just increasing my effort by 10?
Now, in this scenario, I am using my rank as the result. What would my rank be if I increased my effort by 10%?
I got back on the treadmill and performed the workout. Many observations during this one. The most exciting one was that an increase in 10% did not feel that different!!! It was not more difficult. So interesting. I completed the workout. I felt great. Strong. When the ranks came up, I had improved my position to 1,800 out of 5,000 runners. I had moved my position to the 36th percentile from the 50th percentile. All with just a 10% increase in 10% effort.
What if our efforts didn’t have to be that much more? Perhaps a 10 minute walk on a day that you were going to not walk. Or 10 pushups added to your week when you otherwise wouldn’t do strength training. A small effort (just 10% even) can give huge results. Small efforts are easier to sustain because we will feel accomplished doing something very achievable.
I want to give you a little push today. Where do you want to put an extra 10%? Excited to see what you come up with.