Delayed Gratification

"The ability to discipline yourself to delay gratification in the short term in order to enjoy greater rewards in the long term is the indispensable prerequisite for success."

- Maxwell Maltz

It's interesting to note the thoughts that run through your head when you're working out in the gym.  I find time in the gym is when I seem to work through stuff, and it's usually in-between sets.  I think exercise gives us the opportunity to tap into our bodies and gives us the ability to be introspective during such times of physical exertion and awareness.  Not just on a physical level, but also emotionally and mentally.

I think that's a big reason why I love training, and I've missed it big time being away for nearly two weeks.  I've been climbing the walls.  I can't remember the last time I was away that long.  This chest infection really hit me for six, and I still have an annoying cough that continues to persist in the evenings, during the night and early mornings.

Today was my first day back and I started with a cycle class.  I was feeling quite green to be honest, and what I would normally find easy was a bit of a struggle.  It was mainly the seedy feeling and my legs tired more quickly than normal, but I made sure that I finished and pushed myself when I could.   However, my weight session went well afterwards, and I started where I was the last session, and gauged how far to push myself.  I was happy with the outcome, completing everything and afterwards was rewarded with that wonderful feeling of energy and vitality that comes with a good training session!  Oh how I missed you Go Health (and I've never said that before)!

Tomorrow it's my early morning RPM class, which I've decided to do as a regular thing.  I realised that that this week I'll end up doing four cycle classes. Hah!  Who would of thought?  But I'm really enjoying them.  And it's one of the best classes where you really get more bang for your buck as far as a cardio workout.  It's helping me get these legs stronger where I need to...in my quads.

Anyway...delayed gratification.  Well you can see the photo.  It's a typical before and after transformation shot.  Typical in the way it's orchestrated.  That is...what someone looked like before and then what they looked like after some transformation program.  I don't know who this person is.  But I just love how athletic she looks!

That's what amazes me about body transformations.  You never know what's possible.  It always excites me to think that you can take your body from where it is right now to something which initially can seem impossible.  I think that's why the term 'body sculpting' is called that. 

It's like a sculptor starting off with a piece of clay that has no real definition.  He has a vision of what he wants that clay to look like and begins to mould it.  Once it's close to it's final shape, he can then begin to chip away, being more precise and giving definition to accentuate the areas which he wants to.  And so it is with our bodies.  We are the sculptors and the tools we use are not only the genre of exercise and training we choose, but also the food and nourishment we give it, and the volume and intensity of our training.  And lastly...the longer we chip away...the degree of precision of our work, the more which is revealed to show the masterpiece which is our artistic form.

Looking back at my photos I had done in January 2009, it's hard to believe I was 54.75kg's on the day of those photos, with depletion. Hard to believe, because at 57kg's, two years on, I actually look leaner, without any type of depletion.  That excites me, because what it tells me is that over time, my body can and will change if I persist. 

And that's what delayed gratification is.  It's holding a vision of what's possible and what you want to achieve and then doing what's necessary, even though at times it seems hard.  You want that thing, whatever it is, right now!  Once you make that decision you want to be healthier, stronger, fitter, leaner, more financially well off, etc, etc, you want all the things in the universe to give it to you now! 

Let's face it...the thought of not getting what you want right this moment and knowing you have to put in, be patient and trust that it will happen with the appropriate amount of action, before it actually becomes reality, is one of the toughest tests we have to go through.

It's a test of our willingness and determination to see things through.  It's a  test of our patience.  And most of all it's a test of how strong is the vision of what we want to achieve.

This blog is mainly about matters related to health and fitness, but this pertains to any worthwhile endeavour, and it was actually another area of my life where I've been practicing delayed gratification and I've reaped the rewards, that got me thinking of the post title today. 

I'm sure we've all practiced it (delayed gratifcation), and what I find is that the pain of the delay is all but forgotten when you experience success.  All you have to do is rinse and repeat.