Bad Exercising Habits

A need to escape reality is a necessity encountered daily. This includes closing of one’s eyes to avoid witnessing what is occurring. Unfortunately, this is transferred to the way many people exercise. There is a misconception of exercising harder, when one closes their eyes. Unfortunately, a possible reality of losing consciousness, due to closing of eyes when exercising, is never thought of. Furthermore, closing of eyes is often accompanied with tightening of lips. Both of these events involve flexing of muscles which utilize energy. Utilized energy during those events is small, but when added up, it’s huge and wasted. Energy wasted could be used for another set or count. Let us not forget about elite competitions where the second person trails off a few seconds or counts from the winner. It is due to the little extra energy saved, which makes a difference. Tightening of lips also affects one’s breathing, decreasing energy further.

By closing eyes, the body loses its position, coordination and awareness of the surrounding. This creates an imbalance, causing dizziness. If eyes are kept closed, loss of consciousness is a likely outcome.

There is a delusional belief of increased exercising, as a result of closing eyes. It is all up in one’s head: during exercise, when one closes their eyes to suck up resulting pain, a random action of closing eyes is registered in the brain and draws attention. A fear of possible harm is unconsciously experienced by the body, increasing brain activity. Less focus is placed unto resulting pain from exercise. As a result, one thinks that they are able to flex heavier loads with eyes closed, because they don’t experience much pain. In reality, it is a matter of tricking one’s brain to ignore the pain; a similar situation in which individuals are advised to transfer focus elsewhere, for improved exercising and concentration, such as during meditating.

Although there is a slight improvement when flexing with closed eyes, resulting danger can turn fatal. Increased brain activity in the moment is a huge energy consumer. Together with wasted energy used to close eyes and tighten lips, as well as energy used to exercise, the body is likely to drop into an energy deficient state. Loss of consciousness is the likely outcome, as the body strives to preserve remaining energy, for basic survival life processes.

Some may claim: to hell with this crap, am out. That felt exaggerated, but reality is never as it seems. Instead of quitting, divert resulting pain from exercising, by shifting attention elsewhere, instead of closing eyes and tightening of lips. It’s a toughie, but achievable through years of practice, and getting to know one’s body limits. A glance to the outside, then continuing with the exercise, has proven to be beneficial.

A beach for I is a place of comfort, body surfing through gorgeous waves, crushing along a gently sloping shoreline. It is all beautiful in my head, hence exercising harder, enduring through pain. What of you? How do you persevere through initial pain of an exercise? Do you have a happy place you take your mind to, pumping in harder? Or a slogan does the trick?

Stay awesome and keep exercising.

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