Recognizing the Value of Knowing When to Back Off 

How do you deal with life’s inevitable twists and turns? 

You know what I’m talking about.

You’re trapped in the airport because your flight gets delayed five hours. Three days before the 10k you trained for all summer, you pull a calf muscle. Your kid goes all Will Smith on a bully and suddenly you’re spending the afternoon dealing with grade school administrators.  

Like John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

There’s no avoiding the occasional set back, but you can avoid letting setbacks get you down.

How, you ask?

Be flexible. 

Change is inevitable and our ability to be flexible when change happens will make a YUGE difference in our growth, not just in fitness, but with every aspect of our lives.

This week, I offer you four flexibility tips to help at home, in the gym, in the office, in the airport, or in the principal’s office. 

Flexibility Tip #1: 

Stretch! I can’t overemphasize the importance of warm-up stretches. Give careful attention to the specific muscle groups you will be emphasizing. It’s one of the best ways to avoid injury. For help with this, check out my Whole Body Stretch Routine.

Flexibility Tip #2: 

Stretch! Wait a minute! Isn’t that Tip #1? Yes, but I’m talking about a different application here. Next time life throws you a curveball, hit the pause button. Take a moment to stretch your shoulders, your back, or wherever you manifest stress. I promise you’ll come back to the situation with a clearer head.

Flexibility Tip #3: 

Don’t take life too seriously! Sometimes finding the humor in the change of plans gets our focus OFF of the inconvenience and ON to what we need to do to fix it. Flight delayed? Take a breath and smile at the airline customer service person who just gave you the bad news. They’ll be a lot more inclined to go the extra mile—and maybe a comp meal—for a friendly face.                                

Flexibility Tip #4: 

Have a back-up plan! We all have activities we swear we’ll do as soon as we have more time, like learning to juggle, reading a big novel, learning to juggle big novels—it’s up to you. The great thing about unexpected changes is that they sometimes free you up to do other things, so be ready with your contingency activity.

Stay Flexible my friend!