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Choose Challenge Over Comfort


Point to Ponder:

How often do you choose challenge over comfort?

The growth process is one of those things most all of us do not enjoy being in the middle of, because in order for growth to occur, there has to be friction, challenge and discomfort. However, something I know we all agree on is while the growth process sucks, in order to maximize our growth we must not only endure difficulty and pain, we must “embrace the suck”, because the fruit from the struggle is undeniably sweet and delicious!

Growth is one of iGnite’s 4 core values (in addition to integrity, family and fun). The reason we choose growth (physical, mental, spiritual and emotional) is because we know it’s a critical component to living a healthy, full and abundant life. As you probably agree, where there’s no growth, life cannot exist (think about the Dead Sea). Our best lives can only be lived where new and fresh water flows. In fact, according to the book, Younger Next Year, we are either growing or decaying.

Throughout the month of September our focus will be on the importance of growth and implementing practices that enable us to fully grow by choosing to experience discomfort, challenge and friction every day. As it relates to exercise, creating physical growth and development (something iGnite happens to be all about) this is what the authors have to say:

"In your body, there is only growth or decay. You can choose between them and the trick is to grow more than to decay, which is where exercise comes into play. Your muscles control the chemistry of growth throughout your whole body. The nerve impulse to contract a muscle also sends a tiny signal to build it up, creating a moment -to-moment chemical balance between growth and decay within the muscle. If enough of the growth signals are sent at once, they overwhelm the signals of atrophy and your body turns on the machinery to built up the muscles, heart, capillaries, tendons, bones, joints, coordination and so on. Exercise is the master signaler, the agent that sets hundreds of chemical cascades in motion each time you exercise and sweat. It’s what sets off the cycles of strengthening and repair within the muscles and joints. It’s the foundation of positive brain chemistry, and it leads directly to a younger life, with it’s heightened immune system; it’s better sleep; it’s weight loss, insulin regulation and fat burning; it’s improved sexuality, it’s dramatic resistance to heart attack, stroke, hypertension, Alzheimers disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, high cholesterol and depression. All that comes from exercise. But let your muscles sit idle… and decay takes over again."

During the month of September, growth will be our primary focus, which is why we just launched our “Class Blast Challenge”. Call it tough love, but we don’t want you to decay! We know it’s a stretch to ask you to attend 4 classes each week, but challenge equals growth and growth combats decay and promotes life. And, because integrity is one of our core values, we’ll be walking our talk alongside you and remotely….stretching beyond our comfort zones, trying new things, testing new ideas and making sure we attend our 4 classes each week too.

As quoted in Younger Next Year, exercise is the master signaler, and we feel iGnite is the master signaler, so if we don’t raise our standards and cease to push and challenge ourselves beyond our traditional physical, mental and spiritual comfort zones, we might as well throw in the towel, curl up in a fetal position and dig our own grave. So instead, choose challenge over comfort and pay attention to how amazing you feel as you witness the positive changes in each of these areas.

 

Action Item:

Choose growth over decay by attending at least 4 iGnite classes each week throughout the month of September.

 

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