Heart rate

Several weeks ago I found myself in a hotel room with no access to any gym equipment.

But because I was feeling guilty of overeating, I decided to hack it and do one of those “thirty minutes and you’re done” home workouts and feeling silly while doing it. Half an hour later I was breathing as hard as I ever had the whole day and was feeling more fulfilled than silly.

I also wanted to lie down and not get up for the next two days or so, but that’s another story.

Although it brought me no closer to my dream goal of one day becoming as big as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s leg, that short sweat session was an important reminder for me: Find something that increases your heart rate and causes you to work for it. This is not necessarily an exercise thing (though that’s also a mental note to move often and move frequently) and can apply to other things as well.

For instance, school is opening again, and the idea of finishing in the honor roll consistently for all grading periods can seem like something that induces an increase in heart rate for someone who has been pretty lax until that point in his or her academic life.

For those in the honor roll, finishing a rank higher or matching their rank may be something that spikes their heart rate a bit as they calculate the amount of work they have to invest.

For those who are working already, it may be a short-term goal, like taking certification or night classes in a subject vastly different from their industry field but that they’ve always wanted to tackle. Certainly, the idea of extra hours of learning after work hours is not one that is easily sniffed at.

But what’s the opposite—the other side of sending your heart rate up with dreams and works? The opposite would be flatlining. That’s when your heart stops beating—the ultimate form of inactivity, if you catch my drift.

That’s why, for anyone complaining that they are too busy to do anything, congratulations! Being busy is a sign that you’re alive and kicking. And before anyone comes in with the whole “stress is bad for you” argument, (1) Too much stress is bad for you, reasonable amounts will help you grow, and (2) There is also such a thing as being bored of boredom— too much inactivity.

Just like that unexpected, unplanned hotel room workout, let this be a challenge for you guys to do scary things often—things that spike your heart rate, things that stress you, and, eventually, spur growth in your lives.

Don’t let that “scary” thing be your decision to watch The Conjuring 2, please.