A Story About Being a Physical Stamina Monster
The other day, I was re-reading an article I wrote previously about my weekday routine.
Looking at it again, I think it's a bit strange myself.
Wake up at 3:30 AM.
10km run.
Work.
Go home.
Strength training.
Journaling.
Writing on note.
Sleep.
When I list it out like this,
"What is this guy aiming for?"
I think.
I don't even really know myself.
I'm not aiming for the Olympics or anything.
I'm not a professional athlete either.
I'm just an ordinary office worker.
That's why people around me often ask,
"Don't you get tired?"
.
Certified as a Physical Stamina Monster
I was told the same thing at work the other day.
Junior colleague
"RunMuscle-san, you're a physical stamina monster, aren't you?"
Me
"No, no, that's normal, right?"
Junior colleague
"It's not normal."
Me
"Huh?"
Junior colleague
"Waking up at 3:30 AM and running 10km is not normal."
Me
"But I go to bed early at night."
Junior colleague
"That's not the point."
Apparently, in the general public,
waking up at 3:30 AM is not considered normal.
I learned that for the first time.
Even to my wife, it seems abnormal
I asked my wife too.
Me
"Do you think Daddy has a lot of stamina?"
Wife
"I guess so."
Me
"That much?"
Wife
"Because normal people don't run 30km on their days off, right?"
Me
"It's a hobby."
Wife
"Your hobby is weird."
How rude.
I used to be normal too
I don't want you to misunderstand here.
It's not like I've always had a lot of stamina.
Quite the opposite, actually.
When I first started working,
I would sleep until noon on my days off.
I'm tired.
I'm sleepy.
I'm sluggish.
I only ever said things like that.
It's unimaginable from the current me.
No, even now, I still have the urge to sleep until noon on my days off.
Quite a lot, actually.
In fact, I have it every week.
Stamina is not a talent, it's savings
I've been thinking lately.
Stamina isn't a talent.
It's like savings.
You save a little bit every day.
That's all.
Running too.
Strength training too.
Walking too.
It's all the same.
You can't save a million yen all of a sudden.
But if you save 100 yen every day, it adds up.
Stamina is the same.
A full marathon is impossible all of a sudden.
But you can walk for 2 minutes.
You can do 5 squats.
You can do 1 push-up.
It's that accumulation.
Exercising makes life a little easier
Of course, exercise has various effects.
Stress relief.
Improved sleep.
Better concentration.
Health maintenance.
Dopamine.
Serotonin.
Noradrenaline.
A lot of difficult terms come up too.
But I think it's much simpler than that.
When you exercise, you feel energetic.
That's all.
Because I'm energetic, I can work.
Because I'm energetic, I can laugh with my family.
Because I'm energetic, I can take on challenges.
Because I'm energetic, I can get back up even if I fail.
Stamina is,
I think it's like fuel for enjoying life.
When you have stamina, the scenery changes
I think about this a lot lately.
The difference between people who can enjoy life and those who can't,
might be stamina rather than talent.
If you're tired,
you can't laugh even if something funny happens.
You can't move even if a chance comes along.
You can't find the energy even if you want to try something new.
But when you have stamina,
"Maybe I'll give it a try"
increases.
Life, in the end,
I feel like it's determined by the number of those "maybe I'll give it a try" moments.
Start with 2 minutes, that's fine
So you don't have to run.
You don't have to do strength training either.
Walking is fine.
Radio calisthenics is fine too.
Squats are fine too.
Really, 2 minutes is enough.
If it's 2 minutes, you can do it.
I didn't run 10km every morning from the start either.
If I did that, I'd die.
No, I'd really die.
So start with 2 minutes.
If you keep it up for 2 minutes, it becomes 5 minutes.
If you keep it up for 5 minutes, it becomes 10 minutes.
Before you know it,
"Huh? Maybe I'm more energetic than before."
you'll think.
Summary of today
Sometimes I am called a stamina monster.
But I am not a special person.
I have just been building things up little by little
for seven years.
And now I think,
what you need to change your life
is not special talent.
It is not incredible knowledge either.
First of all, it is physical stamina.
When you have stamina, you can take on challenges.
When you take on challenges, you can grow.
When you grow, life becomes a little more interesting.
So if you are thinking about starting something right now,
I want you to try moving your body for just two minutes first.
The future you
will surely be more energetic than the current you.
And before you know it,
a day might come when people around you say,
"You've been a stamina monster lately, haven't you?"
At that time, let's answer like this together:
"No way, I'm just normal!" (laughs)
Whether you are working or taking a break,
I hope you all have a day filled with smiles.
Have a great day!
