Mid-Week Motivation: Getting In The Zone -- Challenges and Goals

Remember, if it was easy everyone would be having the experience. Here is another critical element necessary to having that Zone experience.  In addition, I answer a few questions from emails regarding some of the challenges that you may face when reaching for the Zone, the Flow, or that Peak Experience.

 Find out what it takes to have your experience. Check out the video below.

Kurt Elder of Energy FX Fitness Consultants discusses a 3rd critical element to getting in The Zone, as well as addresses challenges to that process. http://...

Do You Have The Focus It Takes?

I wanted to pick up where I left off last Monday regarding achieving an experience in The Zone. There are several elements that are necessary, or that people all seem to mention, as part of their Zone experience.  Click on the video below and check out the first element necessary to achieve a Zone experience. Be sure to tune in next week as each Wednesday, for the month of September, I will be sharing a crucial element to achieving a Zone experience.

Kurt Elder of Energy F/X Fitness addresses the first element of what it takes to get into the zone, the flow, to have a peak experience. http://www.energyfxf...

How Do YOU Get In The Zone

As I finished yet another insane training day on Saturday, I paused for a moment, turning to my training partner and saying, "How lucky are we?" For a full 75 minutes I pretty much lost track of time. I was completely immersed in each and every exercise, every breath, was without judgments, or distractions and felt literally part of every movement I was doing. As difficult and uncomfortable as the workout was it felt as though my body was moving through the movements effortlessly. For years I've taken for granted this very special time that I get to enjoy a few times each week.

To me, this is being in The Zone!

When you are so present to a moment you are in, that you actually lose track of time and literally become part of that moment, feeling and experiencing the smells, tastes, touches from a place that is almost surreal -- that's the zone. Many athletes have described the zone as feeling like everything slows down to slow motion. They state their vision is crystal clear, they are without distractions, and while they are obviously in their body, they feel as though they are watching everything happen from a place beyond themselves, often saying they are doing the activity effortlessly.

The cool thing to me about being in the zone is that you don't have to be a professional athlete or weekend warrior. I have friends that paint, hike in the mountains, surf, friends that build things (wood work), and numerous other activities that are not sports related all comment on being in the zone. What I now realize is that in order to get into the zone in any activity you have to be willing to become completely immersed in the activity you are doing. The activity has to involve you using your body to do the activity and the activity has to require some significant level of concentration (and sometimes skill) in order to perform it.

The interesting thing about reaching the zone is that your body moves effortlessly, you feel as though you can go on forever. Runners often talk about this as a "runner's high". But make no mistake, achieving the zone state can be done while painting, doing cardio, wood work, or any other activities that meet the requirements I listed above.

The result of being in the zone is a completely refreshed sense of well being, clarity and calmness about things that had been previously troubling you, and if you're lucky a kind of giddy euphoria.

Is there anyone else out there that has an experience of being in "the zone" that they'd like to share?  We all get there in different ways, but WOW is the feeling fantastic.

Let me know about your Zone experience.