I just returned from Washington DC where I had the opportunity to visit the Phillips Collection and the special exhibition Degas' Dancers at the Barre. The show was as wonderful as expected but what I didn't expect was to have one particular phrase resonate with me: variation and repetition.
Upon examining Degas' work using infrared light technology, archivists learned that Degas worked and reworked many of his paintings, painstakingly moving a dancer's leg a little bit here and a little more there. Also, he often did multiple sketches and pastels of the same dancer both in the nude and clothed. He would then take these separate drawings and create composite paintings reworking each of the models. The attention to detail is both near obsessive and genius.
So, how does this relate to fitness? It's a pretty simple connection. Just as artists practice and perfect their craft, as amateur fitness enthusiasts, we can do the same. Degas drew and sketched and painted the same subjects over and over and over again but making adjustments each time - until he felt it was finished. He often worked on one piece for years. In fitness, we must exercise nearly every day, doing basically the same series of exercises every day, but varying them so that we continue to challenge and strengthen our bodies. We must repeat the sequence almost daily but add a bit of variation.
I look forward to exercising, something I still find amazing. I don't do the same thing everyday. I'm just a regular person trying to maintain some level of fitness. That said, seeing improvement is important and keeping my routines fresh is equally important. I would never have made it this far if I hadn't tried new equipment or added just a bit more weight to a machine. I also wouldn't have made it this far if I hadn't make the commitment to exercise most (5-6) days of the week. I repeat what I'm doing but vary it just a little bit to keep it interesting.
I tell my clients that I really don't care what they do as long as they do it almost everyday. At the same time, is important not to do the same thing day in and day out. This can lead to boredom and stagnation - both can stop progress towards fitness goals.
And finally, the other important lesson I learned - we must feed and exercise our bodies to live but we also must nourish our souls and challenge our minds. So this week take a walk to a museum: move your body and nurture your soul.
Be well.
