The Discomfort Zone
- WellFit by Jennie
- 2 minutes ago
- 8 min read
WellFit by Jennie services include Personal Training, Health Coaching and Education, Fitness Assessments. Available in-person in Marquette, Negaunee, Ishpeming, Gwinn, Marquette County, MI or online nationally.
How do you feel when you read the following statement?
We have become a comfort- and convenience-seeking society.
I realize that this assertion may elicit strong negative reactions ranging from disagreement to offense.
Allow me to explain. I believe that, as a society, we have grown too “soft”, relying on the ease and convenience afforded by technology as well as opportunities to become as comfortable as possible at all times. We can shop for anything online and communicate at the drop of a pin to virtually anyone in any place of the world at any time. The 24-hour news cycle is readily available at our fingertips, lying in wait to throw us into fight-or-flight at a moment’s notice. Processed and fast food abounds, saving us from the burden of preparing healthful meals with whole ingredients.
While the vast opportunities for connection can be very positive, our brains were never meant to process information on the scale that most of us regularly consume.
We seek comfort in our temperature-controlled homes year-round and thus spend an inordinate amount of time indoors. As a society, we are much too sedentary, preferring “butt-bearing” activities like watching TV and scrolling. We perform knowledge work sitting at a desk for extended periods. Meanwhile, our furniture is getting larger and cushier, and health care expenses have increased exponentially to accommodate the consequences of the associated lifestyle.
We are afraid to push ourselves too hard for fear of getting tired or somehow doing damage to ourselves. To reframe this, we are actually afraid to push ourselves because we do not recognize our own strength!
And we are addicted to staying in behavioral ruts, doing the same things over and over, simply because it is easier this way, even when our eyes glaze over from doing so.
Glued to our technology and consumerism, we are afraid to face ourselves.
Nonetheless, pleasurable or easy in the moment does not lend itself to true happiness or self-actualization.
There are so many cultural myths and misunderstandings that reinforce this ill-fated behavior. Myths about “what happens as you age”, what life is supposed to look like, what possessions we are supposed to have, outdated gender-role stereotypes, and more. It is hard to believe that, in this day and age, these false and damaging ideas still exist.
With every decade of life lived, we can explode these myths as we expose them for what they really are. The mind of the culture becomes your own mind, making you feel badly about yourself, and is really just a scared, disempowered “man behind the curtain”.
Who stands to make a buck when we feel badly about ourselves? When we demand too much comfort, require conformity, think we “need” all of these things? When we take medications and have procedures for every little health blip rather than taking the active lifestyle-based steps required to get better, even if medical intervention is part of the process? When we automatically expect infirmity as a natural and inevitable part of the aging process, and think we are “too old to change”?
But I digress. The point is that you need to stay challenged in your life, to continue learning and growing. By doing so, you strengthen your mind and body, and actively engage in life in the present moment. Indeed, your Self is waiting to be given these “LIVE!” messages from you as an instruction.
You choose your challenges, or the universe will choose them for you. – Eckhardt Tolle
It is in this spirit that I would like to share a few of the things I have done lately to challenge myself as lived examples. I am not claiming superiority by any means, although part of this does involve Lake Superior and the surrounding area!
In 2024, my family and I moved 1000 miles from Charlottesville, Virginia to Marquette, Michigan when our son Michael finalized his well-thought-out decision to attend Northern Michigan University. My husband and I downsized to a small apartment between campus and town, leaving behind considerable debt and complexity in the process. This proved to be a very freeing experience. Yes, it is cold here sometimes, and there is a lot of snow in the winter. We had to buy some winter clothes, learn how to dress and how to live. But it has been invigorating!
Jennie & Michael on a snow pile, early December 2024 in Downtown Marquette
We weren’t exactly sure what work would look like for us, but with hard work and time, our professional lives have developed into something unexpected and beautiful. Had we been required to determine every single detail at the outset, we would have stifled this creative process.
Taking these calculated risks does not always work out, but you do learn a lot about yourself and life, and are able to live life to the fullest. One professional “experiment” along the way involved a job that, although seemingly ideal initially, ended up as perfectly disastrous – or disastrously perfect! Perfect in that I learned exactly what I needed to at the time in order to inform my path forward.
Finn caught in a well-intentioned failure
A few months later, I took on a part-time job in the order pickup & delivery department of at a large hardware store, something I could have never imagined myself doing even a short time ago. The learning curve for this work has been steep. It is a very physically strenuous and mentally challenging job. I learned to operate a forklift and an order selector (“big joe”). I am regularly tasked with pulling online orders that include large appliances, bags of concrete mix, doors, lumber, and other heavy items, sometimes single-handedly. My age does not factor into the expectations involving my ability to do my job.
I go to work excited, if sometimes a little terrified. I learn new things every day and get to work with an incredibly diverse team in which all age groups and professional backgrounds are represented. I often come home exhausted, covered with sweat and grime, sometimes with new cuts and bruises, but feeling empowered, enlivened, and strong!
Doing this has greatly informed my personal training business as well. I see what it takes to move heavy loads safely all day long.
In the past year, I have embraced the cold plunge, getting into at times frigid Lake Superior between Spring and Autumn. This morphed into a love of open water swimming and completing a local 2+ mile swim event in one of the local inland lakes. I have joined a group called Marquette Adventure Swimmers and look forward to joining them to explore different outdoor swim venues and distances next warm season.
I have had to recognize where I had gotten too comfortable to the point of boredom and complacency in my life. It almost didn’t matter what I did, so long as it represented an untapped skill set.
By no means would these have been the right decisions for others, but they have been for us.
Our son Michael has exemplified these principles in his life as well. He has thrown himself with passion into his studies (engineering & renewable energy) and is doing quite well in school, now an engineering tutor. He joined the mountain biking club and did his first mountain bike race with his dad in July. He bikes to class in all weather conditions. Michael joined the NMU orchestra after continuing violin lessons through NMU last year. He works at the dining hall, actively participating in the acquisition of funding for his education in addition to applying for every scholarship available. Through taking calculated risks in sometimes non-traditional relationships, he has developed remarkable, authentic friendships through all of his various activities. He is boldly unafraid to be his true self.
Father and son completing the 2025 Ore to Shore mountain bike race together
Life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan offers countless opportunities to challenge oneself. Residents take advantage of the incredible expanse of nature here, whether by bike, foot, cross-country skis, or in the water (with or without a wetsuit!). They live according to the seasons, embracing all weather conditions. It may feel remote to some, but is nicely insulated from some of the stresses of larger society, with a focus on the progressive small-town feel, sense of community, and respect and awe for the natural world.
The concept of SISU, a Finnish word frequently seen on bumper stickers and home decor in the area, characterizes the mindset prevalent among much of the population in the U.P. Roughly translated, it means strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. It is the ability to sustain courage over time as opposed to momentary courage.
Roughly translated, the Finnish word SISU means strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. It is the ability to sustain courage over time as opposed to momentary courage.
The epic Marji Gesick ultra endurance event takes place here every September. Offering 50- and 100-mile mountain biking and running distances, it is known for being the “toughest mountain bike race in America”. Why would people do such a thing if there weren’t great rewards after what has to be an almost insurmountable struggle?
Marji Gesick, the historical figure inspiring the namesake of a local ultra endurance event
What might represent the next right challenge for you in your own life? It does not need to be a Marji Gesick bike race! You need to right-size it for yourself in a way that is a just-manageable challenge for you. You get to decide and set the terms! No one else gets to decide this for you.
Clients who take on these challenges consistently are the ones who see results and get better. Hats off to my horseback riding, rock climbing, and active aging (is there any other way to be??) clients!
I challenge you to pick an area of your life that you know deep, down inside needs a good shakeup. This could be personally, professionally, financially, or socially. It could involve a relationship, a new pursuit, or finally addressing the hoard of belongings that has accumulated in your home.
Avoid judging yourself or comparison with others when you are embarking on this hero’s journey. You need to be your own best friend as it takes loads of self-compassion to risk vulnerability as you take brave and necessarily imperfect action to live your fullest life. Become willing to sit with some anxiety and uncertainty in service of a better life. Be willing to risk triggering the judgment of others, willing to fail and learn. Remember that your opinion of yourself is what matters most.
The timing needs to be right, but if you wait for the exact right time, it may never happen. Start imperfectly; just start.
Practice this skill by adding friction or challenge to your life in any of the following small ways:
Remove the news and social media apps from your phone.
Walk/bike to work or to do errands if possible.
Buy local rather than automatically defaulting to shopping through large online corporations.
Physically go to the grocery and hand-select your items rather than placing an online order.
Go camping for a night or 3!
Remove the television from your bedroom.
Get out in the cold or the heat for a few minutes - it's good for you!
Cook at home using whole food ingredients rather than eating out.
Exert yourself enough so that you are out of breath as often as possible throughout the week.
Go barefoot when possible.
Train for an athletic event or learn a new skill that represents a next-level challenge for you.
What is it, when you are completely honest with yourself, that represents your next growing edge?? Take the next right step for you, and get ready to watch your mind and body respond in ways you never thought possible!
