Is that discipline?

Anytime I come across a person who lives based on streaks of achievement, I feel concerned.

I've noticed this the most with regard to fitness. Gym rats is a commonly used word to highlight an individual's dogged resolve towards exercising.

It is quite funny to me that it's called gym rats. I immediately think about the rat race when I hear gym rats. And rat race, as we all know, refers to the not-so-rosy way to refer to the grind of work.

Rat-race got derived from a 'follow-the-leader' game conducted in aviation training during the 1930s. In the game, a trainee pilot would imitate the actions of an expert pilot. From 1945 onwards, the phrase came to mean "competitive struggle."

I doubt if fitness or any other pursuit should become a competitive struggle where you're constantly coaxing yourself to show up.

Isn't it better when you feel drawn to the idea of being fit because of various factors and not because you are supposed to?

Other than extracting the essence of fitness, streak-keeping behavior also numbs out the fallible parts of oneself.

Yes, those streaks on your apple watch or phone showing how well you've done in the last six months provide an unmatched sense of accomplishment but is that how one lives?

Is that blind worship of consistency adding to your life? If yes, please continue by all means.

But if you have even a sliver of doubt, please allow yourself to slack off sometimes.

Extensively suppressing your need to unwind might cost you way more, regardless of having the perfect body and diet.

Because most things, I believe, taken to any extreme just increase your need to escape. You might be escaping from things only you understand but masking that as discipline is unhealthy.