This is what my daughter Julia asked me when we were preparing to run an ultra-marathon. I did not understand her question, and she explained that one can train at three levels: red, orange, and green. Training at the red level involves going all out, it is a high-intensity workout. That type of workout needs to be harmonized with an easygoing training that allows for the restoration of a tired body, this is the green training. And as you can guess, the orange training is in-between. Julia rightly observed that my running was always at the orange level. By staying away from the red level, I did not acquire the strength and endurance that I needed to run an ultra-marathon. And by avoiding green trainings I deprived my body of the restoration that it needed. Her observation was that I stayed too much in the orange zone. She was right.
The traffic light system applies to running, but also to other parts of our life. Some people are forced to live their life continuously in the red zone because their life circumstances are extremely challenging. But let us assume that we are able to vary the color of the traffic light that we live by. Being in the red zone allows us to take a sprint to get something done, to grow or develop something that needs significant work or inspiration, or to deal with a challenge. Being in the green zone gives us time to rest, heal, focus, and center. The orange zone is in-between. In that zone we don’t go all out but we don’t recover either. This is the busy life that offers no rest. Do you recognize the patterns of the different color zones in your own life?
What color zones do you spend your time in? Do you use a healthy variation of red, orange, and green? Do you spend most of your time in the orange zone? If so, what is it that keeps you there? A sense of guilt? The digital demands and distractions of modern life? What restorative activities do you use when you are in the green zone? And when you are in the green zone, do you engage in activities that nourish you and lift you up, or do you “rest” in ways that somehow deplete you? (Like indulging in the daily news, or spending time with friends or colleagues who tend to complain much.) It may be illuminating to analyze how much of your time you spend in the red, orange, and green zones, and what you do while in these zones.
I tend to spend much time in the orange zone. In the long run thus is draining because there is neither the time for recovery nor the satisfaction of growth or achievement. If you also spend much time in the orange zone, you could consider mixing in time in the red and green zones. It is fitting to think about this now, because red and green are the colors of the holiday season. The end of the year may be a good time to mix some green into your schedule!