Winning The War In Your Mind
December 26, 2008
It’s too early, I will go tomorrow. It’s cold, when it warms up I will start going again. Sound familiar? We as human beings can talk ourselves out of anything, especially when it comes to exercising. The problem then is guilt sets in and that one missed day turns into six months! Most would describe this group of people as just plain lazy. I disagree. I say all they lack is a bit of mental toughness. I was at that stage as well years ago, but overcoming it doesn’t take long if you are willing to do it.
Exercising isn’t just about physical activity. Mental preparation is just as vital too. So instead of waking up and saying “I just can’t today”, try this. The moment those lids pop open, try “I’m gonna train like I have never trained before”. By testing yourself mentally and pushing to accomplish your goals means you are one step closer to winning the war in your mind and getting that body you long for.
Another thing that helps is to take a few minutes for yourself in the morning and think about what you want to achieve for that day. Picture it, brand it into your skull and then simply put it into practice. You could write your ideas for the day down on a piece of paper and tick them off as you go along. At the end of the day when you see that you have done everything you wanted to, and a sense of pride shoots through you, believe me, you can get addicted to that feeling.
I know we don’t always have time for this kind of thing, but we’re not talking an hour or even 30 minutes. 15 Minutes will do just fine, provided you clear your head and make it all about yourself and the goals you want to achieve.
Keeping up with an exercise and nutrition program does get to most after a while and we see our enthusiasm to workout and eat right go downhill, but don’t give in to it. Keep your eye on the goal and go for it.
One last little trick that could help you which I started using when first started out is to find a picture of what you want your body to look like. This is more of a long term goal strategy, but is part of progressing. Look at it in the morning or before you train or even if you feel like giving up and remember that you can look like that if you just stick with the plan to eat healthy and exercise.
