Yep. I’m going to put it out there. I’m breaking taboo. I’m going to talk about the mental state of our minds when attempting, enduring and competing in a physical fitness competition, race, sport or simply making fitness a lifestyle.
When I interview real estate agents for a position with us at my office, I am notorious for two really big questions:
- What is your GOAL?
- What is your WHY?
And if they answer me in vague, general jargon, I stop them midway and ask for specifics. One out of seven will not need a box of tissue if the conversation continues over the awkward seemingly eternity of silence. But this is where our heart meets our mindset and this is where our determination is rooted. And THIS is what tells me if they will succeed in their goal for their why before they ever even attempt demolishing their fears.
So before attempting this physical change in your life as your plan out your nutrition and workouts for the week… let me ask you… what are you wanting to do and why are you doing it?
To make a long story short, this will not or is not JUST a physical change/challenge. This is a mental one, too. If you dig deep and answer question #2 honestly, it will tell you if you will be able to achieve the answer to your first question.
You can wear all the fanciest of sweat suits and running shoes that your money can buy, you can diet till you’re organically veganly 350 calories a day blue in the face all month long, you can pop pre-workout, enroll in your neighborhood “box” and register for every single 5k from now until the end of eternity… if you don’t think you can do it… YOU WILL NOT.
If you are training to run your first 5k, you need to start off gradually. Jog at a comfortable pace for a couple of 400s until you reach a mile. Next time shoot to run a continuous 800 and keep adding on until you reach your goal. Before you know it, you’ll be running a few miles without stopping if you do this continuously over a period of time. That is of course with proper nutrition, too.
The same workout helps with mental fitness. Work on it gradually. If you need help, seek out a training group for positive reinforcement and a coach if necessary. Begin with short little affirmations. Build up to podcasts, random acts of kindness and to volunteering regularly on a daily/weekly basis. Incorporate prayer and/or meditation. Eliminate whites, sugars and processed food stuff from your dietary intake. Sip tea and coffee. Gulp Water. A lot of it. Work on puzzles daily. Talk. Delve into deep conversations and what you are doing, feeling and fearing. Write down your fears. I’m a bit of an “A” type personality so I go a bit overboard in some aspects. I wrote down 30 fears of mine. To date, I’ve crossed off 17 of them. Overcoming each fear empowers your self esteem and how you react to your achievement solidifies that esteem in you. Ask yourself the tough questions. You know the ones. Yep… those. Be honest with yourself. It does no good to lie. Especially to yourself.
We all go through ups and downs in our lives. I credit running marathons with saving my life. I was on a downward spiral after the death of my baby brother, my Sissy and my Momma. My marriage was on the rocks. My job was the last thing I cared about. God was no where in our lives. And my children needed me to be strong as they were right smack in the teen years of doom. I did not have the luxury of being able to have a melt down. THANK GOD FOR RUNNING. But the thing was that I had never run before in my life.Well… I did one of those 5k walks in college and was behind a Phi-Sig I had a crush on but that was decades and 40-pounds ago. I had a very strong up bringing in the church, supportive friends and a WHY so the tools were there for me. My mental health was fragile – as many are when first entering a new physical program – but I took the right steps to make my body strong and my mind stronger.
Those who cheat themselves on their real WHY will likely cheat themselves on their goal. The fastest way to do this is by falling victim to the others. You know the others… the ones who are lurking behind the scenes, watching you progress as they sit there doing nothing and spewing negative comments here and there and everywhere.
You cannot let other people dictate what your goals are. You cannot let other people allow you to feel guilty for taking care of yourself. You cannot let other people spew hate on you, make you feel inferior, useless, worthless and stupid for doing something that means something to you. You cannot let other people convince you that what you are doing is impossible.And the ONLY way to do this is by controlling your mindset.
Make sure to exercise your mind AND body daily… and shoot… go ahead an add soul to the routine while you’re at it. A little bit of higher power is pretty useful at mile 22 on a marathon anyway.
RunMyssieRun 