How do I think like an athlete?

This is a question I get asked a lot in my practice...how DO I think like an athlete?! What does that even mean...

Thinking like an athlete comes down to viewing your life as a whole where each part is dependent on feeding and strengthen the new part. IE....it means asking yourself if I eat that ice cream cone will it make me have a stronger performance tomorrow? In many times the answer to that is yes...but the majority of the time it means no...that is the very definition of thinking like an athlete.

Let me explain more clearly...if that ice cream cone is coming from having a stressful day and you have found that if you fuel yourself with sugar it relaxes you and you are able to sleep better or achieve the goals you need to then by all means eat away! But if time and time again you find that the sugar just hijacks your blood sugar making you feel temporarily like you can conquer the world and then you crash and eat to much dinner...then that clearly is not the way to go!

If option 2 is more commonly your reality then you should look at that dichotomy and apply it to the greater goals which in this case is thinking more like an athlete...
In this case you should ask yourself a few questions such as:
1. Do I have to get in a workout after work?
2. What are the long term effects of this food?
3. Is this the right fuel for the job?
4. What would Chrissy Wellington do or WWCWD?

Ok number 4 is a joke and knowing her zany methods she prob eats ice cream for breakfest! But you get the idea. By answering those questions it should activate your internal motivation (refer to prior post) to think like an athlete and more sucessfully get you to your goals!!

These questions can be applied to any aspect of thinking like an athlete...such as getting a workout in you would ask yourself (What do I have to do today to make sure this happens? What are the long term effects of this workout? How can I best ensure a sucessful workout today?)
ooor if you have to recover...
(What am I recovering for? What are the long term effects of this recovery?  How can I best ensure that I recover well today?)

By thinking long term and looking at your body as a whole in both past, future and current tense you will be well on your way to thinking like and athlete!

Your goals are only a question away...go out and answer them...I believe in you...do you?  :)