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?  :)

What to do if you have no motivation...

I am an avid runner...I run 5 days a week on a good week and 3 on a not so good week. I am always looking to improve and so it motivates me to get outside in the rain, snow, heat, whatever.

Where does that motivation come from?!

Well this is a classic example of the difference between internal motivation annnd external motivation. Let me explain....

Internal motivation is the good vibes that come from inside of you. You may commonly hear people with internal motivation saying such key phrases as "I am doing it for me!!" ooorrr "I want this because it is important to me!!" This is the best kind of motivation its the very same motivation that gets you outside in a hurricane...ok maybe not a hurricane but mayyybeee just maaayybbeee a rain storm...why because YOU want it...simple as that.

External motivation is like a devil on your shoulder, this is the motivation that comes from forces outside yourself. You will commonly hear those with external motivation saying things like "I raced that race to beat Sally!!" ooorrr  "I am loosing weight because I have a reunion coming up and I want to look good!" Thus the motivation is coming from an outside source that is not yourself. BEWARE this motivation...it is short term and can get you in trouble. At first it may feel stronger then internal motivation but it is often the quickest way to burn out and become tired of your new behavior.

So for me, mastering the internal motivation was a tough one that I struggled with for many years...what changed you ask?!

Well i will tell you :)

I think the quickest way to go from external motivation to internal motivation is to dig down deep to the root of what you REALLY REALLY want...so for me, I REALLY REALLY wanted to reach my goals this season in my races. This resulted in me making short time specific goals that came from me, this tends to switch the motivation to internal rather then external.  For example, I want to run 8 min miles by July and I will achieve this by running 5 days a week using quality not quantity.

So every morning I wake up and I say, I set this goal, this is what I want, so its only mine to loose. This tends to get me out the door each day.

One exercise you can do if your having motivation issues getting out the door is to look at yourself in the mirror and say in your head or out loud, what do I want, do I really want this for me? If I do want this, what is keeping me from getting out there and achieving the goal? These topics also work well for journaling if the mirror makes you uncomfortable or your spouse is around to ask you what your doing...

Hopefully the answers that come from this exercise will help you to find that internal motivation you need to get out the door and achieve your goals!!!

New Beginnings ...

My life has always had a calling one that started as a whisper that I had to strain to hear but eventually  became a shout as the years drifted past. My calling as it turns out is to help, listen and generally guide those around me using the diverse experiences that have surrounded me throughout my life.

I answered this call by receiving my Masters in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Through many months of searching I struggled to find the right branch of social work for me. Finally one day I had an "ah-ha!" moment, I would combine my two loves, sports and mental health and my new practice was born, Mental Fitness.

In this practice I help kids who have anger issues while playing sports in school or intermurals, adults struggling to add in a new fitness routine, and serious competitive athletes struggling with their mental focus.
Throughout this blog I hope to touch on those topics and provide some well researched information to help those struggling, some direction. But as always if you are reading this blog and are in the DMV area, please contact me directly and I will provide you with as much feedback as I can.

Please enjoy and comment if you wish.