Non-Runner to Athlete! (Part 2 of ??)

Body over Mind

As you start any work out program, whether it is walking, running, weightlifting, or aerobics, etc. you must know that there are times when your body will feel great and your mind will defeat you. It is my hope that this article will help you learn ways to listen to your body and work through the games that you mind will try to play with you.

When I started walking, I remember clearly how bad my legs hurt, my lungs burned, my whole body seemed to try to reject the idea that I would actually make it burn calories and build strength. My mind, of course, would join right in and I would hear things like; “why do you even try”, “this hurts too much”, “is it really worth it”, “it really is okay to cut it short today”. The odd thing is, as I began to increase my speed and distance, my body rejected less, but my mind still fought me almost every step of the way!! So, how do you get passed the mind game, you ask? Here are a few tips that I have learned along the way.

First, as difficult as it may be some days…don’t let your mind talk you out of doing some type of exercise. Even if it is going up and down the stairs 10 times or running in the yard with the dog, do something! The more often you don’t let your mind tell you, it’s okay to do nothing today, the more your body craves the activity, and the more this craving will overrule what your mind tries to tell you.

A huge part of the program (as I have said before) is just getting out the door, or turning on the treadmill / elliptical, or whatever is your choice of workout! Now, having said that, getting started does not mean that the workout will be a “walk in the park”, but at least you have made the effort.  After getting out the door (or on the equipment) you still have to stay focused and motivated. I do this in several ways: 1. setting small goals and stay focused on that goal, such as: I am going to run as fast as I can to the next mailbox / tree / sign, then I will walk to the next……, 2. repeating different sayings over and over to myself, for example, during the marathon I frequently quoted Philippians 4:13, and “I’ve got this”, “I have trained for and can do this”, and 3. when it gets down to it and your brain tells me I can’t do any more, I ask myself, “why?”. Can I not do more because I just don’t want to, or is it because of a real physical reason? I never support pushing through real pain that can lead to injury, but I do encourage myself to push through the “I don’t want to do more” because if I don’t push through it, how will I ever make improvements?

I am not saying that every day is easy for me to get out and do something, but it does get easier! You just have to start doing something, then before long, you are looking back over that past year thinking, man a year ago I could barely walk a mile, without feeling like my lungs were on fire and my legs were going to fall off….now I am able to run ___ miles before I feel that way.