It's All Mental...or At Least Mostly

Endurance.

Persistence.

In my journey to health, for each thing that I learn about fitness, I learn two things about myself.  Recently I learned just how much running is mental.  I know, for all you runners out there, you've known this for years, but for me it was something of a revelation.

I was running the other night and I started feeling a little tired.  I really wanted to stop, but I thought to myself, "I can run down to that corner," so I did.  Then I thought, "I can make it to the end of this street."  Guess what?  I made it there, too.

The funny thing was, I really wasn't any more exhausted at the at the end of the street than when I had that first inclination to stop.  It was entirely "in my head".  I wasn't actually close to any kind of physical failure at all, it was purely mental.

When you're exercising by yourself, and there's no one there to pace yourself against or to cheer you on, the only one that chooses when to stop, is you.  Or in this case, me.

What I learned that night about myself was that while I had been fairly disciplined with my exercise routine, I hadn't really been pushing myself.  Normally when I get tired, I stop.  I wonder how many times in my life I've done that?  Just stopping because I wasn't mentally tough enough to push just a little bit more?

"So, Aaron, what's the point?"

Mostly I'm writing this to just help me digest my own thoughts.  But, if this helps someone that reads this get past a little mental "tiredness", too?   Bonus.

It's a Matter of Perspective

Last week I had my two best workouts ever.  Tonight was initially disappointing.

As I was finishing up, (and calling myself a wimp), I realized it had actually rained today for the first time in a while, which raised the humidity a bit.  I also realized I hadn't had anything to drink since Bob bought me a Coke Zero at 3:00 o'clock. Those two factors are a recipe for a very wimpy workout.

Then I realized something else.  Before last week, the workout I had done tonight, my wimpy workout, was my "normal" workout.  And three months ago, my wimpy workout was not even within the realm of possibility.  Interesting.

In the matter of one week, my perspective had changed.  I'm demanding more from myself, and I think that's a good thing.

On the flip side, we have to be careful, because our perspective can quickly slide the other way, too.  There was a time, when, from my perspective, eating double-meat cheeseburgers, giant orders of fries, and a couple of glasses of Dr. pepper a two or three times a week was normal.

Any perspectives in your life that might need adjusting?

Long Week

This was a long week, especially at work.  We had lots of technical problems, and it was just mentally and emotionally draining.

On the flip side, this was a good week for "the program".  I really only squeezed in one official "workout", instead of the three I planned, but I was more active.  I took the stairs at work, and this afternoon we washed the van and put up some blinds in the boy's room.  Not to mention our little walk we took earlier in the week.  I know that blinds, a car wash, and a walk don't equal a triathlon, but it IS better than sitting on my laziness all day.

Truth be told, I think I hurt my foot a bit...I kind of overdid it ion Tuesday.  I'm hoping by Monday it will be rested up and I can do some more aerobic type stuff.  Either way, I'm hitting the weights...I don't need my foot to do that.

If you are one of my inactive friends, I challenge you to find something new to add to your routine this week to get your blood pumping.

Another positive note is my eating habits.  I've kept my self completely off of sweet drinks, kept my portions under control, and I would just guess that I have cut my calorie intake to 1/3 of what it used to be, and my sugar intake to 1/5 or less of what it was.

One week doesn't make it a habit, but I'm one step closer than before!