There are days when we just need to be reminded, “If you believe in yourself we will know how to ride a bike. If you don’t, you just keep practicing. You will get the hang of it, I know it.”
And of course, this applies to just about everything in life. Kids are freakin’ brilliant.
We all know that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but so often we let our head get in the way. I’m just as guilty of this as anyone. In fact, after years of working out 6 days a week, I still get workout anxiety. Now maybe this is because I am just an anxious person by nature and perhaps a wee bit of a control freak. I really do let my head get in the way of my workouts, though. When I workout there is CONSTANT chatter in my head. Here are some examples:
“Crap, that was hard, you should be able to do better.”
“Yes, you got it. Hell yeah!!!”
“I’m not sure I can do this weight, maybe I should wait till next week to try.”
“Wow, check out my quads, love to see them popping out.”
“Jane/Jeff/Janet/Jim can do more than you. You should be better.”
“What if I can’t do it.”
“OMG, I freakin did it!”
“Just breathe.”
“Just try.”
“If it’s horrible, you can stop. But you have to try.”
I think these kinds of things everyday, every workout. The workout chatter never ends. Somedays it’s really good. Those are the days I feel strong, I can see my muscles in the mirror. I know I’m hitting every mental goal I set out to hit. Other days it’s not as good. But even on those days, I’m always glad I tried. I always feel better, stronger, fitter, more empowered, less anxious, more productive, more energetic, less cranky just for trying my hardest. I always feel proud of myself for finishing a workout, regardless of the outcome. I mean, even if it wasn’t my best workout, I still accomplished a great deal just by making myself sweat. I bettered myself mentally, physically, emotionally. There ain’t no shame in that, right?!
When I got back from vacation recently, my workout chatter was particularly loud. I worked out just a couple times while we were away, doing yoga on the beach. I workout hard 6 days a week, 51 weeks a year. So I really SHOULD NOT feel guilty about taking the better part of a week off. But I do. It’s the anxious control freak in my head. It’s not the time off that bothers me.
It’s the fear of re-entry.
“What if I can’t do a push up after a week off?”
“What if I can’t run 3 miles after a week off?”
“What if I can’t squat my body weight after a week off?”
It totally freaks me out. And it is COMPLETELY irrational.
We got back to town at 1 am on a Wednesday night (technically Thursday morning, I guess). I woke up Thursday morning and I thought about taking the rest of the week off of working out. My To Do List was about a bazillion items long and my foot was all bloody and mangled from two rocky run ins with the mighty Pacific Ocean. But the workout chatter in my head was screaming. So I made a deal with myself:
“You will try an upper body workout and keep it as light as you want. If it’s miserable you can stop at anytime.”
And I killed it. My body was DYING to push itself. I pushed and pulled and rocked the whole thing. I did a workout I’ve done many times before. I started way stronger than I thought I would. I petered out a little at the end. But I stuck with it and I finished it and it felt amazing! Two days later I was super sore (which I LOVED!)
The most important part of this was the getting started. For everything there has to be a definitive BEGINNING. There must be a moment where you start. And once you cross that threshold, all is better with the world. The anxiety dissipates. You can breathe a little deeper and you begin to kick ass….
I was so relieved to have that beginning under my belt. I am so glad I did not let myself wait until Monday to jump back into my regimen. It would have made my weekend so much more stressful and anxiety ridden. We get so stuck on starting everything fresh on Monday – it’s silly.
START NOW!
DO IT TODAY!
WHY WAIT?
You can start fresh every day. Heck, start fresh multiple times in the same day. Ate a donut? Start fresh at your next snack/meal. Forgot your water? Go pound some now! Skipped your workout this morning? Get it done while the kids are napping. JUST START!
“Everybody, I know you can believe in yourself. . . Thumbs up everybody! Rock and Roll!”
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