When Your Body Betrays You (Pt. 2)...A Trainer’s Perspective

Before you read this post, I invite you to take a look at Part 1of this entry on Chelle's blog from today:

Recipe for Fitness:  When Your Body Betrays You - Part 1

This is not a hard post for me to write, and I dedicate it to EVERYONE that has ever had to fight through pain, fight through injury, been faced with physical challenges, and has had a perceived “bad” workout as a result. 

SCENARIO:  You go to the gym…ready and determined to give it your all…the mind is ready to push the body physically and then BAM!!!!!!!  The body says, “NO WAY!  FORGET IT! I am not on board for this today!”   You try and try, you modify, you stop and rest while running a through a gamut of emotions:  frustration, anger, disappointment, and sadness.  Through sheer mental determination and exhaustion you meagerly finish, hang your head and leave ticked off while mentally beating yourself up and feeling like you just wasted your time.  (I am not far off here am I???)

Now, what originally may seem like a bad workout may, in fact, turn out to be the workout of your life in disguise.  It all depends on how you focus your perspective and mindset.  Workouts are more than training and challenging the body.  You see, they also train and challenge the mind.  Every workout we experience involves a mind-body connection.  Regardless of whether or not the physical can keep up with the mental, by keeping your mental perspective focused and positive, you can’t lose.  Out of our weaknesses (both physical and mental) springs strength (if you let it).  The nature of a workout is to break our bodies down so that they when it repairs itself it can adapt and come back stronger, ready for the next challenge.  You cannot lose if you come out of a workout knowing in your mind, heart, and soul that you have given it everything you could that day.  If you can walk out of a workout and say to yourself….”Today I may not have been as strong as I have in the past, but I did not give up, I did everything I possibly could, and I left NOTHING on the table” I repeat…..YOU CANNOT LOSE.  You are still aloud to walk away from that workout with your held high, because in your heart you know you that even though it was not the physical exhaustion you were looking for, you have also just had one of the most mentally challenging workouts you could face.  Sometimes, this kind of workout is the best kind.  By having a day like this you have just helped condition and strengthen the mind.  As a result, the next time you are faced with these same challenges you are going to be even MORE prepared BOTH physically and mentally to charge forward and face it head on with even more determination and persistence.

Make no mistake about it….when it comes to working out, some days you are going to be the windshield, and some days you are going to be the bug….but regardless of what you are that day, there is ALWAYS something positive to take away. 

Don’t allow the mental game of one workout get you down and keep you from your dreams and your goals.  Use the challenge of that workout to fuel the fire for the next one.  Stay positive, stay strong, and stay focused.  LEAVE NOTHING ON THE TABLE TODAY!