Conquer yourself
Marni Sumbal, MS, RD
If you want
to conquer yourself and reach your goals, you have to believe in yourself.
It’s human
nature to enjoy doing things that you do well in and enjoy the most and to put
off things that are uncomfortable or difficult.
Don’t be afraid to fail when
trying something new.
Many people
resist making changes because it is uncomfortable to change. Don’t be afraid to
step out of your comfort zone.
If you
believe in yourself and your own ability to be successful, you will put
yourself into a position to be eligible to reach your goals.
Beliefs drive
behaviors. If you believe in yourself and your abilities, you will succeed.
If all an athlete had to do was to follow his/her
training plan to be successful, “coaching” would be an easy job.
One of the most important, yet overlooked, areas of
fostering performance gains is the mental side of training.
Many athletes let their mind get in the way of the body.
As a goal-driven, hard-working and dedicated athlete, it’s very easy to lose enjoyment of your sport simply because there are too many self-defeating thoughts and behaviors that weaken great training sessions and race-day performances.
It is important to have a heart-to heart with yourself and identify why exactly, you are getting in your own way as you train to reach your performance goals.
Here are two common reasons as to why athletes struggle with training for a race.
Perfectionism
Are you never satisfied with your effort or performance?
Are constant negative thoughts filling your head as you are too self-critical with every action? Do you feel as if you are never happy with yourself or you can never do well enough?
Training and racing with a constant fear of failure and a very critical mindset will not only damage a successful performance or training session but can negatively affect self-esteem and enjoyment for your sport.
For better results in training and racing, focus on small, manageable goals. Even better, focus on executing to the best of your ability and just see what happens.
Stop the unrealistic, high expectations or being too focused on the outcome or metrics.
Lack of motivation and distractions
Do you live a conflicting lifestyle?
You have goals and you love to race but it can be a struggle to put in the work to train?
Or, do you find yourself just going through the motions when you train but without passion, joy and excitement?
Motivation has to come from within and you must be willing to do the work.
Do you often ask yourself why are you so afraid to be the best athlete that you can be?
As you are doing the hard work (that you secretly love to do), you have to have a deep, burning desire that no matter what else is on your daily plate, you are going to do your best, with the time that you have, to reach your full potential.
Release your inner strength and stop the excuses – even when you are feeling off, you still want to believe that you have it in you to perform at your best.
Many athletes let their mind get in the way of the body.
As a goal-driven, hard-working and dedicated athlete, it’s very easy to lose enjoyment of your sport simply because there are too many self-defeating thoughts and behaviors that weaken great training sessions and race-day performances.
It is important to have a heart-to heart with yourself and identify why exactly, you are getting in your own way as you train to reach your performance goals.
Here are two common reasons as to why athletes struggle with training for a race.
Perfectionism
Are you never satisfied with your effort or performance?
Are constant negative thoughts filling your head as you are too self-critical with every action? Do you feel as if you are never happy with yourself or you can never do well enough?
Training and racing with a constant fear of failure and a very critical mindset will not only damage a successful performance or training session but can negatively affect self-esteem and enjoyment for your sport.
For better results in training and racing, focus on small, manageable goals. Even better, focus on executing to the best of your ability and just see what happens.
Stop the unrealistic, high expectations or being too focused on the outcome or metrics.
Lack of motivation and distractions
Do you live a conflicting lifestyle?
You have goals and you love to race but it can be a struggle to put in the work to train?
Or, do you find yourself just going through the motions when you train but without passion, joy and excitement?
Motivation has to come from within and you must be willing to do the work.
Do you often ask yourself why are you so afraid to be the best athlete that you can be?
As you are doing the hard work (that you secretly love to do), you have to have a deep, burning desire that no matter what else is on your daily plate, you are going to do your best, with the time that you have, to reach your full potential.
Release your inner strength and stop the excuses – even when you are feeling off, you still want to believe that you have it in you to perform at your best.
Like anything in life, sports require hard work.
If you stay focused, determined and motivated and find a way to have fun, your goals will become reachable as you turn into the athlete that you have always aspired to be.
If you stay focused, determined and motivated and find a way to have fun, your goals will become reachable as you turn into the athlete that you have always aspired to be.
Next time you find yourself mentally unfocused or in an uncomfortable situation, pull-out your champion mind-set.
Show-up and give your best effort.
Conquer yourself!