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JUST A THOUGHT . . . .
How to Become a Balanced
Athlete
It’s easy to become obsessed with goals and tangible
results and forget the higher rewards offered by
physical exercise. Most exercisers focus on only one
dimension of training: increasing their physical
abilities. But being physically fit does not necessarily
mean you are healthy or balanced in your life. There are
many examples of great athletic champions and super fit
people who are unhappy, unhealthy human beings.
When your sports are out of balance, your physical and
emotional health suffers, you will never reach your
competitive potential, and you will not gain the
self-knowledge and fulfilment you deserve from your
athletic pursuits. Becoming more balanced in your
approach to exercise can be achieved by following this
very important guideline: Focus on enjoyment of the
process over the end results. Much of modern life is
results oriented. When we conduct business thinking only
about profit, abuse our planet’s resources for the sake
of modern comforts, or follow a compulsive exercise
program, it’s easy to forget that the true rewards come
from appreciation of the journey rather than
accumulation of tangible results.
Ask yourself if the compulsive behaviour patterns,
disappointment with slow progress and sub-par workouts,
and struggles with injuries are worth the obsession
placed on results. To gain some perspective you need to
only look at someone who isn’t even able to sit on a
bicycle and pedal to appreciate the gift of physical
exercise. To train yourself to appreciate the process
and let go of the outcome, try these steps:
Tip
1
Consider living your life as if you were watching a
great movie. You experience all the emotional highs and
lows, shed tears of sadness and tears of joy. But when
the movie is over, you leave the theatre and go on with
your life. Every day is a new movie to be enjoyed and
appreciated, regardless of the outcome...
Tip 2
Tape a note with this goal in a prominent place: "I
exercise to challenge myself physically, experience a
healthy fit lifestyle, and learn and grow as a person. I
strive for results, but release my attachment to the
outcome”. You may laugh but when was the last time you
thought of this while you were training?
Tip 3
Become aware of your bodily feedback, your thoughts and
your emotions related to exercise. A champion athlete
who feels the slightest twinge in a muscle or a tickle
of a sore throat alters her routine to avoid illness or
injury. If you don’t feel like exercising, you may be on
the verge of burnout. Consider resting instead of
forcing your body to do something that is against your
intuition.
Tip 4
Be aware of
nutrition, not controlled by it There is no need to
measure every calorie and add up every gram of fat, but
neglecting nutrition is not beneficial either. Plan your
pre-event meals, race food and recovery meals. Read up
on the science behind
PreFormance,
Cytomax
and
Recovery
products and weigh up the benefits.
Tip5
Create positive thoughts that will motivate and inspire
you to stick to your exercise regimen.
Tip 6
Gain
control over your ego demands, insecurities and
compulsions and train according to your intuition, not
just a set program.
Written by Brad Kearns |
