This is part of an ongoing series, that will stretch out over the next month. It’s more or less going to be a daily fixture. They will cover possible upgrades that you can make for your mental and physical game. Feel free to pick out the ones you like and leave the rest for another day. We don’t have to make getting fit too complicated.
The Fit Conundrum – You’ve done that hard bit. You’re well into the habit of getting yourself in the gym. But the spark, the endorphin rush, just doesn’t seem to be there.
What is the big secret for really getting set in the gym and smashing out goal after goal? Actually relishing the process. But that’s not so easy. It’s the change in mindset from dragging your feet into the gym because you’ve had one or five too many drinks over the weekend. Or more likely, just copy and pasting last week’s tepid sessions over to the next.
The mental transition can take months to take hold, but there’s one simple step that can get the process truly up and running. Get off your phone. Lose the distractions. Resist the urge to check up on the big changes that could have happened in the world over the last couple of minutes. It’s ok to be alone with your thoughts. It might even be better.
Focus on technique, on your breath, and the intensity will inevitably blow up to another level. The fabled endorphin burst is much more likely to hit if you’re actually committed to training harder and steadily reaching beyond the comfortable range.
Training in this manner can also be advantageous for the brain itself. Focusing on the steady repetition of moving weights and keeping a lid on the monkey mind is a practice in meditation, which doesn’t need to be done in the safety of your bedroom.
This all sounds like overly simplistic advice, but that’s probably where you’ll have the most to gain. An easy change to setup with big, favourable, consequences. The gym is a social event, but it can also be your quiet time.
