Gotta Sweat!
Last week I gave you all my head games to keep you in the game of running. The hardest part of running is simply starting. It's a whole 'nother head game to dress for exercise, put on the shoes, open the door, get to your destination - gym, track, treadmill, or just the living room floor - and move!
I guess I forgot to give you the most important head game of all.
Visualization.
Sports psychologists, therapists, even physical rehabilitation pro's teach this and promote it for their clients - elite, world class athletes.
I hear you now. "I could care less about being world class, much less being elite, Pamela! I just want to lose weight!"
Yes. Me too.
But I also want to eat that dessert, sit down and play on twitter, watch Design Star on HGTV, and get a foot massage from my hunky cabana boy. All while losing weight effortlessly, painlessly, and with no thought to the food I put in my mouth.
Ever see a football or basketball team win an important game without breaking a sweat?
How about a gymnast on the Olympics?
Even ice skaters sweat!
But first, they do the work: lace up the same old trainers, put on the same old shirt & shorts, and go out to the gym, track, field....
You get the picture.
Maybe synchronized swimmers don't sweat... I don't know. But everybody else sweats.
And no, it's not pretty or ladylike in any way, shape, or form.
So tonight, at the dinner table, when you're eating, your visualization needs to be of you exercising off that cream sauce, bread & butter, or potatoes that's going in your body. How heavy does it feel as you're running? Are you hauling around a wagon load of fat, the way Oprah showed in her infamous show on those size 10 jeans? http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Oprahs-Top-20-Moments
Or is the protein from that grilled chicken breast fueling your muscles to kick out one more lap?
Tonight, going to bed -- that glass of water there? It's going to hydrate you, move your blood so it reaches your muscles, and rid your body of its toxins. Drink up!
Laying your head down on the pillow -- you want to close your eyes and see yourself running laps or that 5k, 10k, half marathon, Iron Man triathlon. Fall asleep to the tune of Rocky. Repeat the mantra: I'm a winner. I can do this. I have energy and I'm doing something good and positive for my body and mind. I'm showing my husband, kids, neighbors, that I can be healthy and happy. That I have more energy throughout the day. That my choices are fuel for my body, not comfort or recreational eating. I Rock the treadmill! The key is to feel confident in yourself and your abilities.
Tomorrow morning -- your shoes ready? How about your shorts? Comfortable? Can you get outside and do some walking before the kids wake up and are ready to go to school? Maybe do a workout DVD or just squeeze in something - anything! - before the madness begins.
Ready to show the world what kind of stuff this girl is made of?
Get out there and prove it to yourself!
Now, go break a sweat!
Visualization Techniques from Dr.JoAnn Dahlkoetter, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oriSZjQhFLI
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