Do you know how many times a day I hear,“I’m not an athlete”?
I hear it so many times a day. The women I'm speaking with: lift, sweat, run, jump, and spin. But, nope, not an athlete.
She makes time in her schedule for exercise – on a regular basis – but, no way, not an athlete.
I don’t know why we’re so afraid to identify with this label. Is it because we are afraid we will be judged, mocked, ridiculed? Is it because we were raised in a culture that taught us to constantly compare ourselves to other women who can lift heavier, get sweatier, run faster, jump higher or spin better? Why is it that we are so afraid to say, “Yes, this body? It’s the body of an athlete.”
Before you roll your eyes, I want you to realize why this distinction matters. It matters because it changes the language in your mind, it reframes your thoughts and your identity and it casts you in a positive life.
And you need that little pick-me-up (especially during these crazy quarantine times).
Changing your thoughts is imperative when you embark on a nutrition journey.
And I’m convinced that the reason so many people fail when they start a lifestyle-makeover is because they never work on their mind. Mindset is everything. And by simply embracing this fact: You are an athlete – you can totally readjust your mind.
Think about how helpful this reframe will be in the pursuit of health.
Especially when you're "imperfect."
When you overeat, you can reframe the thought as, “This is great fuel for my next workout.”
When you skip a workout, you can reframe the thought as, “I’m an athlete and I know it's important for me to get right back on schedule tomorrow.”
When you skip a meal, you can reframe the thought as, “I know I need to eat to feel good in the gym (or whatever).”
Listen. Life happens. You’re not going to live the next 902012312312321344 days of your life never overeating, never skipping a workout, never getting too busy to eat.
But what matters is how you internalize those events? Will you give up? Will you decide… “Dammit, I keep doing this OVER AND OVER. I must not be meant for this healthy-living-thang!” or will you get curious about why it happened, how to prevent it from happening again, how to learn from the mishap?
Athletes learn. They adapt. They grow. They use mishaps to get stronger, more determined, to strategize. They “get back out there.”
So… when you think of it that way… do you feel a little less awkward about admitting that you’re an athlete???
If you’re feeling more open to considering yourself as athlete, please feel free to join my FREE facebook community and make sure to let me know you checked out this blog article.