Make Yourself an Athlete

Make Yourself An Athlete

7/26/2018

They say an athlete dies twice, and for the most part, it's so true. Identity is questioned upon the ending of an athletic career and then succeeded by a few months of frantic pacing around the house and long questioning looks in front of the mirror of, "Who are you?!"

Okay, slightly dramatic, but the interesting part is that, having actually been there, learning to fully experience life after being an athlete can be a real challenge. The silver lining though, is there are an abundance of important carry overs from athletics to life that apply to former and never-been athletes alike.

The Every day Athlete & The Sport Athlete

In my eyes, an athlete does not have to be someone who competes on a track, ice rink, court or field.

The institution of athletics is merely a hot pot to accelerate an individuals growth in areas of mental and physical development including strength, endurance, flexibility, toughness, and much more.

There is no doubt though, that these values and traits are clearly just as important for every day life as they are in athletics.

From a physical standpoint, we were all created to move, and the beauty about individualism is that we love to move in different ways. Alas, I do recognize some of us do not love to move, as statistics would show a horrifying projection for obesity to reach 44% by 2030. This projection, in my opinion, is a complete "if-then" equation, in which all of us need to unite and fight.

If we don't encourage one another to find our own love for movement, then we will continue to live sedentary lifestyles.

If the American healthcare system remains predominantly in the realm of treatment rather than prevention, then we will continue to be an unhealthy nation.

If we sit on our hands and cover our mouths, and ultimately do nothing, then we will allow obesity to become the new norm.

No Excuses

Excuses can be a slippery slope. They talk you out of something in the moment, which can create an ugly pattern of allowing yourself outs to all sorts of things.

Getting yourself to the gym to do something challenging and that you know may be painful, is one of the best ways to build self-control and direction in other aspects of your life.

If you can cultivate the willpower to make training your body a routine, you begin to reap the physical, mental and emotional benefits. For example, did you know that exercise helps control addictions, sharpens memory, and boosts your brainpower?

Make time or excuses, but you can't make both. One of my clients is a full time working mom and still finds time to get workouts three days a week.

One of my clients is a full time working mama and still manages to fit her workouts in three times a week.

The Power of accountability

I will admit that for me it's way easier to go to the gym or cook healthy food when there is a goal in mind or someone to go with. If it's Wednesday, and I'm tired from working and have in my head that the week is only half way over, it's easier to give in to an unhealthy option like skipping the gym and plopping down on the couch with a bowl of ice cream.

When it comes to making yourself into who you want to be, it is imperative to set yourself up for success. Think of this first step like a construction company, who wouldn't go in to build a skyscraper without first laying a solid foundation. No foundation equals collapsing structure later in the building process.

How do we lay the foundation for success then? There are multiple strategies and philosophies, but one that has worked very well for me is to envision an end goal(s), and then work backwards by setting and establishing process goals to help reach that destination.

In fact, it has had such a tremendously positive impact on my life that I created the Synergy Scheduler, a free goal setting and accountability calendar, to help guide you towards long term change with your excuses way back in the rear view mirror.

Custom Designed

You will find an abundance of free workouts on here to help you smash some fitness goals, and the majority of them are designed for every day and sport specific athletes, meaning that there are two difficulty levels for the same workout. Unleash your inner athlete!

If you want to be pushed even more, we can collaborate to personalize a fitness or nutrition program for you.

No one can make yourself, but you. Today is your day to cultivate and synergize inner greatness, and most of the time, it just takes a 5 second decision to do so. #makeyourself

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