It's a Mindset

One thing I have found the past several years is that physical fitness and diet is more of a mindset than anything else.  I'll be the first to admit that I don't consider myself mentally tough about a lot of things. I like to think I am, but really I'm not.  I wear my heart on my sleeve, I am pretty sensitive and it's not hard to figure me out.  My first experience with being mentally tough on the fitness end of things was when I completed my first marathon in September of 2013.  (and probably only). There were days when we'd do 15-16 mile runs, I'd get through them easily and felt I could do more and then the very next day I'd struggle to get through the "short" 8 mile run for the week.  I could never understand it. But when you're marathon training, the majority of it is mental.  

I see this mental toughness growing in me as I finish these crazy workouts my personal trainer puts together for me.  I feel like I can't do another rep and he throws more at me.  He knows. He's building that mental toughness in me that I'm going to need to get through this journey and to finish on race day.  It's getting easier and easier to keep going and the more sore I am at the end of a workout, the more accomplished I feel.  I have found that I have even increased the intensity of the workouts I do on my own, which has always been an issue. 

I'm starting to crave the food that is going to fuel me and Diet Pepsi is now an after thought. I haven't touched a sip of Diet Pepsi since New Year's Eve, and although I have had some serious cravings, it gets easier and easier every day.  

Now that basketball is over, I will have to start getting in my swims.  I signed up for a sprint triathlon in early June-my first open water tri ever.  Figure I better do one of those before the big day.  Or two. Or three.  There are still days that I doubt myself, but all these small "mental" accomplishments in the last few weeks, from my workouts, to my diet, to my attitude, are giving me the confidence that I'm mentally tough enough!  Which is ironic, because our Tough Mudder team was Team Tough Enough, and that event was a life changing day for me.