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Last Updated: December 16th, 2024 at 11:19 pm
| You likely have fitness goals for this year Whether or not you will achieve them is always a game with many variables Some of those variables are outside of your direct control and sometimes you’ll have to submit to fate in some way But there are many variables which you DO control when working towards your goals One of the most underrated variables in your control is your own self talk when thinking and talking about your goals The mental landscape can be difficult to navigate because you can’t see or touch your thoughts physically Your thoughts influence your actions Your actions produce tangible real world results Your real world results impact your beliefs about yourself Your beliefs about yourself influence your thoughts And around the circle goes If you have positive thoughts, this becomes a positive feedback loop One that you can use to produce results and create the life you want for yourself This is what my friends and I did when we got into triathlon years ago At the time, we didn’t think we could do a full 140.6 Ironman so we started by signing up for a 70.3 Ironman But we didn’t want to only ever just do half And we didn’t want to lose sight of the full Ironman Starting from the day we signed up for the 70.3, we told ourselves and spoke in terms like: “When we do an Ironman…” “Which Ironman are we going to do?” “This training is easier than what it’ll be when we’re training for the full Ironman!”Instead of: “We’ll see how this race goes and then maybe we’ll sign up for an Ironman” “Triathlon is hard! I’m not sure if we can do an Ironman.”This positive mental framing kept our eyes on the prize and programmed our mind to rise to the challenge Think and speak to others in ways that lead you to the results you want Apply that to whatever goal you have for yourself for 2024 and watch your actions begin to align with your thoughts “When I get back into running…” “When I race the 5K this year…” “When I join the running club…” Not starting those sentences with “if” … For those interested in completing a 5K this year, the Evanston Running Club will be starting their 0-5K program on March 24th, 2024 with goal race of Ricky Byrdsong 5K on June 16th, 2024 Here is the link to find out more information about signing up If your goal is to get back into running or complete a 5K this year, I hope you think: “WHEN I complete the 5K this year…” “WHEN I sign up for the 0-5K program…” Happy runnin Dr. Michael |
