The Psychology of Getting Fit Is Not What You Think
We humans tend to think one-dimensionally, concerned only with what’s right in front of our noses.
Personally I blame the digital age. Our attention spans have been shortened to that of the butterfly. We can’t help but flutter from one thing to the next with little regard for meaning or consequence.
Just look at me. This is a piece about psychology in fitness and I start off talking about butterflies. What does that say about my psychology I wonder?
Moving along…
Getting fit isn’t just about moving heavy weight or running many miles. Fitness is a multi-dimensional endeavor. A complicated dance between mind and body. As one goes, so does the other.
Mental resiliency is key. You’ve got to be strong. You’ve got to be durable. You’ve got to be able to take a pounding. As my high school track coach once said, you’ve got to be “one tough motherf***er.”
The psychology of getting fit isn’t so much about honing the perfect mindset, it’s about how much shit you can tolerate. How many times you get up early or stay late to get your training in. How motivated you remain when injury rears its ugly head. How you respond to those who doubt your resolve or prefer to see you fail.
Building this tolerance starts with understanding a few core ideas.
Understanding what you’re up against
It’s not knowing fitness is going to stretch you to your limits, it’s understanding everything is about to change. And drastically at that.
You don’t decide to get fit on a Monday and see results by Saturday. Fitness requires time. There are no shortcuts. You’ve got to put in the work. Days off are the exception, not the rule.
You must make friends with sacrifice. Most of your free time will be spent training, recovering and preparing meals. You’ll have a bedtime for the first time since you were a kid. Booze-fueled social events become a thing of the past.
Fitness cannot be bought, bartered, or negotiated with. You’re David and getting fit is Goliath, the 10 foot beast of a man standing between you and salvation. If you’re going to defeat him there can be no part of you that doubts your mission. No part of you that gives less than 100%.
If you’re not willing to give it your all you’re not ready to start the journey.
Lord knows I’m not perfect. I have lapses just like everyone else. But I have no pretense about what I’m up against, and neither should you.
Not backing down when adversity strikes
Make no mistake, things will get hard at some point. There will be times when you want to throw in the towel. It’s as certain as death and taxes.
The question you need to ask yourself is this: what will I do when the going gets tough?
It’s easy to say you won’t back down. It’s easy to say you’ll persevere. But then something catastrophic happens and those feelings of tenacity evaporate like a fart in the wind.
The best way to endure adversity is to experience adversity for yourself. Sorry kids, there’s no way around it. The reason vaccines work is because you’re literally exposed to the virus. How else will your body know what it takes to survive?
Hardship builds fortitude. Fortitude builds strength of mind. Strength of mind develops resiliency. Resiliency drives fitness.
You’re never “done”
The journey doesn’t end when you lose those 20 pounds. It’s just begun.
Fitness has anchored my life for over 20 years, ever since I didn’t make the freshman golf team and went out for cross-country instead.
I’ve run distances from 5k to ultra marathon. I’ve put up 240 pounds on the bench press. I’ve pulled nearly 300 pounds off the floor. I’ve climbed mountains and walked for days on end. And I’m not even close to being done.
Once you experience what the mind and body are capable of all you want is more. More of those feelings of accomplishment. More of the hardship to overcome. More of telling yourself “just one more step” when it hurts your fingernails to do so.
Achieving your goal is like beating the beginning tutorial of a video game. Congrats, but on to the next. The entire game is still there for you to play.
The psychology of fitness is what you make of it. It’s how you convince yourself to keep going, keep pushing, keep playing the game.
And it all starts with understanding just how much crap you can take.
Wow. Thanks. I am done being a wimp. No more excuses.