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Fitness Friday

[ 32 ] 01/08/2010 |

It’s hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head.  ~Sally Kempton, Esquire, 1970

“You think too much.”

That’s what I heard from my husband last night while I was talking to him about my fitness woes.  I was telling him that I have all these lofty fitness goals but I condemn myself to failure before I even start. In my heart, I want to run a 5k, a 10k, a half marathon and compete in a triathalon.

You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try. -Beverly Sills

I look for training programs to complete all these challenges.  But I look for them for the wrong reasons.  I look at them to confirm what (I think) I know in my head…that I can’t do it. That it’s too hard.  That I’m not dedicated enough. That I don’t have enough time.

That I’ll fail.

Negative self talk….Line 1!

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.  -Anna Quindlen

In a sense, I am a perfectionist.  I don’t allow my self to finish (or sometimes, even start) things because I “know” that I won’t be able to do the training “perfectly”.  I “know” that I won’t be able to run the race “perfectly”. I “know” that I won’t be able to meet my goals “perfectly”.

So, if I can’t do them “perfectly”, what’s the point in even trying?

Negative self talk…Line 2!

So, how can I achieve (or even start) my goals if I’m already convinced that I’ll fail?

Consider the postage stamp:  its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.  -Josh Billings

Easy.  Just put one foot in front of the other.  With each step we take, we are one step closer to our fitness goals.

Are you nervous about running (or walking) a 5k?  No problem.  Concentrate on running (or walking) 30 seconds.  Once you can run (or walk) 30 seconds, concentrate on running (or walking) 1 minute. Keep running (or walking), gain confidence, repeat.

Are you nervous about running (or walking) a 10k? No problem.  Concentrate on running (or walking) 30 seconds.  Once you can run (or walk) 30 seconds, concentrate on running (or walking) 1 minute. Keep running (or walking), gain confidence, repeat.

Are you nervous about running (or walking) a half marathon? No problem.  Concentrate on running (or walking) 30 seconds.  Once you can run (or walk) 30 seconds, concentrate on running (or walking) 1 minute. Keep running (or walking), gain confidence, repeat.

Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it.  The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.  ~Earl Nightingale

You catch my drift. Take those daunting tasks and break them down.  No one is going to be able to run a 5k the first time they ever tie on those shoes. Perfection is an impossibility.  Perseverance, desire, success, now that’s a different story.

You can achieve anything you want to.  All you have to do is take that first step. Believe in yourself. Believe in your abilities. Believe in your strengths.

And I’ll work on believing in mine.

If I am not for myself, who will be?  -Pirke Avoth

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Category: Fitness, Fitness Friday, Thea

About thea: 34 year old mother of 2 who is maintaining her healthy weight range, one week at a time! O.K.... Maybe every other week... View author profile.

  • BrookeF

    thea – i'm a perfectionist like that too. sometimes i just throw up my hands and hide under a blanket on the couch.

    i told myself i hated interval training. in reality i just wasn't any good. but you know why i sucked at it? cause i never did it. the more i force myself to do them, the better i become and the more i enjoy them.

    go figure ;)

  • http://www.runninginagirlsworld.wordpress.com/ Kirsten

    I can attest to “thinking too much”. A year ago it would have been easy for me to talk myself out of getting on the treadmill. There is always something that I could or should be doing instead. Luckily, I, for the most part, told that voice to shut up. And you know what? I'm here today planning my week so that there is nothing that can get in the way of my M/W/F runs. I know I need those to keep my head straight. I need that little bit of me time – doing something that I know is good for me. You can do it, but as Yoda says “Do or do not. There is no try.”

  • http://www.whooosthatgirl.com Lissa_ShrinkingJeans

    Love those quotes! Fabulous post, Thea!!

  • http://www.babytealeaves.blogspot.com Christie O.

    Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use. ~Earl Nightingale

    I LOVE that. I mean, it's as simple as it gets. If time's going to pass, we may as well do something we like with it. I really really love that. Wonderful post, Thea. All of the plans I did broke the training down exactly like you said. Even the tri one. the tri one assumes you've never done any of those things before and it gives you a place to start. My husband told me once, “What's so hard about it? You just put one foot in front of the other. Until you're done.”
    LOL
    we all think too much. our husbands are right.

  • http://www.whooosthatgirl.com Lissa_ShrinkingJeans

    That might be my favorite quote EVER, Christie. Holy lightbulb moment courtesy of your husband! ;)

  • http://www.runninginagirlsworld.wordpress.com/ Kirsten

    I agree with LIssa! That is how I completed the 13.1!

  • http://www.babytealeaves.blogspot.com Christie O.

    HAHAHA! i love it! i can't wait to tell him!! it stuck with me too, as you can tell! LOL

  • http://oppositelife.blogspot.com/ pubsgal

    That is one AWESOME quote! And so true!

    Thea, if you really want to do those things, you CAN! I'm living proof that it does not take “perfect” training to be able to finish a 5K, a 10K, or a sprint triathlon…it does take some training each week, it's true, but I didn't follow any of the various plans I read. (And you were planning to exercise anyway, so why not focus the exercise to your goals?) If I want to go farther or perform better, I know I would have to dedicate myself to more structured training or get some coaching. But even just doing the bits and pieces of what I can do now, I've come so much farther than I thought possible.

  • Lisa_ShrinkingJeans

    LOVE THIS POST. And so so so true. You can, and will run. Hell, you already do. YOU ARE A RUNNER. Do you hear me? Love you.

  • kay6672

    *LOVE* these quotes. And the whole post! I'm working on the negative self talk, but it's amazing how it slips in and I don't even recognize it as such. Thanks, Thea!

  • Nancy

    I love this post and if I only take one thing away from it, it will be “brweak them down'. So simple. So hard. Thanks.

  • http://www.melgetsfit.com TheDailyMel

    Excellent post, Thea!! I'm also a perfectionist, so this definitely hits home with me. It also reminds me of another of my all-time favorite quotes that I used in my email sig for a long time. It's by Walter Elliot:

    “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.”

  • http://jinksee.blogspot.com/ stephanie

    love this!! and so needed it today.

  • DALewis

    Love this! All my negative self-talk is what kept me from even attempting the 5K last year. Who cares if I had to walk it? I should've just done it. One foot in front of the other. Baby steps. It gets you there every time.

  • tiffanyzook

    I can SOOOO relate to this! I have a hard time continuing anything that I am not automatically good at and because of the high standards I set, I have a hard time letting myself celebrate “little milestones” – like running for 30 seconds to start – I am the one that wants to run the mile right away. I have to make a conscious effort daily to pat myself on the back for the little things and for anything that is an accomplishment. Thanks for your transparency!

  • SJs_April

    Love, love, love this post!!

    A trainer on one of my DVDs once said, you can do anything for 30 seconds. He was right and so are you. Break it down, build it up. You can do it. We can do it! We will do it.

  • TheaDramaMama

    I'm with you. It seems like a simple concept, but so hard to execute!

  • TheaDramaMama

    I definitely need to work on quieting that voice. It's so LOUD on some days!

  • TheaDramaMama

    I'm a sucker for a good quote!

  • TheaDramaMama

    But, shhhhh! We can't actually TELL them that!

  • TheaDramaMama

    Love you, too! And I'm now seriously considering getting a t-shirt that says: I AM a runner.

  • TheaDramaMama

    It's a sneaky little creature, isn't it?

  • TheaDramaMama

    Why does it always seem like the simplest concept s are the hardest to grasp??

  • TheaDramaMama

    I actually almost used that in this post! Another great one!

  • TheaDramaMama

    I know what you mean. I've done 3 or 4 races and each time I've had to walk. But you know what, I crossed the start line which kind of obligated me to cross the finish line. Who cares how I did it?

  • TheaDramaMama

    I am exactly the same way. And I'm also guilty of thinking that if it happens one way just once, it should happen that way EVERY SINGLE TIME! Not realistic!

  • TheaDramaMama

    Break it down, build it up. LOVE IT!

  • jamieduvall

    Negative self talk is a killer….FYI a book that CHANGED my life in so many positive ways – “What to say when you talk to yourself” by Shad Helmstetter. Seriously I have never read a self help book that inspired me to be better but this one doesn't inspire…it teaches. And if you apply what you learn…watch out!

  • jamieduvall

    Sounds like you are doing P90 X Tony says that all the time!

  • SJs_April

    I did P90X a little over a year ago and still do plyo and kenpo from time to time!

  • DALewis

    Exactly. You finished and that's all that matters. :)

  • http://dalewis.blogspot.com/ thelewis4

    Exactly. You finished and that's all that matters. :)