Motivation & Self Talk

So I'm less than 8 weeks out now from the Burlington show.  I'm adding a third interval cardio session to my week so hopefully I will start to lean out a little more with that.  Speaking of intervals, they are probably one of the hardest types of cardio training you can do.  The goal is to push yourself as hard as you possibly can for short bursts and then recover, like sprinting.  My interval ratio is usually 1 minute high, 1 minute low and usually done on the arc trainer at the gym.  I've also been trying to keep in incline sprints on the treadmill to change it up and work my legs differently.

The thing about high intensity intervals is that you have to go outside your comfort zone during that "high" interval.  You have to get your heart rate up close to your max, (I usually get over 200 bpm) and dig inside yourself to push through those last 20 seconds without backing down, and it's not easy and doesn't feel very good at the time.  But you CAN get through it, one interval at a time, and you will feel very accomplished when it's over.  

Everyone has different ways to get motivated and stay motivated.  Just like I talk my clients through each rep, each set, each workout, I do the same thing for myself.  Everyone has "off days", low energy, bad mood, discouragement...what ever it is, those are the times when you really need to dig deep and pull motivation from somewhere and just talk yourself through the workout.  I had one of those days yesterday.  Mondays seem to be hard for me.  Maybe it's because it's the beginning of the week and I get into a slump on Sundays sometimes with very slow progress and that just carries over into Monday.  My workout on Mondays is chest, abs, and interval cardio.  I love lifting weights, so once I get started it's not hard for me to push myself to the max on every set.  When I know I have a hard session of intervals ahead of me I sometimes make it so daunting and think about it so much, I almost fear them.  Mind set it EVERYTHING.  Don't let negative thinking get the best of you, JUST DO IT!

Some things I do to stay motivated and push myself to the max on every interval are having upbeat music, something to focus on (usually a magazine or affirmations and pictures), self talk, and visualization.  Yesterday I pushed through my bad mood, thought about my goals, how I want to look, what my competition is doing, and had a great workout.  During each sprint interval I would close my eyes and picture myself on stage, looking fabulous, and winning 1st place.  I tell myself to train like a champion, don't back down, visualize my abs, push, push, push....and soon enough the minute is over and I'm that much closer to the finish line.

Self talk will effect you, whether positive or negative, so push those negative thoughts aside and get it done. You'll be happy you did.