Monday Morning Attitude Adjustment

This morning was Monday morning, only more so.

The sky was grey… I hadn’t slept well, and my body hurt all over… I just felt old.

So, as I went for my morning swim (by habit, of course… I certainly didn’t feel like going swimming), everything felt bad.

But, as I was doing my slow lengths of warm-up, I remembered something I had learned over many hours of practice in the pool. There are techniques you can use to change how you feel about your workout. I sometimes refer to this as “lying to yourself until you feel good”, but it is really more subtle than that. The idea is to focus on one small thing at time that could be thought of as good: “My kick feels really strong today!” “Just feel that water rush by my face!” “My triceps feel really powerful today.” After a few minutes of focusing on the positive, my whole attitude can change.

I know, from many hours of training, that these techniques actually can make my workout better. So, as I labored in the pool this morning, I thought to myself I really should try it.

But… a fleeting thought went through my head…. “I don’t want to feel better… I’m enjoying wallowing in my misery!”

Unfortunately, that made me laugh, and when I stopped sputtering (it’s hard laughing while doing lengths), I already felt better. And I did utilize those mind tricks… I did have a great workout (800IM, anyone?) … and I feel better now (and hopefully will all day!)