It’s been a manic week for me. I had an opportunity to go on the National Standard Cycling Instructor’s Course, so I thought, why not squeeze that in, along with my work at 6am and training for a crazy run in three weeks time? Hmm...
Of course, being organised is the key to fitting training in, even when your routine gets disrupted. It might mean a week of early starts, such as getting up at 4:30am every morning (which I did) and yes it was hideous, as I was also training in the gym until 9pm or running at 10pm on my treadmill.
However, it was only last week, and I dealt with it by reminding myself it was only for one week. Humans are pretty good at adapting, and mental tiredness doesn’t mean you can’t do your usual exercise such as, go for your run or bike ride, or do strength training with weights.
Once you overcome the mental barriers, you will actually surprise yourself. I know I did, I literally dragged myself to the gym last night, as it shuts early at weekends and I didn’t want to miss my training this week. Once I got there, I did a really good weights session, my body wasn’t physically affected at all.
On the other hand, do remember that physical tiredness is totally different, your body feels fatigued, and you should listen to it, it needs rest then to rebuild and recover, but it is NOT the same as lethargy.
You need to work out whether it is physical or mental tiredness, and not deceive yourself. It is only yourself that you are cheating. When you are feeling tired, is that your brain that is tired? It is incredibly easy to make excuses, and talk yourself out of it; all you seem to focus on is the effort to start with. You have to see past that and think how good you will feel afterwards.
Oh, and as for the Cycling Course, I partly did that as a little test to myself and to trust a belief in myself. You see, when I was little and had just moved to England, I went to the last year of Primary School, to be faced with a Cycling Proficiency Test. I have to point out that I hadn’t been living in England long and where I was we didn’t have roundabouts ( and I am still convinced the traffic light system was different , not that I am trying to make excuses).
And well, you have guessed it; I actually failed my Cycling Proficiency!!
To make matters worse (and you can hear the violins playing now) it was on my birthday. My father was not impressed and quite angry. I was mortified. It even put me off driving for years. Ok, maybe I was oversensitive, but it really knocked my self confidence. It was humiliating when the Teacher said;
‘Well done everyone for passing, oh, except for Wanda’.
Sometimes it is all about confidence and a bit of self belief.
Even when you have failed, it doesn’t mean you are a failure, it is just a moment in time, and you need to let it go, not let it define you. You can always, try again, even 30 years later!
(And I passed, this time as an Instructor, just in time for my Birthday!
:-) )
Of course, being organised is the key to fitting training in, even when your routine gets disrupted. It might mean a week of early starts, such as getting up at 4:30am every morning (which I did) and yes it was hideous, as I was also training in the gym until 9pm or running at 10pm on my treadmill.
However, it was only last week, and I dealt with it by reminding myself it was only for one week. Humans are pretty good at adapting, and mental tiredness doesn’t mean you can’t do your usual exercise such as, go for your run or bike ride, or do strength training with weights.
Once you overcome the mental barriers, you will actually surprise yourself. I know I did, I literally dragged myself to the gym last night, as it shuts early at weekends and I didn’t want to miss my training this week. Once I got there, I did a really good weights session, my body wasn’t physically affected at all.
On the other hand, do remember that physical tiredness is totally different, your body feels fatigued, and you should listen to it, it needs rest then to rebuild and recover, but it is NOT the same as lethargy.
You need to work out whether it is physical or mental tiredness, and not deceive yourself. It is only yourself that you are cheating. When you are feeling tired, is that your brain that is tired? It is incredibly easy to make excuses, and talk yourself out of it; all you seem to focus on is the effort to start with. You have to see past that and think how good you will feel afterwards.
Oh, and as for the Cycling Course, I partly did that as a little test to myself and to trust a belief in myself. You see, when I was little and had just moved to England, I went to the last year of Primary School, to be faced with a Cycling Proficiency Test. I have to point out that I hadn’t been living in England long and where I was we didn’t have roundabouts ( and I am still convinced the traffic light system was different , not that I am trying to make excuses).
And well, you have guessed it; I actually failed my Cycling Proficiency!!
To make matters worse (and you can hear the violins playing now) it was on my birthday. My father was not impressed and quite angry. I was mortified. It even put me off driving for years. Ok, maybe I was oversensitive, but it really knocked my self confidence. It was humiliating when the Teacher said;
‘Well done everyone for passing, oh, except for Wanda’.
Sometimes it is all about confidence and a bit of self belief.
Even when you have failed, it doesn’t mean you are a failure, it is just a moment in time, and you need to let it go, not let it define you. You can always, try again, even 30 years later!
(And I passed, this time as an Instructor, just in time for my Birthday!
:-) )
RSS Feed
