One of my hobbies is to run in obstacle races or mud runs like the Tough Mudder! These events have no shortage of obstacles that are put in your path!
What I have found is greater than the actual physical aspect of the obstacle is the mental aspect! Now, don't get me wrong, the physical component in these obstacles is sometimes very challenging as you can feel your muscles cramping or fatiguing or your energy level is depleted or your heart rate is through the roof! However, what is even more detrimental to whether or not you will complete the obstacle successfully is your mindset going into the obstacle.
Case in point:
4 years ago myself and a team of guys I put together ran our 1st Tough Mudder! One of the obstacles was one called Mt Everest! It is a 15 foot curved wall that has a slippery surface which you have to run and jump up to grab the ledge. The help of others to pull you up after you jump and reach was much more likely than not. Many could not complete this obstacle due to how slippery the running surface was and not fully committing mentally to the run and jump and grab! I tried 5 times and came crashing and sliding back down. It wears on you mentally and physically but I was determined to complete it so I went again and finally on my 6th time I made it with the help of those at the top pulling you up! I must admit though that I am not sure how many more attempts I had left in me because my mind was starting to "talk" to me! But, nevertheless, I did it! Here is what I'm talking about if you want to see it for yourself...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf_Ox4rZm0Q
Now, fast forward 2 years and we decided to get the team together and do it again. This time they had a new and improved version of Mt. Everest. The word on the street was that it was harder...the wall was a little higher and they rounded out the top ledge so you couldn't jump and grab it...you would have to rely solely on the people at the top hopefully catching you and pulling you up!
When we approached this obstacle, I had convinced myself that it was an opportunity to accomplish something against the odds instead of playing in my mind off past experience with this obstacle and what people were saying and even the voices in my head trying to tell me I couldn't do it! I had made a decision that I would embrace this obstacle and beat the odds. That even though this one was harder and I had a difficult time with the 1st one, that I would go all in with everything I had...no holding back...no listening to what others were saying...no thinking I will try to do this!
My mental position was that I WAS going to do this and that there was a victory waiting just on the other side!
That victory is like your victory every time you get through your workout no matter how you feel or what voices are going off in your head or every time you choose to have skip the fries and eat the apple instead. You will succeed long-term when you get yourself to a place in your mind that each workout that you do is an OPPORTUNITY to get healthier, more fit, feel better and burn calories and that each time you eat is an OPPORTUNITY to move closer to your health/fitness/weightloss goals.
Instead of dreading the exercise or the apple as a 15 foot slippery wall standing in front of you and trying to defeat you, think of that wall as an opportunity for VICTORY!
As I have been saying, change your mind and then change your body! When you diet, you are not changing your mind...you are just following something temporarily that only changes your body temporarily! That is what I call the Diet Disease! It is a disease that approaches weight loss like an obstacle and not an opportunity!
I will leave you with this...
As the pessimist and optimist were arguing over whether the glass was half full or half empty, the opportunist drank it! Become the opportunist! Don't sit around analyzing your perceived obstacles, move boldly towards OPPORTUNITY!
Your Defeat The Fat Coach,
Clayton
