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Mental Matters |
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This article, the second in our series on Sports Ergonomics, tackles some of the psychological and emotional aspects of exercise. It's important to know how to deal with our individual tendencies when participating in sports and a fitness program. Laziness or over zealousness, competitiveness or lack of motivation are all attitudes that can be detrimental and hazardous to our health because they can either predispose us to injury or they can undermine our fitness programs. In addition, achieving a balance between consistency and a need for variety reduces our chance of injury, and helps us avoid boredom. Fitness programs and exercise are largely a matter of habit and lifestyle. Making it a habit and a part of your life may be a challenge in the beginning if you are a long-time couch potato, but you will be much happier if you get up and start making your body your friend!
OK, you've decided to whip that body into shape! No excuses! That's great, but beware that starting out too ambitiously can result in immediate injuries by tearing or twisting tissues. Starting off beyond your limits of endurance also leads to muscle soreness, which is a very common reason for abandoning your planned exercise schedule. Even if you start off fairly slowly, progressing your program too quickly can lead to injury.
Patience is essential. If you know you have a tendency to be impatient, be aware that you might push yourself too hard. You will also need to be especially alert to twinges of pain and signs that you are injuring yourself. People who are impatient will be more likely to continue exercising despite injury, causing soft tissue damage. This is very dangerous. Soft tissues are muscles, ligaments, and tendons, as opposed to bone. Injury to soft tissue takes much longer to heal.
How do you determine your limits? We'll discuss that in detail in the next article, but guidelines should be developed based on your recent pattern of exercise (or lack of it), your medical history, your age, and your heart rate during exercise. Vigorous exercise involves minimal health risks for people in good health or those following a doctor's advice.1 There are far greater risks associated with habitual inactivity and obesity than with exercising. However, if you are over 35 and have been inactive for several years, or if you have known health risks, you should consult a physician prior to engaging in a sports or exercise program.
Excuses are thinly disguised "reasons" why we cannot exercise. Everyone is capable of coming up with excuses, but there are opportunities for exercise whether you are young or old, busy or not. The next time you think "Who has time?" ask yourself "Who doesn't want to feel better?"2 Be honest with yourself and do what you need to do to get motivated. Don't fall prey your own excuses! Make exercise a priority over all the distractions that seem so important. If you don't make time for exercise now, you should plan time for illness and pain in the future.
Excuses are truly an art form of the lazy person. One Buddhist website we visited suggested that there are several sources of laziness.3 First, a Comfort Orientation, is characterized by profound ignoring. We look for oblivion: a life that doesn't hurt, a refuge from difficulty, a break from ourselves and our lives. Through laziness, we look for spaciousness and relief, but our thirst for comfort is never satisfied. A second type of laziness is Loss of Heart. We tried and failed to measure up. Going on vacation, drinking, learning to meditate have not made us feel any better and life has become meaningless. A third type of laziness is Couldn't Care Less. We feel mean toward this disppointing and lousy world/this person or that person/ourselves. We stop doing much and don't feel like it matters anyway.
Awakening from laziness, according to this theory, is a process of becoming intimate with our obstacles. It is recommended that we get to know our laziness profoundly, let go of our mental commentary and contact the feelings of our experience. At some point we are sitting in front of the TV eating chips, drinking beer, smoking cigarettes hour after hour and for some reason, through becoming totally engaged in our laziness, we see ourselves clearly. We see that there is a choice to eat the tenth bag of chips and watch the 16th sitcom, or to face our depression and laziness in an honest way. Instead of continuing to zone out and shut down and close off, we lean in and relax. At this moment, we may realize that we can choose to open the window or go for a walk instead and begin to deal with the world in openness and compassion.
OK. Maybe. For some people this could work….but for some who are not prone to self-awareness, this could be the perfect excuse for not exercising! They are busy "becoming one with their laziness".
What can we say? "JUST DO IT!"
Motivation is the key to consistent exercise. If you aren't motivated, you won't get up off the couch. If you don't stay motivated, you will slack off. Here are some ways to stimulate yourself into action. 4
If you are a competitive person by nature, you may run the risk of injury if you don't tame this spirit during your sports and fitness activities. Comparing your performance to other people's performance can be very damaging. And although it's important to set goals for yourself, setting unreasonable goals or expecting a 50-year-old body, after years of lethargy, to suddenly perform at the level it did at age 20 is equally dangerous. A competitive and/or macho attitude will cause you to bulldoze through warning signs of fatigue and even pain. It is possible to win at sports without damaging your body!
In competition, it is helpful to keep in mind the 4 C's suggested by Brian Mackenzie, UK Senior Performance Coach. These are concentration, confidence, control, and commitment. Notice there is no mention of comparison or killing yourself trying to succeed. Forget about your ego while you train and you will do your body a favor.
Rather than thinking about "exercise", think about "activity". Make a list of 5 or 6 activities that you enjoy, or think you might enjoy. Then schedule at least three of them on your schedule for next week. Think beyond the usual activities. Take a sailing or scuba diving class, go for a night hike to look at the stars. Make sure you say "yes" when friends ask you to participate in a sporting engagement. Even in the gym, there are endless opportunities to vary your workout. Try a different machine, and vary your routine. It's very easy to get locked into your favorite routines, but this doesn't allow you to learn, expand your knowledge, or improve different muscle groups.
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