State of mind

What do you think about yourself? Do you think you are strong, healthy, fit, fast? Research shows that if you think you are fit, you will treat yourself as such. If you think you are a fast runner, you will become faster and approach your training runs as such. Self-confidence in any arena of your life comes from believing that you are (fill in the blank... strong, beautiful, healthy, fit, etc.) and acting upon your thoughts.

I was sharing with a client the other day why I love training for races. When I treat myself like an athlete, one who can run long distances, my whole mind set changes. My food choices change from whatever is convenient to foods that will fuel my workouts. My approach to training changes from "I have to" to "I get to challenge myself today." My thoughts wander from "I don't have time to take care of myself" to "I must treat my body as a quality machine" which encourages me to take better care of my body through stretching, rehydrating, and relaxing. When I view myself as an athlete, I treat myself as such. When I treat myself as an athlete, I perform better and can dream bigger dreams. It may sound cliche, but dreams really CAN come true. You must simply believe that you can do something great and treat yourself as someone who can achieve big dreams.