To keep on track and stay committed to your workout routine can be a struggle with the stresses of everyday life. Work, friends even family I dare say can chip away at our sanity and threw us off course of our regimes. But exercise can provide relief so it’s good for you both physically and mentally to try to dig deep and keep going. We have 8 ideas to help you flatten those boxed up worries and keep you working.
8 Mental tricks to improve your running
Be flexible
Don’t get caught about missing runs because of other commitments. Any time you get on the road is bettering your body and making you feel better. If you need to babysit for an extra hour, attend your delayed meeting at work, just shorten your run. Stick to your plans, smash your time on the road but don’t get too caught up about the numbers.
You’re not exercising!
Some believe that labelling your workouts as ‘exercise’ makes you feel more fatigued. In a study published in 2014, it found that people who were told a 30-minute walk was exercise reported feeling more fatigued afterwards compared with people who did the same workout but were told it was simply a “scenic walk” — even though both groups hiked the same route.
Re-evaluate your goals
Remind yourself what it is your doing this for. The hours of hard work are leading to what? It might be charity, to better yourself or to fulfil a lifelong dream. Whatever it is, reminding yourself what the end goal is will make you feel more driven to succeed.
Make sure you succeed
If for whatever reason your not feeling, just get something done. If your down and not feeling like a 10-mile slog then smash out a 3 miler and cross the finish line. Although it’s important to keep to your regimes, it’s all positive work.
Call a friend
Running with a partner is something we’ve weighed up already. But a one-off won’t hurt if you feel you need it. Give a mate a call and have a natter on your way round to let off some steam.
Tune up
Music has been proven to help with your physical performance and seeing your splits rocket up will give you an obvious and deserved eg-boosts. Music also helps us get into a grove. Help us keep in our stride and run to a beat.
Go a new way
Go explore. Enjoy your local area and feel fulfilled finding new hidden gems. You’ll feel more excited about other places you could find and showing them to your friends.
Visualise yourself
Last but not least visualise yourself. Slightly odd in concept but it definitely works. Say while your running, create every detail in your mind. How you look running, how great you feel running and create your dream athlete self in your mind. This will help you feel great about yourself and proud in the knowledge your on track.
