| Focus October 1, 2003
Time for a Change
Fall is officially here. The days are getting shorter, the
weather’s getting cooler, and students are back at school. It’s definitely a
season of change.
When it comes to getting ready for competitions year after
year, the intense training and dieting can sometimes feel like tiresome work that
doesn’t bring about the results we’re looking for. That’s why a change in
season can bring about fresh, new opportunities -- a change from our everyday training
routine also reaps benefits.
After the Nationals, I found myself in a bit of a training
slump. After months of tinkering with my diet and training program, I realized those areas
weren’t the problem. The problem was that my mind was somewhere other than on
training, so I decided to overcome this by switching gears.
Instead of focusing all my attention towards training, I
started to hone in on other areas of my life that tend to get neglected during the
competitive season. In other words, I spent less time trying to find ways to stimulate my
muscle growth and more time concentrating on my mental development.
I achieved this in a few different ways. First, I signed up
for an evening course to brush up my French skills. Also, aside from my full-time job as a
news producer, I’ve also been working on some side projects, which involve another
passion of mine -- writing.
Since I’ve started doing these things, I’ve made
remarkable progress in my training and have found a creative way to combine the two. For
example, I now have a membership at a French gym, so that while exercising I’m also
able to practice speaking and listening to others in French.
I’ve also started trying out new sports "just for
fun." It’s a very different feeling not having an agenda when playing a sport,
but it has done wonders in helping me focus on my training when the time comes to get down
to business.
Another thing that has really helped to inspire me is
talking to other fitness competitors. I’ve had the privilege of writing articles
about fellow competitors who have overcome tremendous obstacles using fitness as their
main source of motivation. It’s also reassuring to know that everyone faces similar
challenges when it comes to focusing on their training.
The fact of the matter is, when we’re in the
pre-contest training zone, everything seems so cut-and-dried. You have a training and diet
schedule and you stick to it, no questions asked. But, it’s during the off-season
that things start to get stale. That’s why it’s so important to find ways to
stimulate your life, other than at the gym. In the long-run, developing your mental
strength and finding new and innovative ways to stay motivated will help your overall
progress as a competitor. After all, the day of the show is only "one" day.
It’s the months and years of hard work and dedication that really make the
difference.
...Denyse Johnson
denyse@seriousaboutfitness.com |
