Stop Being Your Own Worst Coach

If you've worked with me before, you've probably heard me say this:

Your body does nothing but respond to your thoughts. 

Now, that doesn't mean you can just think your way into a PR or convince yourself a marathon is only five miles long. But the way you talk to yourself impacts how you perform.

If every time a run gets uncomfortable you immediately go to, "I'm not built for this," or "I'm so slow," you're making the workout harder than it already is. Your brain starts looking for reasons to slow down, cut the lift short, or skip the next interval.

Instead, try changing the conversation.

Not fake positivity. Not standing in front of a mirror telling yourself you're unstoppable.

Just better coaching.

Instead of:
"This pace is killing me."

Try:
"Just get to the next tree."

Instead of:
"This weight is too heavy."

Try:
"One good rep."

Instead of:
"I'm terrible at running."

Try:
"I'm getting better every week."

It sounds simple because it is. It is the small shifts in the mind. 

The best part is that research actually backs this up (you know I am a sucker for a good peer-reviewed study). A large review looking at more than 30 different studies found that athletes who intentionally practiced positive self-talk consistently performed better than athletes who didn't. The biggest improvements weren't because people suddenly became more talented—they just stopped getting in their own way.

I see this all the time.

Someone will come into the gym convinced they're weak before they even touch the bar.

A runner will decide the workout is going to be a fail before they've finished the warm-up.

Or someone trying to lose weight will have one less-than-perfect meal and immediately think they've blown the whole week.

None of those things have anything to do with fitness.

They're conversations.

And the good news is conversations can change.

One thing I like to ask people is this:

Would you talk to your training partner the way you talk to yourself?

Most people laugh because the answer is no.

You'd never tell your friend they were too slow, too weak, or that one bad workout meant they should quit. You'd remind them how far they've come and tell them to keep showing up.

So why don't we do the same for ourselves?

At the end of the day, strength isn't just built in the gym.

Endurance isn't just built on long runs.

Confidence isn't something you magically wake up with.

They're all trained.

And sometimes the strongest thing you can do is replace one negative thought with one that's actually going to help you move forward.

Your body is already doing the hard work.

Make sure your mind is on the same team.

Reference

Hatzigeorgiadis, A., Zourbanos, N., Galanis, E., & Theodorakis, Y. (2011). Self-talk and sports performance: A meta-analysis. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(4), 348–356.