MY BIGGEST KEY TO SUCCESS
It was 5am and I was EXHAUSTED.
You know the feeling right? I knew I had a really long day ahead, so I got up and headed out to the gym.
Pre-softball, this wouldn’t have been a big deal. I have hit early gym classes before and been fine.
But my workouts as I train for the Olympics are a lot more taxing and they take a lot longer than my good ol’ “mom-of-three-trying-to-be-in-good-shape workouts.” On top of those, I have 60-90min pitching sessions – and as the months go on, my sessions get longer and by the end of them I am utterly exhausted.
And that is just the physical part.
I also have mindset and mental performance homework.
Then there are extras like packing, booking flights, getting my physicals all in order and the list of little to-do’s that get added to the pile all day every day.
I have lived life as an athlete before – eat, sleep and live softball and training. I played for Canada in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. I know the sacrifice. I know the hard work. I know the commitment. And at those times in the past, it was crazy, exhausting, and demanding. I know my teammates are living it now and I give them huge props. It’s not easy!
Fast forward to 2020 and training for softball is 1/3 of my responsibilities. With three kiddos (ages 10, 9 and 7) at home and a relatively new small business that my husband and I own, I don’t even have enough time to realize that I am barely functional at moments throughout the day.
This fine Monday morning, when I went to workout, I understood that I wasn’t at my best.
Trust me, it was smacking me in the face. I felt drunk (and, no I wasn’t). I felt like I was walking through quicksand just to going to the door to get my shoes on.
I was (and still am) so tired from my life which has been amped up over the last few months… including this past Saturday when I hosted a 9-year-old-birthday party for my son. Enough said. Anyone with kids knows what a group of 9-year old boys is like.
But that is just it. Outside of my personal work, people are counting on me.
My son, he’s counting on me.
My kids count on me every single day.
My husband, he’s counting on me.
He counts on me as a wife and as a business partner.
My teams, they are counting on me. Both Team Canada and our TrAk team.
When you are part of something bigger than just yourself, you are more likely to dig deep to keep going. Well, at least for me, I know that since I am accountable to others it keeps my ass going when I want to stop.
There is so much truth to finding new reserves of willpower when others are counting on us.
Find a workout partner and meet them at the gym. That way, when you say you’ll be there, your feet will be held to the fire to actually go.
Plan your healthy meals together too!
Even plan trips, hikes and anything else that you want to do but won’t do by yourself!
Keep in mind that life sets you up to fail if you aren’t actively making your environment work for you.
We need to be our own advocates and set ourselves up for success.
Creating a support system that is greater than just yourself is a huge step towards setting yourself up for success.
I know I’ve got mine. If you need help, and you are local to us in Akron, come join us in our NE Ohio Fitness Secrets Facebook Group.
Mamas everywhere, if you want to be part of an amazing community please join our online community of Strong Moms. We would love to help!
