Health and Fitness

Train like an Elite Athlete

I have struggled with sticking to a structured exercise program ever since I started training 17 years ago.  I have always known how valuable predictable, precise and deliberate training would be.  However, when it came time, I was as likely to head out the door and kill myself with over-enthusiastic training as I was to stay at home on the couch.  I just couldn’t stick to a regular program for any length of time.  My injuries, my motivation and my progress showed the results.  It has only been recently that I have stumbled on a solution that really works for me.  Now I am able to stick to my plan no matter what.  I run or ride in any weather, I progress gradually and predictably and my motivation is soaring.  Would you like to know my secret?

Not long after I moved to Japan, I realised what an exciting opportunity I had in front of me.  This next part of my life was all up for grabs and I had yet to form any habits  in my new life, good or bad.  I knew that I needed to make a life long habit of exercise ( as does everyone).  It was obvious that after all my years of random, unpredictable training that I needed something new, to make a life long habit.  So I had to do some creative thinking.  After quite some time I came up with the simple idea of treating myself like an Elite Athlete.

Now you have to understand that I am not yet an Elite Athlete, in reality.　I don’t earn a living from my sport, I am not sponsored by a major label and the only way that you’ll see me at the Beijing Olympics is if I make it on TV for streaking across the track wearing an Australian flag.  I am just an ordinary athlete who has found a benefit in treating myself as if I am an Elite Athlete. 

An Elite Athlete takes his training very seriously.  There is no length that he wouldn’t go to look after his body.  He sees his body as essential to performance and so he is not afraid to push it to the limit and see what it can do.  On the other hand, he is ready to pamper his body and shield it from injury.  He will look after it rather than abuse it in his efforts to increase his performance.  Most of all, an Elite Athlete places an almost obsessive focus on achieving his goals.  That is why he is an Elite Athlete.

These Elite Athletes are a mixed group, but the best of them struggle and strive towards their goals as a way of getting the most out of their lives.  They have realized their mortality and have decided to pursue their goals now, knowing that now never waits.  They have developed the commitment that it takes to succeed in their sport and this success feeds on itself bringing deeper and deeper commitment.

I decided that I was going to jump on this same train of commitment.  I decided that I was going to treat myself as if I were an Elite Athlete and see what became of it.  And it worked.  Rather than just training as a side issue to my life, it has taken on new meaning to me.  Rather than just keeping fit or enjoying my time on the road, I have found that I am relying more and more on my training to fuel my motivation in all parts of my life.  It has been about a year since I changed my concept of my life as an athlete and I have seen commitment and change that I only dreamed of before then.  Things haven’t been perfect and I have had some setbacks, but on the whole, it has been a riotous success.  So how can an ordinary person like me treat him or herself like an Elite Athlete?

Action steps to treating yourself like an Elite Athlete:

1. Structure a progressive, logical and motivating program.  Think like a Pro and plan like a Pro.  An Elite Athlete never heads out the door to train without knowing why they are going and what benefit it will bring them.  Neither should you.
2. Include some form of training every single day.  Even on a day off, include a relaxing stretching session or a massage.  Every single day will add to your concept of your life as an athlete.  I include active recovery in my concept of training, so a walk around the block on my rest day is part of my training.
3. Stick to your program like it was your job.  There are very few reasons that I would now consider skipping a part of my program.   One would be injury, another would be sudden death.  Even with these two reasons, I would still try and at least do some gentle stretching if I could manage it!
4. Injury is a form of feedback that an Elite Athlete looks for.   It is a sign of deeper problems.  Elite Athletes treat an injury straight away, as well as changing the underlying cause. 
5. Assemble the best tools that you can find.  An Elite Athlete does not skimp on essential equipment or education.  He knows the value of investing in his performance.  He will reward commitment with books or gear or services which carry him closer to his goals.
6. An Elite Athlete knows that his sport is an important part of his life.  He includes it in all of his decision making.  He is always thinking about what impact his decisions will have on his next work out or race.   “Will staying up late at night in front of the computer help my training tomorrow?”
7. An Elite Athlete never gives up.  He has realised that goals are very hard to meet and progress can be slow.  He knows from his experience that anything worthwhile comes at a cost and so he resolves to persist even if everyone else gives up.  An Elite Athlete lives in the real world of physics, biology and psychology.  He realises that the rules of nature aren’t to be broken they are to be harnessed and so he uses them as a powerful resource to propel him forward.
8. An Elite Athlete respects his body and makes the most of it.  His training, diet, sleep and balance all contribute to his performance.  He is constantly fine tuning these factors to push him forward.  
9. An Elite Athlete does what it takes.  If he has to go to bed early, then he does it.  If he has to train in the rain, then he does it.  He is able to do these things because he is committed and the more he does them, the more committed he becomes.

What is holding you back?  You don’t need to be an Elite Athlete to treat yourself like one.  In fact you can be an out-of-condition beginner, and still benefit from the same principles.  The only essential part is the desire to progress and the realisation that today will soon be gone for ever.  So start today and build your own excercise habit that lasts.  Treat yourself like an Elite Athlete and build a habit for life.

What changes do you have to make in your life to treat yourself like an Elite Athlete?

Thanks

Tom