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8 Ways To Stay Motivated in 2018

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Motivation is simply your drive to achieve a goal.

Start by choosing fitness and sport goals that excite you and are good for you. You won’t put the necessary training into a goal that isn’t that appealing to you, or that is simply to satisfy someone else.

Understand that your motivation will change from time to time, depending on a ton of other lifestyle factors. You must find what really makes you tick and know how to get back on track. Continue to re-evaluate why you want to train so hard and why you want to improve. Your ‘why’ is literally more important than anything in the world (for everything you do).

The stronger your WHY, the stronger your will. The stronger your will, the more likely you will fight to achieve your goal. Make sure you know WHY you want to go to the gym and how it will benefit you and the others in your life.

8 Tips to Help You Stay Motivated in The New Year

1. Write down your motivations and goals. Get specific about what you want to accomplish, how much time each week you’ll spend at the gym, and all of your motivators for being committed. Be as clear as possible with exactly what your goals are and why you want each of them.

2. Share your intentions with those who can help hold you accountable. Go tell someone, or a lot of people what you want to accomplish. Research shows that the more you tell others about your plans to make a change, the more likely you will do it. Tell people what you want to happen, what you expect out of yourself and ask them to check up on you. If you can, form an online community, create a facebook group, or write a blog so that you have check-ins with others on a regular basis.

3. Commit to a specific program. Try a new plan, sign up for a trial membership, join a team…do whatever you have to in order to get on a plan. This will help you feel like you have a greater purpose, and more accountability. It will help you take the guesswork out of what you’re going to do each day. It may be a training plan, a nutrition template or even a mindset program, but commit to following something.

4. Hire a coach. Seek someone who can help you with a proper assessment, program, modifications and progressions. This person will also challenge you and encourage you to help you stay on track with your specific goals.

5. Vary your training. Try new things, go to new classes and be open to different methods of working out. Get creative and mix it up so that you can continue to be challenged and keep your motivation high.

6. Change your language. You likely don’t “have” to workout, but instead, you get to and are able to. Look at your workouts as a gift, an opportunity to take care of your body and push yourself so that you can be better in all areas of your life. Make sure that your language is helping you instead of holding you back.

7. Improve your attitude. Are you constantly complaining or moping about going to the gym? Do you have lots of excuses and negative self-talk that you feed yourself? Begin by being thankful for each ability you have and the body you’ve been given. Look at the positives and challenge yourself to use strong, positive body language and self-talk.

8. Surround yourself with amazing people. The people in your inner circle and those who you workout with can have a huge influence on you. Make sure that they are encouraging, motivating, fun to be around and committed.

If you are trying to create a more consistent habit, then you’ll want to understand your motivations. The more motivated you are, the easier it will be to succeed.  We all know that committing to a workout schedule can be challenging at times, so use the tips in this post to help you stay on track.

 

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Is It Time To Get A Coach?

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When you have a fitness or performance goal, it’s best to have clear intentions and quality support. But, how do you know if it’s time to get a coach, or try a new program? Here are some basic guidelines and suggestions

You may want to hire a fitness coach if….

  • You haven’t reached a goal you’ve been trying to reach for a while. You’ve been working towards it on your own, but still don’t feel as successful as you’d like to
  • You feel stagnant or like your overall fitness is actually declining. Maybe you’ve seen your progress come to a halt, or your numbers are dropping and you’re wondering why
  • You haven’t been consistent
  • You don’t know how to prioritize your goals to maximize your training efforts. Meaning, you’re unsure about how much of what type of training would be best to help you excel
  • You’re bored with what you’ve been doing
  • You don’t understand your training program and why you’re doing certain exercises, progressions or workouts
  • You constantly beat up, injured, or uncomfortable and you’re frustrated/upset about how your body feels
  • You love learning new methods, strategies, techniques, movements and skills
  • You’re craving a challenge because you realize you’ve been too comfortable with your own little routine
  • You’re not satisfied with your body composition, your health or your ability to do things in your daily life
  • You have an upcoming event, competition or game that you want to be in the best possible shape for
  • You feel restricted by your range of motion
  • You’re disappointed that others seem to be improving at a much quicker rate than you
  • You feel unmotivated, and are starting to lose your passion and energy
  • You want to know that you did everything you could to improve your strength, conditioning, gymnastics, mobility, etc.

You may want to hire a mental performance coach if…

  • You care about competing at the highest level in your sport
  • You want to make sure that on game day, you know exactly what to focus on
  • You want to create powerful habits and routines that will strengthen your mentality
  • You want to improve your ability to adapt to adversity, pressure and the unexpected
  • You want to learn how to develop a positive, powerful mindset so you can thrive in all areas of your life
  • You’re not sure how to get mentally prepared and confident heading into an event/workout/game
  • You feel a lot of anxiety and stress that hinders your ability to perform
  • You want to identify thoughts that help you keep pushing no matter what
  • You have no education or experience in psychology
  • You feel overwhelmed by your training schedule and can’t ever seem to unwind
  • You want to learn how to push through tough events, workouts and competitions
  • You want to develop the strongest mental game so you can win more consistently
  • You aren’t enjoying your training and can’t seem to find the fun in it any more
  • You are constantly fatigued and feel like you’re running on empty
  • You want to be positive, composed and feel ready for anything
  • You know that you’re better than how you’ve been performing, but you can’t figure out what’s wrong

 

If you’re ready to start working with a coach, do your research. Ask your friends, scope out your options, and send some emails or make calls. Find out as much about the coach as you can and ask any questions that you have before making a commitment. Great coaches will answer all of your questions, take the time to do a full assessment, and will only commit to you if they truly feel that you’re compatible and that they can help you.

Interested in one-on-one coaching or programming?

Email me, dawn@drivenmindtraining.com and I’ll give you the details *limited spots avail each month*

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How To Get To The CrossFit Games As A Master

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Occasionally I feature posts from other individuals who have helpful input about the mental side of fitness, training or life. All of the other posts on this site are my thoughts, so I like to share different perspectives (especially so that you don’t get too tired of my ramblings).

Enjoy this post by Bruce Young, an incredible individual, CrossFit Masters Athlete (2015 CF Games Competitor) and someone who I’ve had the pleasure of coaching over the past couple of years.

 

How To Get To The Games As A Masters Athlete

 

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Have Support At Home
* Being in good relationships with at least one person who really wants you to succeed as an athlete is an incredible help. Your support could come from family members, significant others, friends or even roommates.

  • I was very fortunate, and still am, to have a partner who is looking for me to really grow as an athlete. There were many times when I knew my wife, Cecile, would have rather I stay home but she knew how important this was to me. One way we managed this was to sit down every week and review what family events and couple time were coming up so that I could schedule around these valuable events. Putting this system in place will helped Cecile realize that she is just as important. When you are together, stop talking about CrossFit. Be present in your family’s lives.

 

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Hire a coach to do your programming

* This prevents you from working on what you want to do instead of what you NEED to do

* Make sure that person is willing to spend the time getting to know you as an athlete, avoid a cookie cutter approach

  • A good coach will sit down with you, understand your strengths and weaknesses and will develop programming around that with your ultimate goal in mind.
  • I sat down with Jamie Nugent, of CompWOD, and discussed what my goals were and what my concerns were. He agreed to work with me under one condition.  I needed to be all in! Committed to the program as a whole with no cherry picking! That conversation was one of the two turning points in my CrossFit Journey and I am so glad I had a coach who spoke the brutal truth about what my weaknesses were.

Build Mental Strength
* Focus on your “why”.

* Be prepared for highs & lows – “Don’t get too high, don’t get too low” is a quote that I come back to often.

* Focus on what you can control.

* Learn to embrace “the suck” during those final moments of a wod…that’s where the winning happens

  • A significant addition to my team was when I decided I needed help building my Mental Strength. Just to give you an example of how much I needed to work on this. During the 2013 Open I was in the middle of  a wod and someone changed the music. I actually stopped during the wod and told them to change the music back. Yes, that’s right, during the middle of an Open wod I actually stopped to tell someone to change the music.
  • Working with Dawn Fletcher, of MENTALITY WOD completely changed how I approach every workout, how I approach achieving balance in my life AND I no longer even pay attention to the music. I assume that this is something that I can not control. By the way, at The Games, when you are out there on the field, there is no music!
  • Mental Strength, in my opinion, is what separates the winners at this level. Prior to getting into a nasty Open Wod I have a very set process that I go through which includes a prewod routine reminding me of how grateful I am to have a healthy family and the fact that  I  am able to compete in a sport that I love while surrounded by amazing people. This includes squatting down and focusing on these key ingredients, as you can see from the picture below.

Improve Tissue Mechanics

* Work on mobility daily

* Seek and hire practitioners who understand your goal, competitive athletics and the type of training you’re doing

  • At Masters age, quite often, this becomes a war of attrition. Staying injury free and healthy is so key. I have been blessed to remain relatively injury free, possibly because I work on my mobility on a daily basis and I use the following on a regular basis: Chiropractor, Registered Massage Therapist & Physiotherapist – All three of these people understand what it means to be a competitive athlete.

 

Dial In Your Nutrition
* Find out what works for you and don’t change that as you get close to a competition or The Open

  • In the beginning of my CrossFit journey I started with paleo.I found that this did not work for me. During 1.5 hour training sessions or long mountain bike rides I would start to get dizzy and feel fatigued. Once I started to introduce the right carbs, at the right time, my energy levels went up along with my performance.
  • I found that using “My Fitness Pal” to track my caloric, carbs and fat intake helped ensure that I was getting the right amount of each component to sustain growth and energy.

 

Surround Yourself With Better Athletes
* If you are the big fish in a small pond you will stop growing as an athlete..it is that simple.

*Find a box that has athletes who will kick your ass

 

Set Goals and Be Prepared To Adapt
* Write that shit down and look at it every day

  • Without a clear goal you are just going to flounder. It is that simple. When I am just going to the box for the sake of going to the box I tend to wander. Once my goals were clear-cut, written down I became very focused. I have conducted many Goal Setting Sessions at various boxes throughout the Greater Toronto Area, so this part came very natural to me.

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  • As you can see in the pic above, my goal was clear. “I will be an athlete participating in the 2013 CrossFit Games in California” It is short, simple, clear cut with a time line. Now, I had to adjust that goal two more times before I reached the goal.
  • Participating on the field at The Games, with other elite, world-class, athletes was an adventure I am so proud of accomplishing. I would not change a thing. This was a long three-year journey. Because of the people in my life, I was able to achieve this goal.

Work Your Ass Off

Now, go back up and review the list, pick one item to work on and commit to this month..and start your journey! See ya in Carson!

To discuss how personalized Goal Setting Sessions can help you, contact Bruce at:  Bruceyoung1119@gmail.com

How To Find The Right Training Partners

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Who you surround yourself with matters. The people you train with can have a huge impact on your mentality and therefore your workouts. Your training partners can help you push harder than you ever imagined. They can help you flourish and stay consistent. They can both challenge you and support you. These people can help you reach your goals…if they are a good fit for you.

Obviously, there’s no perfect training partner or group, but you may find that there is room for improvement. Look over these questions and think about how you might improve as a training partner. Consider who you might want to train with more, or less often.

  1. Are they timely and accountable? Can you rely on them to be on time and where they say they’ll be?
  2. Are they encouraging? Can you count on them to help you, and lift you up?
  3. Are they motivated and excited about training? Do they look forward to workouts and are they pumped about their goals?
  4. Are they positive and do they give out good vibes? Do they smile, laugh, joke, play and stay optimistic (for the most part)? Are they enjoyable to be around?
  5. Are they committed? Do they make sacrifices, stay late, come early and train their weaknesses regularly?
  6. Are they easy for you to talk to? Is it safe to share your doubts and concerns with them? Do they listen and ask you questions to find out more?
  7. Do they respond to challenge with perseverance and patience? Are they willing to work through struggle and setbacks?
  8. Are they open to learning and staying coachable? Do you see them reading, practicing, receiving coaching and studying?
  9. Do they stay balanced and prioritize other areas of their life (relationships, downtime, work, giving back)?
  10. Do they openly share their struggles? Are they honest with what’s hard for them, and do they lean on you for support?

 

What other characteristics are important to you in a training partner? Comment below.

 

Related Post: “Is It Time To Assess Your Relationships?”

 

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Get Honest With Your Health

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TakeAction

This post is to challenge and encourage some of you.

When was the last time you went to the doctor or dentist?

When was the last time you got blood work, or a full physical?

Could you benefit from talking to a therapist or setting an appointment to see what your mental health options are?

When was the last time you got your man or woman parts checked?

Have you ever done a body fat assessment or another measurement of your fitness or health?

By getting appropriate health services and screenings, you’re able to have an accurate assessment of where you are. I know that this can be intimidating and scary for some of you, as you might not be where you want to be. You also may not really desire to know what could be going on with your health.

Challenge: Get on it today and help your friends and family members as well

  • Make the call, go to the appointment, investigate and seek some professional opinions and tests. Whatever aspects of your health you have been neglecting…take action ASAP.
  •  It’s okay to be afraid of the results, timid of the process, or nervous about the unknown. Share your feelings with someone in your support team as well as the health practitioner you’ll be seeing. Let’s encourage each other to seek regular exams and checkups.

You can be honest about your hesitations, but you can also be brave.

You can commit to getting more information, instead of putting it off.

You can become more authentic and aware, which can lead to all sorts of positive improvements in your training and life.

 “The first step towards getting where you want to be, is knowing where you are. “

 

 

6 Reasons You’re Not Enjoying Your Training

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Do you dread your workouts? Are you feeling like it’s just “not fun” anymore? Are you simply not enjoying yourself when you’re at the gym?

First off, I’m definitely not suggesting that every day is going to be a fucking blast. You’re going to have days that feel like a grind, and that you don’t want to be there. Each training session is not going to be 100% enjoyable.

But, if you’re really not looking forward to your training and not enjoying yourself while you’re there MOST of the time, then something is up.

  • If you don’t enjoy it, it’s going to be incredibly challenging to stick with it as a lasting habit.
  • If you’re dragging through training, you’re definitely not going to be giving the type of effort and intensity that you could be.

1. Your attitude. Are you constantly bitching, complaining, moping or talking down to yourself while you’re at the gym?

2. Your environment and the people around you. Are the people around you dragging you down with their attitudes? Is there a ton of drama and gossip going on around you?

3. Your training plan. Are you dragging through a plan that you don’t feel is working for you? Do you dislike every part of your workout?

4. Your coach(es). Does your coach ignore you or make you feel discouraged? Do you think that relationship could be better?

5. Your life stress. Are you feeling overwhelmed as hell? Are there some personal things going on that are taking a lot of your emotional-energy?

6. The grind. Are you over-training? Have you been taking breaks to become restored and rejuvenated?

 

If you can’t change anything, you can change your mindset…and you can always step away to reassess.

What could you do a little differently today, or this week to try to enjoy your training more?

Could you use a break, or a change of pace?

 

 

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How To Create A New Habit

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If you are trying to create a new habit, then you’ll want to understand your motivations. The more motivated you are, the easier it will be to succeed. The stronger your WHY, the stronger your will. And, we all know that creating change, can be incredibly challenging…so you’ll want all the will you can get.

You might be trying to change a certain unhelpful thinking pattern, a poor nutrition habit, or unhealthy routine that you know is keeping you from flourishing.

As you’re preparing to make a change, think through these 2 things

1. Know the benefits: List out all the potential benefits that you could feel by sticking to the changes. Make sure you understand why and how those improvements will occur. Think through what type of ripple effect that could cause and all of the benefits that it will bring you and others.

2. Know the consequences: List out all of the consequences that could occur from NOT making the change. Understand the downsides of not creating new habit, or not breaking an unhealthy pattern. Think through the ways this could limit you and your well-being or how it could negatively impact those around you.

It would be best to share your thoughts/lists with your inner circle, or someone you can count on. You can use these lists as motivation to help you get where you want to be. Sometimes we are more motivated by what we DON’T want, than what we DO want.

Comment below with what change or habit you’re committing to.

How To Help Your Family’s Mindsets

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I was recently asked this question:

 How do I help my kids, or my family members understand the power of their minds? Is there anything I can do or say?

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Quick Answer: No, I do not have kids of my own, but I regularly think about the best ways to help others appreciate the importance of mentality. We can continue to explain the value of our thoughts, attitudes and emotions…instead of just telling others what to do (or what not to do). Helping others understand “why” and giving them examples can be very beneficial. If you’re interested in helping your family members, or friends understand the power of their minds, here are my 3 basic suggestions and some tips

  • Be an example. I’m a big believer that talking can only get us so far. We can make a greater influence on people with our actions/behaviors. Show your kids, or family members how you stay balanced, enthusiastic, optimistic, resilient, adaptable, calm, patient, open to coaching, and focused on your goals.  Inspire them, and work through challenges with them so they can see your effort and progress.
  • Ask them questions. Help the individual begin to build awareness and process themselves. Questions show your interest and they also allow the person to really analyze their own mindset. I think when you’re talking to kids/youth this is especially important.
    • “What were the 3 best parts of your day, or practice, or game?”
    • “What is 1 thing you learned from that tough situation?”
    • “How does that make you feel?”
    • “What words best describe you or who you want to be?”
    • “What do you really want to accomplish?”
    • “What can you help others with today?”
    • “Why is it important to stay positive and to speak kind words to yourself and others?”
    • “What thoughts can you have that help you calm down?”
  • Suggest books, movies, websites, articles, coaches, experiences that talk about the power of a positive, strong mentality. Maybe you can read books together, or you can go on a trip together. You could share websites, or social media links with others who are interested and make it a priority to share inspiring, helpful information instead of gossip or negativity.
  • Give feedback on effort. Continue to acknowledge and praise the process over the results/outcomes. Talk about strategy, goal-setting, being creative, and about what that person did mentally to be successful

Always let people who you care about know that you support and love them

Did this help you? Is there something else you would suggest? Comment below.

5 Steps To Overcoming Your Fears

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What if I can’t make it through?

What if I have a breakdown?

What if things go wrong?

What if others criticize me?

What if I don’t know what to do?

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Have these questions ever consumed you? Have they kept you from performing your best, or trying new things?

Fear is a funny thing. By definition, it is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. It may be a real threat or it can fully imagined. Fear can keep you from being faster and stronger. It can keep you from being the best competitor that you can be. It can limit you, hold you back and it can completely consume you.

When it comes to training and sport, you may have doubts about your abilities. You may be afraid of failing, or getting uncomfortable. You might be fearful of the unknown or of a particular environment. Maybe you don’t want to look stupid, or be wrong. Maybe you don’t want to show people your imperfections or vulnerabilities. You might hate giving up control and don’t like feeling like you’re not the one in charge. The ‘what-ifs’ take over your thoughts and completely hold you back from action.

Guess what?
Those fearful thoughts will continue to chase the hell out of us, until we decide to work through them.

If you want to be better than ever, then start thinking differently and taking action. Remember that you can always go right back to where you were if it doesn’t work out.images

 

5 steps to take to overcome your fears

 

1. Admit – You have to be honest about your thoughts and emotions. Embrace and understand your fears. Recognize that you are feeling fearful and having doubt. Take time to understand why you may be having certain fears and whether they are real or made up.

2. Share – You are living in fear of your fears until you share them with someone in your support circle. You are not weird for having fear and believe me it will feel great to talk about it. Voice them to people who care about you and don’t worry about their reaction. The more you share them, the less power they have over you. Get the crap off of your chest, seriously. The sooner you do this, the sooner it will be gone.

3. Prepare – Here are 3 key aspects to preparing yourself to face your fears or anything that you’re feeling anxious about

A) Know Your Motivation – Write down why it is important to you to face this fear and overcome it. There has to be some type of benefit to getting uncomfortable. The most important part of being mentally prepared, is understanding exactly how you can be better by facing your fear. Know why you want to do this.

B) Be Optimistic – You need to start saying positive reminders to yourself and speaking positively about the situation. Practice visualizing yourself adapting and having a positive experience and outcome.

C) Break It Down – Break your fear down into smaller parts. You don’t necessarily need to take it all on at once. You can write down your fear, and then write down small and simple action steps that you can start taking. Remember, no step is too small, and it is more important that start chipping away.

4. Attack – Accept that there is no such thing as a perfect situation and give it an attempt. Know that you are ready and that the best way to learn is to try. Remember why you want to do it and surround yourself with positive support. If it doesn’t work out this time, you can always step back and try again another time. Try, try, and try again.

5. Reflect – Take a moment to be proud of yourself for going for it. Share your thoughts with your support team and reflect on how good it felt to feel fear, but do it anyway. Take some notes about what you learned from the experience. Celebrate the little victories and know that you made the right choice by taking the necessary steps. You can easily repeat this process for other fears in your life.

Accept that you might mess up and that things might not look pretty. Know that it might be tough but that it will be okay, and that the worst-case scenario is not that bad. You will get over it, through it, and you will be so glad you faced it.

If you don’t take these steps, you will wonder forever. You will continue to replay the fear and worry in your mind, and you will build it up even more. You can either choose to conquer it, or you can continue to let it limit you. Whichever option you choose (action or inaction), will create a pattern. Each time you choose to deal with it, or not deal with it, it will make it more likely that you will pick that path again. Your choices become habits and literally define how you approach training and life.

Choose to attack your damn fears.