"Mental toughness will take you straight to the top, mental weakness straight to the bottom”
The most important thing competing has taught me is mental toughness. In order to succeed physically this is something that needs to be present in your every day life. The two major obstacles in the way of gaining mental toughness are self doubt and your emotions. I call this the wall. This is something I have been experiencing since my last show in June. I didn’t place as high as I had expected and this made me doubt myself and what I could do. My emotions often times got the best of me and I lost my ability to be mentally tough.
The most important thing competing has taught me is mental toughness. In order to succeed physically this is something that needs to be present in your every day life. The two major obstacles in the way of gaining mental toughness are self doubt and your emotions. I call this the wall. This is something I have been experiencing since my last show in June. I didn’t place as high as I had expected and this made me doubt myself and what I could do. My emotions often times got the best of me and I lost my ability to be mentally tough.
If a craving arose I was not able to fight it, if I were too tired I wasn’t able to push myself to get to the gym my mind wasn’t in the game. I find it takes 3 full weeks of fighting those cravings, those doubts, those moments of giving up, 3 weeks of I can’s before you have broken the wall.
For me a big obstacle is peanut butter, yes I know it doesn’t sound that bad but it is! I have learned that this is a food I easily become addicted to, I don’t eat one tablespoon I eat five tablespoons. I tried to fight it but when that craving arose I found myself back into the jar. It was like an instinct if I wanted it I had it no ifs ands or buts!
For me a big obstacle is peanut butter, yes I know it doesn’t sound that bad but it is! I have learned that this is a food I easily become addicted to, I don’t eat one tablespoon I eat five tablespoons. I tried to fight it but when that craving arose I found myself back into the jar. It was like an instinct if I wanted it I had it no ifs ands or buts!
When you are mentally tough you get this feeling of guilt, a choice and every time you fight it you become stronger than you were before. It’s having everything in your day done perfectly just as you had planned. You are disciplined and run like you are programmed to follow everything you have set out for yourself.
It has taken me 6 months to have these five perfect days. Those five days are the longest I have been mentally tough since my last show preparation.
Those days reminded me of how mentally tough I am and they didn’t happen until I was able to believe in myself. When you have self doubt you will never reach your full potential. Whatever goal you have don’t be scared to say it out loud. Say it every day, say it every time you fight a craving, or conquer a workout. You are as powerful as you allow yourself to be. Don’t let the challenges of life beat you down or stand in front of the road to your goal.
I have conquered the work week now I have to learn to do the same with the weekend. I’m not saying my diet has fallen off on those days I don’t call “perfect” They are simply days that my diet isn’t 100% the same as my meal plan on paper. I am mentally tough and will get those 7 perfect days this week.
I never said this was going to be easy, if it was I would have never lost my mental toughness. You might not be mentally tough every second of everyday but the more your resist the stronger you become. I have a quote on my mirror that says “Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you they are supposed to help you realize how strong you are”
YOUR FRIEND IN FOOD AND FITNESS,
SARAH RENNICK
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