In these uncertain times, watch for the slipping of your standards! Lower standards seem to make life easier, but they crush motivation.
.
If you are reading this I probably already know 2 things about you: (1) you are a busy (job, maybe family) and (2) you want to crush it at your triathlon and Ironman races. It’s easy to rationalize letting your training, health and diet slip because you are busy and because we don’t know when we will race triathlon or Ironman will be. BUT DON’T FALL INTO THAT TRAP!
.
In fact, as I write this (during covid quarantine) we all have plenty of excuses now to lower our standards.. but don’t do it! Don’t get me wrong none of us is perfect and I’ve had a few nights where I have hit the potato chips with mom’s cream cheese dip HARD, but I keep fighting! Of course we need to make changes to our triathlon training plans based on what’s possible under the circumstances. But let me tell you what I’ve seen over and over as a triathlon coach– people who kick ass and try their best at their training enjoy it more and have motivation (in all areas of life). Many people who tell me they want a minimal training plan and are trying to do as little training as possible end up losing motivation and end up skipping a bunch of workouts even though it should be much easier for them to hit 100% versus someone who is pushing themselves to do more.
.
Why not flip this difficult situation around and RAISE some of our standards instead of lowering them? Trust me, motivation and energy will shoot up if you start taking action! If we let our standards drop, motivation and energy will decay.
.
- if you need to lose weight and are at home 100% of the time, then you really have no excuse, do you? You have even more control of what you put into your mouth right now and when you eat (even if some of our favorite foods are out of stock). (no, your partner makes the food and it’s unhealthy and there is no option but to eat lots of it? (hmmmm…)
- if we are healthy and working at home, and you have your trainer set up, you can certainly find a way to bike more frequently. Maybe not tons of hours (or maybe you could)- but some extra 30 min spins should be possible. 20 min spins? No, that’s impossible? (hmmm…)
- How much TV are you watching? how much news are you reading? How much social media are you consuming? Could we cut back and free up time for positive things? (no? you need to monitor social media and news constantly minute by minute in case there is some new update? hmmm….)
- FINALLY, one key area is raise your standards of what attitude you will accept from yourself. Am I ok with being negative and making excuses? Am i OK with being mediocre? Am I OK with feeling like a victim of circumstances? (but you REALLY are in a difficult situation so it’s OK? hmmmm…)
.
EXAMINE YOUR EXCUSES. is it really impossible to train and eat well because of… your children? your partner? your job? because then virus situation is depressing? You don’t have enough time? you are stuck indoors? Give some thought to your excuses and see if any of them should be thrown away. Everyone’s life is different, but i see some people on the team kicking ass at work (and working hard), raising kids, and crushing it in their training (and enjoying the process) and doing it even when life gives them challenges. (but maybe those people are just “special” and don’t have the same challenges I do? or maybe they are just “super people” and a “regular” person like myself can’t be expected to excel like that, right? hmmm…)