Let’s face it: the time comes when you need the extra effort to improve your current fitness level, and the strain and huffing and will power needed to achieve it isn’t exactly the same feeling as sex. If it were, everybody would be in great shape.
Sometimes we just can’t hack the mental and physical effort. It’s more mental than anything—a big, old, fat mental block. I have had so many mental blocks in my time I could build dilapidated castles out of them.
I have learned to overcome these fears by implementing a few hacks.
We can create our feelings by reverse body language. Yes, sometimes the omelet comes before the chicken. Neurologically, it is impossible to hide our emotions. You can fake a smile, but if the skin folds outside the eyes do not crinkle, we expose what my mother-in-law called a big fat liar mouth, even if you can’t see lips hidden behind the surgical mask. Feel sad, you aren’t exactly hopping up and down, unless, of course, someone dropped an anvil on your foot.
Go ahead—smile and crinkle your eyes. You feel happy. You just won a genuine gold anvil. Really happy. Right? Just don’t drop it on your foot.
You can do a similar hack to give you confidence.
Some days, when I know I have to give the old college try—we called it cramming back in the day—I warm up by doing ten minutes of air guitar. I like doing a couple of fast ones by Led Zeppelin such as “Living Loving Maid,” “Whole Lotta Love.” This warmup puts be in a fun mood and makes me sweat like Jimmy Page running away from groupies. Sometimes, I play the air drums. By the way, I have never missed a note on the air guitar.
After, my induction into the Air Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I assume the Superman pose for one minute. Legs spread, arms akimbo, hands over hips, jaw set as if I’m going to fuck up Lex Luther big time, I’m ready to use my super confidence in the workout, thanks to reverse body language.
Say, what is wrecking my will power before a warm-up was my goal of achieving a personal record, 50 consecutive burpees, for example, or a one-max rep for a deadlift. Instead of thinking this is going to hurt like a kick in the groin, picture your goal of attaining an ideal body weight, bigger muscles, increased vitality, a normal range of blood pressure, whatever. Say something positive like “I got this,” I own this movement” “I am the master of my destiny.” Recite your favorite Bob Petras poem, anything that works. Stay positive, say positive.
Now, go out there and break those barriers, those so-called pain thresholds—you are anchor man or woman on that mental tug-of-war. Don’t make me out to be a big fat liar mouth.
