Mind tricks to help your work out?

ljones27uk
ljones27uk Posts: 177 Member
edited November 20 in Fitness and Exercise
HI all,
I was on my run this morning and, as I normally do, was thinking about all manner of things. One of the things that crossed my mind is what mind tricks people play on themselves to ensure they have a successful workout.. Mine for example is that I tell myself my legs are machines, and not really part of my body, that are controlled by my brain, and will do exactly what I tell them to do.. it seems to help me push fwd when I'm struggling to get round.
What quirks or tricks of the mind do you have that you help ensure you have a top workout?

Replies

  • kalbo798
    kalbo798 Posts: 58 Member
    I don't give my mind a chance to say no in the morning. I get it out within the first 90 minutes of being awake.
  • biziebun
    biziebun Posts: 24 Member
    I honestly think about work. That's pretty bad :(
  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
    ljones27uk wrote: »
    HI all,
    I was on my run this morning and, as I normally do, was thinking about all manner of things. One of the things that crossed my mind is what mind tricks people play on themselves to ensure they have a successful workout.. Mine for example is that I tell myself my legs are machines, and not really part of my body, that are controlled by my brain, and will do exactly what I tell them to do.. it seems to help me push fwd when I'm struggling to get round.
    What quirks or tricks of the mind do you have that you help ensure you have a top workout?

    I love the idea of thinking of my legs as machines and not susceptible to tiring. I'm going to steal that idea and hope it works for me!
  • khol1
    khol1 Posts: 100 Member
    Karen_libert wrote: »
    ljones27uk wrote: »
    HI all,
    I was on my run this morning and, as I normally do, was thinking about all manner of things. One of the things that crossed my mind is what mind tricks people play on themselves to ensure they have a successful workout.. Mine for example is that I tell myself my legs are machines, and not really part of my body, that are controlled by my brain, and will do exactly what I tell them to do.. it seems to help me push fwd when I'm struggling to get round.
    What quirks or tricks of the mind do you have that you help ensure you have a top workout?

    I love the idea of thinking of my legs as machines and not susceptible to tiring. I'm going to steal that idea and hope it works for me!

    Definitely need to try this! Thank you!
  • theamazingbuzzkillman
    theamazingbuzzkillman Posts: 1 Member
    Two things for me - first, I think of workouts as stress relief/mood stabilizer instead of as a way to lose weight (because if I do them to lose weight, the payoff is too far down the line to motivate me right now, when I need it, but the stress relief is instant gratification).

    Second, related to that, I reappropriate stress. if I find myself getting annoyed about anything during my workout, all that means is that I have the energy to push myself harder. If I have the energy to get annoyed that that car didn't stop for the light/that girl took the machine right next to me when the gym is empty/work is going to be so busy this week, then I have the energy to push myself harder!
  • pianoplaya94
    pianoplaya94 Posts: 185 Member
    Upbeat music! I'm a major music person so I really get engrossed in any music I put on my ipod. If I don't think about anything else, the time really flies by. And the faster the music, the harder I work out. :)
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    Mind Tricks I play when working out:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhCmyMpWeXc
  • myprecious1one
    myprecious1one Posts: 2 Member
    pianoplaya94 wrote: »
    Upbeat music! I'm a major music person so I really get engrossed in any music I put on my ipod. If I don't think about anything else, the time really flies by. And the faster the music, the harder I work out. :)

    I am not a music person but when it comes to working out I agree the time does fly by with faster paced music and louder to it kinda pushes the negativity out of my head : )
  • fbinsc
    fbinsc Posts: 735 Member
    edited July 2015
    When I'm running longer distances than I'm trained for I focus on a point in the distance, and let the natural sway from the running stride work a kind of hypnosis where the part of my mind that wants to quit goes to sleep

    For pushing through that last rep when my mind says I don't have what it takes I imagine someone I love needing me to lift that to save them.

    For general working out I focus on routine, and put it in my mind that skipping isn't allowed and more than one miss in a row is a crisis

    At the end of it all I reward myself, I look at my improvement in the exercise logs, focus on what I did well, how far I've progressed, how much better the guy in the mirror is looking, how the me that's living a year or five years from now will thank me.
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