Inner Couch Potato Vs. Inner Athlete

It’s only more recently that I have started to accept that there actually is an inner athlete inside of me begging to bust on out of there!  After 3 years of consistent running and other exercise, you would think I would now be ok to consider myself an athlete.  And yet, I struggle to say those words outloud sometimes.  That being said, it took a very long time before I considered myself a “runner”… probably not until the middle of last year and I was already running quite regularly for 2 years by that time!  This past summer I was introduced by a friend as being a “triathlete” and it just didn’t seem right to me for some reason…. almost like it didn’t seem real! 

I truly think that sometimes you tend to get stuck with labels and that can make you fall back into your old belief system and old habits.  Old habits die hard.  When you have been telling yourself something for years, eventually it does become true, because you make it a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I often look back at myself as being “The Fat Kid with Asthma”.  In reality, I did grow up being slightly overweight (but honestly not that bad until university and even then, it was an extra 20-40 lb, hardly “FAT”).  I did struggle with asthma as a child and it is something that, unfortunately, I continue to struggle with.  I have good days, I have a bad days.  But I no longer let that define me!  I manage my asthma with the tools I have and I self-monitor and work with my physician to change my medication so that it WON’T hold me back!  I only finally let go of that label after running a half marathon last year in extremely smoky and poor air quality conditions and ended up running a personal best!  Sadly, I know that it was not the smartest move for me and it is not something I will do again in the future; however, it was a great lesson in breaking through mental barriers that sometimes prevent us from reaching our full potential.

Then there is the “Inner Couch Potato” …. don’t we all have one?  That small voice that whispers into our ear to skip just this one workout, kick back and have some chocolate and wine while wasting away in front of your television!  Sometimes, the voice is not so small.  I’m certainly not saying that it is not okay to relax; because it totally is!  Personally, I LOVE TO RELAX!  I am not going to lie about that.  I may not watch a lot of TV, but I love to browse the internet, lounge on the sofa with a good book and great coffee and just not even worry about the passage of time.  And there is a time and a place for that.  There can also be a time and place for that to fit into daily life…. but that comes after my workout!  This week, I battled my inner couch potato on Monday.  Monday morning I had planned a swim and totally did not set an alarm.  I woke up, on my own, 45 minutes after my alarm should have sounded and decided instead of rushing like crazy to get to the pool for a 20 minute swim (which is all I would have time for), I decided to snooze a little longer and enjoy my morning.  I do not like to rush.  After work on Monday, I came home and spent some time with my puppy and started to debate about going to my Core Conditioning Class that I attend weekly.  I started to make excuses in my head.  I stopped.  I got ready, I got in my car and I went.  I hated every minute of it up until I got to class and started talking with the other people there and the instructor and I had realized…. Score One for Inner Athlete!

There are also times when you just have to listen to your body.  But sometimes, it is not quite clear what it is telling you.  I nearly fell on Tuesday heading in to work…. after a few funny moves, I managed to make it in ok.  I was determined not to spill my coffee and I succeeded in that, but I also tweaked every muscle in my body.  As is usual for me, the complaining parts were all on the right side; mostly my lower back and hip, but also my shoulder, calf and ankle.  I was debating after work whether I should take it easy or run.  It was an intense debate.  In the end, I decided to go and run for 10 minutes and then do a body check to see how I was doing.  I knew the danger in this was ignoring that part and not checking to see how I was feeling and pushing through the pain (which is sometimes good, but is it pain from working out or borderline getting injured… it’s a fine line).  I got to the gym, felt great, and had my best run in a really long time actually!  Afterwards, I took 20 minutes to stretch and the next day, I felt back to my normal self!  You have to listen really closely sometimes to discover what your body is trying to say.

According Webster’s Dictionary, an Athlete is “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina “.  I am still not sure if I am there yet, but I know that every single day is a learning experience and I only plan to get better with time!