Fit Lizzio Fitness

Finding my inner athlete again was a God-send. It IS my identity, it is something that I will ALWAYS have, and it makes my life feel right. Lifting weights turned into getting in the best shape of my life which turned into competing. Competing is my new baseball.

I get a lot of comments from many of you wondering where I get the energy, the drive, and the motivation for my workouts. I’ve gotten several e-mails from readers asking me what it is that I do to make sure I wake up every morning ready for a workout.

The Truth: I am not ALWAYS in the mood to work out. Sometimes, I get to the gym and I want nothing to do with lifting. Sometimes I walk up to the treadmill, and seriously want to punch myself for making myself come to the gym.

But I rarely will miss a work out. Because even in those times where I want nothing more than to plop myself on the couch for a nap, I know I need to push myself through it. So this is where the definition of an athlete comes to play, in my opinion. An athlete is someone who is willing to dig deep inside and push themselves to the limits. When they get to the limits, they push farther. An athlete does NOT give up. An athlete will stop at NOTHING to get to where they want to be.

Being an athlete is somewhat physical, but much more mental. Yes, you need to have skills. These can be acquired and practiced, some are genetically gifted, but none are impossible. But even with the greatest skills, if you don’t have the persistence to drive through the difficulties and come out on top, then you are NOT an athlete. If someone tells you that you can’t do something, and you simply walk away, then no, you are not an athlete. If someone tells you that you can’t do something, and you not only do it, but you do it better than ever before, then you better believe you are an athlete. Even if it takes you 348902384032 tries, if you continue to work towards it, you ARE an athlete.

Being an athlete is much more than being good at something. You must be good at training your mind. Your mind is what will take you farther than you’ve ever been. Practice motivation, practice patience, and practice perseverance. Don’t take no for an answer, and put forth your best effort in everything that you do. Inside and outside of the gym.

This is not to say that athletes do not struggle. In fact, Athletes struggle with MANY things. Stay tuned for the mind struggles that athletes face. You may be surprised!!

To Be Continued…….