Expectations
As a former DI athlete that never got to compete anywhere near my potential, I have often lived in the land of "what ifs". What if I was healthy? What if I knew better than to do this or that? What if I had coach DJ all four years? I could not go back in time and worrying about it really did me harm over good and I had to choose to let it go. This took a while to do of course but what I realized is that I could use my experience for the better. I could use my experience to give others the wisdom I wish I had when I was young, and to be a coach like the one I wish I had all four years of college. I was then able to let go knowing I was helping more than one person with my experience - turning it from bad to good!
What does this have to do with expectations? Ok so many a former collegiate track athlete (and other athletes, especially in sports where their individual performance could be so objectively quantifiable) are incredibly hard on themselves when they exercise or compete again. They know what it is like to be good, they know what it is like to feel fit and fast and strong. When starting to get back into an exercise routine after being out for a while - especially once we have aged can be a difficult thing because we are constantly comparing what we do and how we feel doing it to the past, our past athletic selves. As you probably have seen me write before " comparison is the thief of joy" - and I don't claim to have come up with that quote (just use it quite a bit and) find it to be very true - even when that is comparison with ourselves.
How do we remedy this self-comparison with our past selves and use the explicit knowledge we have that has allowed us to make expectations in a way that will help us in the present and future? I suggest we see ourselves as a new and different athlete. Knowing what you know now - how would you train someone like you? How can you use the knowledge and experience from your past to benefit your current self? It is pretty cool to get to "start over" with your athletic and fitness life, have a new experience, live a full life - is it not?
What does this have to do with expectations? Ok so many a former collegiate track athlete (and other athletes, especially in sports where their individual performance could be so objectively quantifiable) are incredibly hard on themselves when they exercise or compete again. They know what it is like to be good, they know what it is like to feel fit and fast and strong. When starting to get back into an exercise routine after being out for a while - especially once we have aged can be a difficult thing because we are constantly comparing what we do and how we feel doing it to the past, our past athletic selves. As you probably have seen me write before " comparison is the thief of joy" - and I don't claim to have come up with that quote (just use it quite a bit and) find it to be very true - even when that is comparison with ourselves.
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