One foot in front of the other

I have a love/hate relationship with fitness-spirational quotes, like "Pain is weakness leaving the body" and "The body achieves what the mind believes." I never cease to feel a flutter of inspiration when I read them, but I find I have a hard time applying them in real time...

When I'm feeling extra healthy and jazzed about my upcoming workout and how great I'm going to feel once those endorphins start kicking in, those inspirational one-liners really rev me up. When I'm in the middle of a gruesome workout and all I can stand to think about it is "when will the torture be over?" they do me no good and in fact, I begin to resent them. Who's with me?!

I sometimes ask myself if I'll ever be the kind of person that can pull those quotes up from the depths of my tired mind and energy-depleted body and apply them in the moment. Is it even possible to put so much of your mind and intention over the matter of feeling beyond the pain you're experiencing in the moment? I'll admit to many a time trying to drum up these quotes during a tough workout, only to brush them aside and resort to the only inner mantra that I know works for me: one foot in front of the other.

It's a great one because, for me at least, the "foot" is a metaphor for whatever activity it is in the moment that you need to get through. It could be a long training run, a rep on a weight machine, or a burpee in a strength workout. One foot in front of the other means no matter what it is, if you break the task down into manageable parts, its completion magically transforms into more than just a possibility: it transforms into a reality. It's as if the chance of not finishing never existed at all, even though the thought may was very probably lurking in your mind moments before.

So, to heck with inspirational quotes to get you through the toughest of the tough workouts! I bet my little tried and true mantra will do just the trick for you, too!

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