Andrew Gutman
Contributing Writer
Everyone has off days. Maybe you’re tired, overworked or you’re feeling down from personal problems. If you’ve experienced these days, you know that hitting the gym is far down on the list of priorities. On Wednesday, I was tired. I felt flat, and I was mentally not in the right place, but I forced myself to go to the gym and it kicked my butt. But you know what? Walking out of the gym, I felt a whole lot better. My mind was clear, I had a surge of energy and I knew that I am now one workout closer to my goals.
My experience Wednesday inspired me to veer off from my normal format to let you in on how training betters me and can better you beyond just your physical health. Training keeps me sane; it gives me a release from the everyday grind and clears my mind. When I step into the gym, I’m all focus; the phone stays in my room, and once my headphones go in, I think about nothing else but blocking out the pain and pushing out every last rep until I can’t push one more out.
Now, this might seem extreme for some reading this, but for me training isn’t something I do to be healthy. It is beyond that for me. It’s about pushing past my mental and physical limits and proving to myself that I can accomplish what I set out to do.
Whatever your reasons for going to the gym are, find a healthy balance between the gym and the other important things in your life. Go to the gym and use it as an outlet. If you are having a bad day, channel that and feel better by accomplishing something that not all people do. A lot of people at the gym go there because they feel they have to, and they just go through the motions. Don’t just go through the motions, put focus and discipline into every rep and set and then ask yourself, am I getting the most out of myself? Did I give it everything I have for that one hour? There are 24 hours in a day, 168 in a week and 8,736 hours in a year, so what’s one hour a day of your life to better yourself?
Everyone has to start somewhere. Don’t expect to start working out and to develop this attitude and focus overnight. You need to work for it just like you need to work for everything in life. Remember to also be patient with yourself too. No one is perfect, so don’t fall down and stay down. Get up and keep going.