When i was younger i played hockey and would let my head fight amongst itself so i could play. I realized later in life reciting the mantra"i suck i suck i suck" actually helped me succeed.
When i was at my lowest, living in a tent in a garage, fitness was always in the back of my head, but obviously couldn’t actually go through with it for many obviously reasons.
About 10 yrs ago i joined a gym. The time i went it was completly empty, like literally NOBODY. I got to focus on myself. I picked songs in my playlist that made me get angry, then used that emotion. I talked to myself durring every rep, a million conversations per rep, but id focus on those conversations and just push through every rep. Like the weight was secondary, and in my mind if i could complete this set they’d be happy.
Then get up and see the results. Everything changed subject, even if they were all negative it was still a different conversation.
Then another set.
After a while they were now on board. Counting the reps, doing the math, calculating the totals… As long as they were on board i could keep going.
I’d easily did 2-3hr workouts.
Then next thong i know im 200lbs@10% body fat and all the conversation are about planning meals and my next workout.
The hardest part was having ZERO appetite because they were active, and getting 3-4hrs sleep.
What im trying to say is sometimes it helps to put the body and mind together and make them work together. Ive found they’re not that far apart.
Give them a common task.
Yeah exercise is one of the best things you can do, not only for your general health, but for your mental health as well!
I still play competitive cricket at 47. I need to be a certain level of fitness and those minimums drive me to do better. Your right in that you need something to push you! That is half the battle for schizophrenia where motivation is often lost!
Yeah I try to stay active too. I’ve never really been outstanding or anything, except in the leg press. I work out at home now though so i have no idea if i could approach anything like the over 800 pounds I used to be able to do. Probably not.
Between 8am - 9am during rush hour is when most gyms are empty. That’s what happened to me when I worked out at my University gym. I remember those times in my 20s that I was planning my exercises and run for the next day. It was insane, I was running 5km+ in 30 minutes everyday on a treadmill. I can’t do that now. I had a Tanita Body Fat scale that said I was 192.0lbs@22%. I’m not sure if that’s reliable because that’s a high fat percentage.
I just bought myself a recumbent bike, I can’t wait til in gets here. I’ll be starting my new diet then. And doing core strengthening exercieses that they taught me in pt and the new bike, then maybe I can work up to walking again.
I know what you mean. Repeating the mantra: “I suck, I suck,” got me through 11 and a half years of piano study. Now, I don’t suck that bad anymore. Maybe a little bit. That just keeps me going.
I probably couldn’t now. I’ve been doing mostly dumbell squats for legs recently and angled pistol squats on my weider ultimate body works before that.
I suppose it wasn’t really as impressive as it could seem.
wow !!!