The Origin of this Question
Written on the 12 February 2019
“I lost my training mojo, what can I do to get it back?” – turns out I have a lot to say about this matter. Eight, 15-second Instagram stories was not enough time for me to get it all out, and so a new blog post was born. I have a dream, and right now it is just a dream, as I have been hesitant to get in front of my phone and start recording my thoughts about things. But for my dream to become a reality I need to get comfortable with speaking to my phone camera. So, I finally gathered my courage and recorded my first Instagram video of me speaking to all of you out there. I have been reluctant to do this because I had the impression I would feel silly and awkward and my husband keeps going on about how I am becoming “one of those people”. What does that even mean? Anyway, I did it and asked the tribe to send me any questions they had for me.
How Could You Possibly Understand, Lex?
The thought of “How could you (Lex) possibly know about losing your training mojo, you are an athlete?” may have popped into your head. Well, if you had asked me this a year ago I would not have been able to speak to you from a place of genuine understanding. Today I can, from my heart to yours. After the 2018 Commonwealth Games I struggled to find my way back to movement of any kind for a good 6 months, a walk around the block seemed like climbing Everest. So, I believe I can relate to this topic from personal experience because I too have lost my training mojo.
From The Sofa To Intentional Moving
April 2018: Week one post-Commonwealth Games – sat on the sofa in pjs all day living on ice-cream and Oreos and milk reading a book.
May to July 2018: I did not have the will or want to move with intention. I didn’t really have the energy to wash the dishes or fold the washing. I went to work and came home. I also made sure I scheduled in things to look forward to (obviously nothing to do with exercise, more like coffee and food activities). I have a very clear understanding of how wonderful movement is for me physically, mentally and emotionally, but was compassionate with myself and accepted the place I was in at the time.
Aug to Sept 2018: The odd yoga class. Nothing consistent. Pre-paid my fees for a 10-week term of adult gymnastics – lasted 3 weeks.
Oct to Nov 2018: Started going to one yoga class a week; sometimes managed a second session of either a little weights or a walk with a friend. After a few weeks I got into a good groove, my mind health really appreciated the moving and I felt good about completing a session. I would give myself mental high fives after each session. There were still a couple of weeks I blew off moving. Instead of punishing myself and being a mean girl, I practiced kindness to myself.
Dec 2018 to Jan 2019: Moved more consistently, 2-4 times a week. Bush walking, the odd plod (jog walk), weights, a couple of boxing sessions and learning to surf, just having fun and definitely no comparisons of my current abilities to my previous abilities or to anyone else’s abilities. I purposely focussed my attention on noticing the tiny improvements I was making.
Feb 2019: Yesterday I did 5 mins of pad work with Cam and I felt like my timing was good and the flow was nice. We had a little rest and I was smiling, appreciating the moment. Had I reverted to comparison, I would have felt that that 5 minutes simply wasn’t good enough. Because a year ago I would and could do 30mins of intense pad work.
The Five Keys Things I Believe You Need to Practice Finding Your Training Mojo Again
Understand that movement is good for mental, emotional and physical wellness. Sweating and exerting yourself above baseline, releases endorphins which makes you feel good. Please exercise to make yourself feel good. Not to punish yourself. Nobody likes doing punishments.
Be kind to yourself. There is enough hate and meanness and judgement in this world; please do not be the biggest bully of all with your self-talk. Give yourself those mental high fives for walking 5 minutes today and 10 minutes the next time and before you know it you will be at 30 minutes.
Be patient – there are no miracles or quick fixes. Time and patience and consistency.
Comparisons will be the death of you and your ability to continue along your journey of getting back to enjoying moving your body. Start where you are right now with no thought of who you used to be and what you could do. And you have no business comparing yourself to others. Who is that serving?
Find joy in the tiny improvements you are making.
These 5 things have helped me find my mojo again. Movement makes you feel good and is going to help you cope with life’s stressors. Yes it is hard starting out, I get that. But start for you and continue for you and no one else.
If you have any questions you would like me to try and answer, leave a comment or send me an email. I really love answering questions, so send them in please please please.
Love Lex