Saturday, February 12, 2022

When bodybuilders get the blues: 10 ways to build your emotional strength to power your way through your next workout

Every bodybuilder gets to know the dark days. Legs like lead, aches from head to toe, the family's delicious desserts seem to be everywhere, you're wondering what you are doing, doubting yourself... dreading your next workout.

Black days, we all have 'em – even the best of us, Winston Churchill and Franklin Rooselvelt and even Julius Caesar were prone to the blues.

But when you're building muscle, stripping fat, or just generally honing the physique of your dreams you don't get the luxury of wallowing!

So we've tapped into 10 brilliantly simple tools guaranteed to give all bodybuilders a boost which have been put together by psychologist Dr Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D. - he calls them the '10 Instant Emotional Fitness Tools', we call them a must for any bodybuilder starting to doubt themselves.

10 Instant Emotional Fitness Tools for bodybuilders

1.
Wash your hands and face and brush your teeth. It cools and cleans the parts of your body that you use most frequently, which is relaxing, and gives you that "fresh start" feeling you need when it's Leg Day and the squat bar is bending!

2. Put on clean socks and some shoes that you haven't worn in a few days. Shoes take a day or two to release any moisture they have absorbed, and this is a very easy way to put a little pep back into your step. If you're feeling flush treat yourself to a new pair of gym shoes.



3. Shave your legs! This is another instant refresher. Especially if you have sensitive skin or the weather is dry. Plus, when we know we are looking our best, we naturally feel better.

4. Go look at any bodybuilding trophy, training diploma, or any certificate of achievement that you have earned. And if it isn't framed and on the wall, frame it now. These are reminders of your accomplishments, and taking in your success is important to maintaining your self-esteem.

5. Remember your last (or greatest) success and think about it for a full minute. Taking in your success as often as possible will help you reach another and another. Quite simply, it reminds you that if you've done it before, you can do it again.

6. Know you are the person your loved ones think you are. And yes, that goes for your dog too! Knowing that you are unconditionally loved can't help but make you feel good about yourself. Bodybuilders so often beat themselvs up, Dr Goldsmith recommends pulling yourself up instead.

7. Wash your automobile, inside and out. Hey, when our wheels are shiny, we feel better! If you don't think this applies to you, just remember how you felt the last time you got a ride in a fabulous automobile.

8. Organize your closet and get rid of anything that no longer fits – either because you got bigger or you got leaner. Throwing out the old not only has a fabulous 'moving on' effect but knowing you've changed your physique so much can only bring a feeling of pride.

9. Cook a lovely, nutritious meal. Skip the protein shakes and the egg whites and scour the web for the sexiest nutritionally significant dinner you can find.
Even if you are by yourself, preparing a tasty dinner, setting the table, and treating yourself to a wonderful culinary experience will lift your spirits. (Sharing it with a bodybuilder you love and/or respect will make it even more nurturing of course!)

10. Look around you and into a mirror. Remember that you started with nothing, and know that everything you see, and the body in front of you, you created. We can all lose our feelings of self-worth, especially when something goes wrong in our world. The truth is that if you have done it before, you can do it again-no matter what.

None of these tasks has to be uncomfortable or take you much time. Finding ways to give yourself a little boost when you're not feeling like you're at the top of your game is a trick that truly happy people use on a regular basis.

When bodybuilders get the blues: 10 ways to build your emotional strength to power your way through your next workout When bodybuilders get the blues: 10 ways to build your emotional strength to power your way through your next workout When bodybuilders get the blues: 10 ways to build your emotional strength to power your way through your next workout When bodybuilders get the blues: 10 ways to build your emotional strength to power your way through your next workout When bodybuilders get the blues: 10 ways to build your emotional strength to power your way through your next workout When bodybuilders get the blues: 10 ways to build your emotional strength to power your way through your next workout



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