Fit In That Dress: Exercising Is All Mental

By Tanya Sotillo

Many of my friends ask me how I can stay so commited to exercising .  As a competitive athlete my friends understood the focus, however, why am I still going hard?  My answer is….because I LOVE THE PAIN!!  It sounds crazy but the truth is I realized a long time ago that exercise is 95% mental and nothing can compare to the sense of accomplishment when you work hard.  For those who know me I am a very competitive person.  However, I primarily compete with myself, that negative voice that pops up and wants to tell me I can’t do something.  Team that up with the side of me that says if they can do it then so can I.  It’s that competitive spirit that makes me push through the pain and fight that inner battle of mind over body.  I realized back then there is no easy path to greatness and that includes staying healthy.  Now 35 years old and no longer a competitive runner it is all the more hard to push myself to be better, to keep trying.  Although, when you feel yourself wanting to back off, when the pain sets in, when things get rough, tell that voice inside to shut up!  Then you just have to push through it.  Every little gain counts.  No one said it would be easy…But it will be worth it!

Need a little more encouragement?  Meet 75-year-old body builder Ernestine Shepherd…….If she can do it so can you!!