June Jumpstart: Let’s Recommit to Our Fitness

Guest post by Jennifer Turner

Greetings fellow fitness fans!

It is June, we are half way through the year and that means it’s time for a mid-year goal check-in.

So how are those New Year’s resolutions going?

Hmmm….

For me there are some I’ve nailed and some I’ve gotten a big ole D on.

I will share with you one fitness goal as it may have some value to you as you think about your

goals for the second half of 2015.

Goal #1:

Compete in at least 1 Masters track meet for the

400 and 800 meter distances.

Ok. So the pathway to this goal took a slight detour, let’s just say we took the scenic route vs.

a straight shot down the turnpike.

The reason for the detour is that I developed an injury very early on in my training.

The pain was acute when it happened (my whole left side locked up while sprinting, glute, hamstring

lower back, all of it locked) but the injury was caused by a bunch of chronic issues bubbling along

for many years.

I’ve been doing distance (marathons and triathlons) for the last 15 years and although in good shape,

there were some things about how I run and how I strength train that really needed to be addressed

as I transitioned to sprinting.

Sprinting is all about power, and efficiency to maximize power.

Part of being efficient is having all the muscles firing (especially the glutes) and really having mobility

in the hips, so you can get those knees up, get the heel under that booty and get that thing to work

for you.

Your booty is not just for looking good in jeggings!

On the other side of it you need your medial glute (basically the middle part of your booty over the hip/

femur joint) strong to keep your hips and knees from rotating in.

This would take away from your power, shorten your muscles, and cause injury.

Which is exactly what happened to me!

But rather than cry over spilled milk and a box of doughnut hole Munchkins (I used to eat the chocolate

honey glazed…hmm so good!!! those were the days…) I focused on getting healthy, re-building from the

base up, with the promise to myself I would become the strongest I’ve ever been.

After being initially misdiagnosed, I finally found a physical therapist who is really helping me address

the scar tissue in my left hamstring and my broken booty as well as giving me the strength training

exercises I need to prevent this from happening again, which are also the same exercises that will make

me a better sprinter.

Injury blows.

It can really kill someone’s fitness spirit when they have fitness and performance goals.

The mind is saying “YES! Let’s CRUSH!!!” but the body is saying “Sit yo’ ass DOWN…at least

for today!”

What kept me in good spirits, moving forward, and not falling into a box of Munchkins

were three things:

1) Passion 2) Vision and 3) Belief

1) Passion

I LOVE running! I mean I really, really dig it.

I love the process, the sweating, the freedom I feel…I truly feel free and at my highest self when

I’m running.

I literally feel like I could find the solution for world peace, cure incurable diseases, and most

importantly figure out how to train my dog Max after 9 years, how to jump on the couch all by

himself (still a giant head scratcher…).

I love running and I wasn’t going to let some busted booty, back, hamstring injury keep me

from doing it.

So I immediately moved from the problem to: “What’s the solution?”

2) Vision

I have a vision of myself as a sprinter.

I see it.

I can even imagine what it will feel like doing it once I’m healthy.

Part of why I see it is I made an effort to look at the people who do what I want to do so I could

model myself after them.

I went to the Millrose Games and saw some of the best sprinters in the world, and was like,

“Now that’s MAD COOL”.

I then went online and looked at videos of Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards Ross to see the

best in action.

Now, at 41, these amazing women and I will never be on a track together BUT the reason for my

“research” was to see the best, visualize what they do, internalize it, and translate it into what it

could mean for me.

The POSSBILITY! Which leads to…

3) Belief

You need to believe in what is possible.

Without vision and belief in that vision, I don’t care what is –fitness, work, life in general- if you

do not believe you will not be able to get to where you’re trying to get to.

So what does my broken booty, busted hamstring and funky lower back story mean for you?

As we roll into the second half of the year, think about your fitness (and to a certain extent, life goals).

Think about your life vision and where you want to be by the end of this year, by the end of next year,

10 years from now.

Then look at your goals to see if they align with that vision.

If not re-assess them.

Remember these are your goals.

You have every right to adjust them, in fact the process of doing so actively engages you in making

those goals a reality.

Just putting stuff on a piece of paper and then shoving it in your sock drawer doesn’t really do

you any good.

The goal may change or, as in my case, the how to get there changed due to injury, but I’m still going

there, making adjustments along the way.

Evaluate where you want to get to and also how you want to get there.

Fitness goals (like any other goals) need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable,

Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound.

This is an overall framework for creating actionable goals.

Additionally, with fitness, I believe we also need to be aware of the emotional components

of the journey.

Whatever fitness goal you are trying to achieve, you need to love the journey, you need to

love the process of getting there, you need to really dig your workouts and feel great during

them and also a sense of accomplishment when they are done.

For the second-half of the year, think about your health vision, think about your goals, and

then match that to classes, activities, things that will help you get to your goal and closer to

realizing your vision.

It’s summer time and the living is easy!

The most important element in helping you to achieve your vision is:

CONSISTENCY.

I don’t care what you’re doing, but whatever it is, you need to be consistent.

And what helps us to be consistent doing things?

HAPPINESS.

We do the things we love to do and bag the things we don’t.

So let’s get excited by the second half of 2015!

This summer, let’s hold our fitness visions dear, and collectively travel on the road to achieving

our goals supporting that vision in a vehicle of happiness, joy, and empowerment.

Go forth and be MAD COOL!

Jennifer Turner

Founder, MAD COOL FITNESS

What are your fitness visions and goals for this year?

Are you successfully sticking to your goals?

How are you doing so far?

Share your thoughts and comments with us.

“Shared at the FitDish Link Up”

“Shared at Fitness Friday”