It's You vs You

I just saw an advertisement in a running magazine with that header, and it got me thinking. I do believe that in our daily lives, it is "you vs. you" - in a lot of ways. Unfortunately, most of my negative feedback comes from my own negative self-talk. For me, at least, I rarely encounter insults or criticism from others, but instead hear all kinds of put-downs in my own mind: "Don't wear that, it makes you look fat"; "Why are you eating AGAIN!"; "I have the worst thighs ever!!". I turn against myself - me vs. me.

From that perspective, I need to get back on my own side. Breaking the bad habit of a poor self image is difficult, but I can try to address it as it emerges by focusing on the aspects of my self that I like and giving myself positive feedback for my little successes. When a disparaging thought about myself arises, I can actively send that thought away and not spend time obsessing over it.

But "You vs. You" can take on another, more positive, connotation when it comes to competition. Whenever I go to a race, my girls ask me, "Mommy, are you going to win? Did you win today?" But of course, as a beginning runner in my mid-30s, I am never going in to a race with the intention of finishing first. I do have goals, but they all relate to beating my own times. If I fixate on the other, more experienced, faster and better runners, I could get discouraged and lose the motivation to run completely. Instead, I look up to them as examples of what can be achieved, admire their prowess, and scout out helpful hints for my own training. When I run, I run for myself, and am competing with myself to improve my performance - me vs. me.

Instead of looking outward, today I am going to focus on myself and the role that I have in promoting my own health and well-being: creating positive energy that be channeled into moving me beyond my comfort zone into a higher level of fitness.

Today's workout:
40 min. progression run (30 min easy/10 min 3% inc. w/ 2x speed interval)
30 min. ballet body class (interrupted by baby in child care)
60 min. yoga