Hello runner friends!
Welcome back to the Bass Pro Fitness Series
MIDWEEK M😊TIVATI😊N blog!
Now let's get started by talking about gifts! With Christmas just around the corner, this is the subject of many conversations right now. And while Christmas is the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, it's also a day when we get to watch the people we love unwrap the things we spent time, thought, and money on getting them.
Speaking of gifts, did you get yourself "something real nice" this year? If you didn't, I have a suggestion for you... how about giving yourself a perspective shift? Which, by one definition, is taking the way you think about a topic, setting it aside for a moment, and then adopting another way to think about the very same topic. And while many people use this change in attitude as a way to solve problems or to eliminate seeing them as such, this is the most wonderful time of the year to use it for restored gratitude and appreciation for the ability to move, however fast or slow that might be.
By now you're probably wondering where I'm going with this topic or even what sparked the idea. Well... we had a little 3.1 mile run down here in Pulaski County last Saturday we called the first annual Cousin Eddie Christmas Vacation 5k. With the help of a generous sponsor, our Frog Fitness Group (we partner with OMRR to host Bass Pro training runs as well) hosted this run for free and invited everyone! We encouraged the runners and walkers to dress up like our favorite holiday relative and then enjoy cookies and eggnog after crossing the finish line. To say everyone (both young and hold) had a great time is an understatement! The winner even took home their very own camper hose to clean out the... well you know. We also took donations for a local charity. How's that for helping out while having fun??
But the best part was reading what my friend Ginger Harne (pictured above on the left) posted the next day on Facebook. I had to fight back a few tears as I read her words:
Yesterday I walked a 5k with a friend while other friends ran it. I enjoyed the walk, but on the drive home I found myself wishing that I could have run it, too. Later in the day a FB memory popped up from 6 years ago when I was extremely sick with Alpha Gal, RMSF, and Lyme disease. I had mobility issues and was constantly in pain. In fact, at the end of December 6 years ago I took a leave of absence from teaching because of my health. Gratitude filled my heart that I had spent the morning walking a 5k with a friend and I did it pain-free. #perspectiveshift
Do you just love that or what??? Talk about a perspective shift! I commented by saying, "Love this so much!!!!! Soooooo much!!!! It was so good to see you out there with a smile on your face. In 2019 I was injured for most of the year and confined to cross training inside on machines. It sure gave me a new appreciation for the gift of movement and being outside where God’s presence can be felt the best. Thank you for sharing this." Another one of her friends said, "I know the feeling after going through chemo, radiation, etc. So grateful for the blessing of a strong body…and being reminded that getting older is a blessing." See the perspective shifts in both of these comments??? Injury and illness, when viewed through an optimistic lens, gives us the gift of a perspective shift. I'm so happy for Ginger!! She no doubt encouraged herself by this change in the way she viewed the situation, and encouraged others as well.
So in an attempt to help you give yourself a perspective shift this Christmas, here are three ways you can look at situations, problems, or setbacks when you are powerless to change them and turn them into situations that will make you smile. This will help you keep that Christmas joy all year long!!
1. Be thankful for what you CAN do rather than what you CAN'T.
So I have several friends on the injured list as of this moment, including my Sweet Larry (my husband pictured above wearing an air soft boot). He's out for six weeks for Achilles Tendinitis but he was grateful that he could man the turnaround point and cheer on the runners.
Sometimes you'll have to look for things you can do if they're not obvious at first. For instance, when I was on the injured list in 2014 with Peroneal Tendinitis, I was thankful that a friend introduced me to aqua running. It was something that I could do! And it turned out the time was for my good! I came out with a stronger core, a lot of knowledge, a grittier mind, and a determination to finish the 2014 Boston Marathon. The pool allowed me to continue training without losing my endurance. This is something I now teach. Which brings me to number 2....
2. Find at least one thing to be thankful for.
There is always something to be thankful for. But sometimes we have to dig really deep to find those things. For instance, when I first got into the pool, my mind was focused on how unfair it was that I had to be inside treading water with absolutely no impact while my friends were out having fun and pounding the pavement. This was a hard time since movement is a form of medicine for me in battling depression. Knowing that I had to find joy if I didn't want to drown in despair (yes, that was a pun), I started counting my blessings before I even hit the pool. On the way, I would speak out loud the things that I'm blessed with. I'd say, "Today I'm thankful for the car I have to drive to the pool. I'm thankful that I'm a stay-at-home Mom with the time to do this while the kids are in school. I'm thankful that I only have to do this for six weeks. I'm thankful that there are windows at the pool where I can look outside. I'm thankful for uplifting music and podcasts that I can use to occupy my mind while going around and around (I did 2 hour sessions daily and then moved it up to 3-4 hour ones as Boston loomed closer)."
And this is the great part! When I chose to look for things to be thankful for, I was never at a loss to find them! This was a great perspective shift that I now practice every day! And that leads us to number 3...
3. Think “I Get To” Instead of “I Have To”
I didn't HAVE to use the pool. I GOT to use the pool! I didn't have to go to Boston. I got to go to Boston. I could have easily thrown in the towel and waited out the six weeks, all the while crying, complaining and lamenting about how unfair life was (see how poisonous that attitude is?). No one would have faulted me with that decision. But that's not what athletes do (and you are one if you make the decision each and every day to be better, remembering that your only competition is the person you were yesterday)!. Athletes look for ways to make it to the finish line when life throws a roadblock in their way. They view stop signs as stepping stones. They shift their perspective!
So there you have it friends. See why shift perspectives are such an amazing gift? Especially during this time of year when things can get hectic or stressful? Always choose the perspective that sees the glass as half full rather than half empty and you'll find that your circumstances may not change (after all, nobody said life was fair), but your attitude will... and that will make all the difference.
Merry Christmas and Happy Running!
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