Remember back to my post Monday morning? Those lamentations of not feeling like myself? Well, here we are on Thursday afternoon and things have not really changed. I have been in funky town all this week. And not the groovy “won’t you take me to Funky Tooown!” funky town of my disco-dancing mother either. The I’m-in-a-funk-please-get-me-out funky town. Frankly, I have had enough!

I needed a little bitch slap out of my Negative Nancy attitude and I knew this post topic would do just the trick. A reality check to help snap me out of the funk and back to the real Tina. If I want to feel like myself again, I need to look at what that means and do something about it. Time to put up or shut up, folks!

In order to get back to feeling like myself, I need to know what the even means. What makes me my “best self”? Well, here goes nothing!

I Have Faith: Well ain’t this little exercise already an eye opener. Guess who has slacked on the prayer time this week? *raises hand* Note to self: Whine a little less. Pray a little more. I even picked up a new Bible study book today at the library to help out!

I Treat My Body With Respect: Typically this means working out regularly and being careful about the foods I choose to eat. Well, with a killer headache this entire week I have managed one workout and threw up following it. My appetite has ranged from wanting no food to craving hefty chicken salad sandwiches. Very different from the norm and it made me feel unlike myself. But now, after thinking about it, I’m still like myself because I’m giving my body the rest it asks for and honoring my cravings. I’m still choosing to respect my body, albeit it in a different manner. That’s still being myself. Huh. What do you know?

I Enjoy Loving Others: With not physically feeling my best, I haven’t had as much energy as I like for playing with Makenzie & Braedon, talking to friends & family, or reading blogs and supporting you all. Who am I?!?! I think this is the biggest way I feel out of sorts. So, my sister is coming over for dinner tonight. Peter and I had an impromptu picnic lunch date with the kids today. I got to chat with a good friend. I’m feeling reconnected already! And it really does help me feel more like me.

I Have Passion and Work Hard At It: I must admit I feel pretty good about the commitment I have given to my blog writing recently and studying for personal training. But it’s also okay to take a little mental break. This exercise helped me realize I have been feeling a little guilty this week for not studying as much. I will let that go riiiigggghhhhtttt….NOW! Gone! 🙂

Acting Humble & Grateful: It’s funny how when I don’t focus so much on “me, me, me” and what I do and what I have, things feel more right with the world. The whole negative mindset of “poor pitiful me” leaves me sinking further and further into a black hole because appreciating life is something I feel so strongly about. Um. Wow. Feeling down and out only makes me feel less and less like myself so I feel even more down and out. What a vicious self-fulfilling prophecy!

photo here only because I stumbled across it somewhere and busted out laughing

Sooooo….this whole “my best self” idea has given me more of a reality check than I bargained for. Good thing I suppose. I feel a tina bit more like myself already. Ha! Sign I’m feeling better = lame-o puns. Anyone else in need of a good slap back to reality? Apparently I do a pretty decent job.

• What is something that makes you your best self?
• How do you snap yourself out of a funk?

I have two important hellos to give out today – one to FRIDAY! So nice to see you again! And another to all the new faces I have seen around here. Make yourself at home and thanks for stopping by. For all you “old faces” – I love love love love love you too! You will find it either heart-warming or get-a-grip-girl-ridiculous when I tell you that I got all watery eyed yesterday thinking how blessed I am to blog and have you all in my life to make it happen. I’m a softy. Sue me. 😉

I could go on and on about my adoration of each of you, but I have something to get off my chest. I know you all think I eat, live, and breathe working out. Well, I do. Howeeeverrr, I certainly have my days where I do not feel like it either. Days where the motivation somehow failed to come along for the ride. I faced that scenario yesterday afternoon!

I couldn’t head to the gym in the morning because Makenzie has contracted some sort of random rash this week. It has improved immensely since its random outbreak on Tuesday, but I always play it safe when exposing my kids to other children. No gym child care for her today! Which meant afternoon workout for me. Ewwww.

I have no trouble pumping myself up for a workout in the morning. I’m fresh and ready to go! In the afternoon, I just want to spread out on the floor like roadkill and allow the two children to use me as a jungle gym (Makenzie) or teething toy (Mr. B). I knew if I skipped out, though, I would regret it since it would have come from pure laziness. I bucked up and dragged my booty to the gym.

The workout felt good, but I don’t want to lie and tell you I breezed through. Oh no. I spent the majority of that workout playing the little mental games I turn to when I have to power through. I have quite a few because, like many others, sometimes I have to distract myself. And boy do I have a  variety of ways to do that.

The Mind-Games Tina Plays During Blah-Don’t-Want-To-Do-This Workouts

Goooooaaaaaaaalllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!: Okay, maybe I’m still stuck in earlier this week with the Women’s World Cup. Anyways – I remember my goals. On runs, I picture myself crossing that finish line for my upcoming half marathon. I picture myself becoming a personal trainer and wanting to have the pizazz to motivate others, including myself. I picture myself lugging kids around without my arms killing me. I picture feeling confident in my bathing suit. Don’t you tell me that doesn’t motivate you a bit too!

“Can’t Touch This”: I cannot believe I am about to admit this. When I need a little pump up in my workout attitude, I will tell my workout it can’t get the best of me. How? By singing MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This” in my head over and over and over again. Whilst also picturing a scene like one of my favorite flash mob videos I have ever seen breaking out at my gym. Ohhh ohhhh! Ohhhh ohhh! Can’t Touch This! Not. Even. Joking.

Break It Down: I will break my workout into smaller chunks. Instead of thinking “I have six exercises to get through” I will focus on the first two. Kind of like with running and the whole “take it one mile at a time” approach. Focusing on one part over the whole helps it feel more manageable when I don’t have high levels of gung-ho-ed-ness. It’s a word.

The Final Countdown: In a similar vein, if I count my reps down in my head it makes me feel better. I guess I like hearing the number get smaller and smaller. Just…two…more…jump squats…

….because, heck no do I always look so peppy in a round of those suckers! 

The Blog: I know you all would never feel disappointed in me…but at the same time, knowing I share workouts with you fabulous folk can give me a swift kick in the pants. Besides…its more fun for me to write and for you to read about pushing through a workout and envisioning Hammer Time flash mobs than me saying “oh, I didn’t feel like working out today”. I thought so.

Jesus: Yes, I go there. If that man can go through what he did for me, then pretty sure I can handle that last set of push-ups. Plus, a healthy body is a blessing and I don’t want to take it for granted.

“Fooooooood”: Visions of sugar plums may not dance through my head, but visions of oatmeal sure do! Even though I eat a snack before most of my workouts, I can never fail to distract my thoughts with food. Maybe that’s another reason I don’t enjoy working out in the afternoon. Oats and smoothies are more fun to think about than leftover pasta salad, no matter how delicious it may be.

Watch Out, Girl! I must admit that I also stoop to the level of picking some poor soul in the gym to “compete” against. I choose someone busting butt and refuse to let that person one-up me. Not the best side of me, but at least it gets the job done!

Your turn! What are your favorite mental games for during tougher workouts?