ThoughtBox

International Women’s Day celebrating a 91 year-young woman rowing championšŸ”„

Hey friends~

Celebrating you ā¤ļø as we head toward International Womenā€™s Day on March 8th.

I’m especially celebrating a hero, 91-year-young Alida Kingswood. I hope she’s basking in the glow of a fantastic finish in the recent International Indoor Rowing Championship. She finished this race with a great time, and huge applause at the end.

Start around the 52:00 minute mark to about 60 min to see Alida (and scroll through to see other over 50s women)Ā  in this 2000 meter race.

Alida Kingswood 1200x900 1
Alida, a 91-year-young athlete!

What motivates a 91-year-old woman to compete in a grueling rowing race?

I’ve had lots of conversations with clients about motivation over the years. Some have said that they feel that they lack motivation, as though it’s an elusive thing we either have or don’t. Motivation is the byproduct of doing a thing, and being willing to work through challenges.

Being willing to embrace physical and mental stress/discomfort means finding a Goldilocks balance of not too easy and not too stressful … which leads to motivation.

Alida, and all of the other competitors in this event have trained with an effective balance of discomfort (different for each individual) to bring out their best performance.

Any competitive event takes guts, and pushes every athlete out of their comfort zone, from amateurs to professional athletes, from training through every competitive event.

 

motivation and training graph
Balance. This graph is applied to dieting but it works for any endeavor of self-improvement and training, physical or mental.

 

Motivation is the drive that initiates, directs, and sustains behavior towards achieving a goal.

Years ago joining a gym seemed like a good idea, but with no particular goal, no commitment to change or to get better at anything, I hired a trainer saying I wanted to “maintain”. I was NOT motivated in the gym, so needless to say, that stint was short.

Running outdoors was enjoyable, so training led to better times, and more motivation, which led to racing. I was a better cyclist than runner, so strong support from my pro cycling son, and a great team boosted motivation to train, race, and to participate in centuries (100 mile cycling events). Recent success in powerlifting and strength training (and gaining knowledge for you) is a result of encouragement by my coaching colleagues. My rowing, and hitting personal records is motivated by friends, colleagues, and goals. Each of these activities provides enjoyment, involves goals, and includes a support system – motivation grows as a result of these factors.

Motivation happens when you start a challenging activity – maybe something you already like, something you would like to try, or something you want to get better at.

Whatever you do to get strong and healthy is a choice – activities that are fun, sustainable, goal oriented, and just the right amount of challenging for you to do your best (remember that adaptation means that the challenge will continually change), which will lead to motivation.

Take advantage of a support system, friends, family, and find a coach you trust, who really gets you.

You deserve it.

Find your fire – even if it’s a slow burn, start fanning the flame right now. Then celebrate in that beautiful glow.

Onward!

šŸ”„

Polli

 

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