You Won’t Be Mad About It!

“You’re not going to be mad that you spent time at the gym!”

I always say this to people who start training in martial arts.  With the growing popularity of the UFC and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, many people are getting into martial arts later in life.  Later when they have responsibilities like full time jobs, kids, marriages, houses, family commitments, etc.  It’s very easy to use these things as excuses to not train.  I’ve been over this idea before (I’ll repeat it many times) but, even if you can only train once a week, in a year, that’s 52 training sessions.  We shouldn’t let a lack of the ideal prevent us from moving forward with what is available to us.

I’m reminding myself of these things every week.  Particularly on Mondays!  Monday is like my Thursday or Friday at work.  It’s my 4th or 5th day depending on that week’s schedule.  By the time Monday comes around, I’m over it.  I’ve been getting up early each of the previous days to get in workouts, reading , and writing.  I work every weekend which gets old sometimes.  Plus, the boredom of being a security guard is starting to kick in hard by the 5th day.  I just want to leave work, go home, cook, and relax with my wife.  But Monday Evenings is the specific day/time, a specific coach, teaches a specific class (Boxing) at my gym.  I really want to learn boxing from this coach.  So all day Monday I’m having to pull my mind out of the gutter.  I’m tired.  I’m bored.  I get more tired because I’m so bored.  All I can think about is leaving work, going home, and relaxing.  But this is where I have to practice mental martial arts.  

First off, I have to reflect that I have never regretted going to the gym to train.  While I’m walking around on patrol I’ll say to myself, “Travis, you’re not going to get to the end of class tonight and be like, ‘Damn!  That was a waste of my time!’ ”  There are coaches that will waste your time but not at this gym. 

Secondly, I have to be aware of what I’m feeling in my body.  Am I physically tired from laboring hard in the sun for the previous 4-5 days?  No.  And truth be told, many of the people I go to the gym with have physically intensive jobs like roofing, plumbing, and carpentry.  Being bored makes me mentally tired but, I know from experience that once I get to the gym and get moving, my energy will surge.  My mind is tricking me in the moment.  I have to remember that it’s my mind creating the feeling of fatigue, but it’s not real fatigue.

Finally, I always try to think about how I will feel knowing I put in another quality session and I got a little bit better at something I truly enjoy doing.  Again, I’m not going to be upset with that.  I only do this once a week and it’s only about 90 minutes of total training.  I can feel myself gradually improving in my shadow boxing, my foot work, and my head movement.  I’m getting better and I need to trust the process.   

I get off work at 5 pm on Mondays.  For the last 8-9 weeks, from 9am to 4pm, I have been having this sparring session with myself in my head:  

• “I’m Tired!”  
• “I’m just taking off this one week.”  
• “Man, I just don’t feel like it today!”  

The whole day I try to counter these thoughts first by being grateful that I’ve got an easy job that allows me space to even have this discussion with myself.  Then I think, “Dude, you’re not going to be mad you went to the gym.  You know this is just your mind playing a trick on you and you know you’re getting better!  Just go! You’ll feel it when you get there and start moving!”

When 4pm comes, I find myself throwing a few punches while at work, building my anticipation of getting to class.  I’m telling myself to clock out, change clothes, and get my butt over there!  By 5:20pm I’m filling my water bottle before I wrap my hands and start warming up.

This has been the last 8-9 weeks since I started attending Monday night boxing class.  This battle has gotten easier with each successive week.  I still feel ‘tired’ but now I know that I’m in good physical shape for the workout.  Yet another reason to overcome the friction and get to the gym.

This is the battle of creation and becoming something.  This is the battle of change.  In different doses I experience this same friction when I get ready to sit down and write in the morning, when I get ready to cook a meal, when I get ready to do a workout at home, hell, even the conscious act of expressing gratitude is fraught with friction sometimes.  It’s so much easier to complain but are we really going to be mad that we spent some time expressing gratitude and thankfulness for the many good things we have in life?

I don’t think so!

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