FitView: Mental Fitness Let It GO!
By Efren Martinez
Like many of you, I too enjoyed watching the Olympics last month. It was beyond exciting for me as I was reminded of just what the human body can accomplish. The one thing that stood out the most for me of the Olympics was Simone Biles’ courage to recognize the pressures of having to do so well while the world watched. She is an Olympian as well as being recognized as “The Goat,” The Greatest of all time. I can’t even begin to imagine how heavy that kind of pressure is to not only have but to have while the world watched her compete. Regardless if you are an Olympian or a local high school sports hero the weight can be similarly hard on you. As a pretty fast runner and Tri-athlete, I’ve always done pretty well in my races. Mostly because of the pressure to always do well. It’s what most expected of me so I pushed myself at times beyond measure to fulfil that title and what others thought of me.
As I’ve aged I also have become wiser. It took some seasoning but right before the pandemic hit while we were all still racing I just learned to let it go. I mean it doesn’t really matter what people think and how well I do. Honestly, after a race, it is exciting to share on Facebook just how well you did but by the following day, it’s yesterday’s news. It’s just not as important as it may have been right after you crossed the finish line.
This FitView is dedicated to all those Athletes who have and will struggle with the weight of their peers and community on their backs to always be the greatest or at least one of the greatest in their local competitions/sports. My friends, I say let it go! The only person you have to really impress and most important make happy is yourself. Let it go! Know this, your true friends will love and respect you no matter how fast or good or heavy or slim you are. To the parents who have students starting up Football this Fall please remember that the pressures on your kids to be the best can have serious consequences on their mental health. They’ve already gone through so much during this pandemic the thought of them having to pick up right where they left off on the sporting field can be very heavy. My advice is to continuously remind your student-athletes that you will always be proud of them at anything they do as long as they do their best. This unconditional reminder of love just doesn’t work on the field but in life in general. Cheers to your health. Follow me at www.facebook.com/QuakeFitness & www.facebook.com/quakedj
