I never used to think of myself as athletic. Yes I was always active, dancing up to 20 hours a week at one point in my life, but athletic – forget it. I despised playing sports, was always picked last for teams in gym class and just the other day DC tried to throw me a set of keys from two feet away and I missed the catch…to which he responded “I don’t get how you are athletic and missed that?!”
After laughing at myself and reminding him that under no circumstances should he ever throw anything and expect me to catch it, I began to think about the concept of being “athletic.” Initially my mind went to the likes of professional athletes, competitive weightlifters and my friends I knew on recreational sports teams, but what about the rest of us? The thrice weekly gym-goers, avid spinners, yogis and moms who workout at home?
What makes some people athletic versus the rest? Well I believe it all comes down to mindset.
According to Webster’s Dictionary, an athlete is “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.”
When I think of my abilities as a spinning instructor, I fit under every part of this definition. Maybe I’m not the fastest runner and definitely unskilled in almost every sport, but spinning…hey, I am an athlete.
I took this mentality with me to the gym and a funny thing happened. I crushed my workouts. I pushed a little harder, moved a little faster and sweat a whole lot more. When the going got tough and I felt like I just couldn’t push through one more set, all I had to repeat to myself was “you are an athlete” and just got it done.
Recently I was lucky enough to hit up the gym with my newfound athletic attitude in Reebok’s new Speed TR 2.0 shoe and activewear line. The shoe is designed for all types of movement making it perfect for cross-training. Especially for someone like me who loves taking a variety of group classes like boxing or dance.
This look perfectly aligned with my new mantra as it is about always training. Unlike professional athletes, I am not training for anything specific or working towards a deadline or an end goal. I am just always training, for me, my health, my sanity – whatever I decide I am training for in that moment.
You see the thing is, there is no secret to finding your inner athlete. Whether you are a new mom back at the gym for the first time in months, a high school student hoping to get on a team or a young professional with 30 minutes to spare at lunch, if you approach your training with this attitude, you will workout like an athlete.
Thank you Reebok for helping me channel my inner athlete.
Wearing:
Tights – Reebok Women’s Lux Tights
Shoes – Speed TR 2.0
Bra – Hero Strappy Bra
Top – Activchill Tank
*Photos by Arthur Mola*