Don’t Hit The Wall – Conquer It!

So…you’re in the middle of a workout when things start to go sour; uncontrollable negative thoughts flood your mind, your legs start to feel an overwhelming sense of heaviness, you feel as though you’re losing control of your body, your movements become uncoordinated, and your entire body begins to ache. The desire to quit becomes overwhelming. You are experiencing Hitting the Wall Syndrome(HTWS).

So how do you cope with HTWS and blast through the wall?

The following proven strategies can help you overcome HTWS, seeing you bounce back and complete your workout.

What to do before your workout –

It’s vital that before you even begin a workout you must banish your pre-workout negative voice. This is the voice in your head that is setting you up for failure. If you think you’re going to hit the wall, then you are 3 times more like to smash into it! So positive thinking before a workout is a must!

How to recognize HTWS during your workout, and what to do about it –

Sign number 1: You’re a good way through your workout and you start to dwindle. Your mouth becomes dry; you feel weak and begin to lose your momentum. This is Sign Number 1 and is most likely due to mild dehydration.

Remedy: Simply sip some water or a sports drink to quench your thirst. We suggest choosing a natural option such as coconut water.

Sign number 2: Your mind starts to weigh you down, you lose confidence in your ability and even begin to convince yourself that you can’t do it! This is sign number 2 that we like to call ‘personal sabotage.’

Remedy: Pump up the volume! Play your favorite workout music and play it loud. The key is to distract your mind in any way possible – compose a mental ‘To-Do’ list (grocery lists are my favorite), count things that surround you, or drift off into a daydream (maybe of how amazing your body will look after your workout).

Furthermore, ensure your internal dialogue is positive, repeat a self-affirming positive statement in your mind over and over and over again – you know what they say “fake it until you make it”. Placing your focus elsewhere or in a state of positivity is the best way to combat your negative inner voice of pain.

Sign number 3: Your entire body begins to ache, your hamstrings pull as you’ve never felt before, your quads throb in agony and your calves burn red hot. This is sign number 3: your body screaming that it’s being pushed to the limit resulting in sore muscles.

Remedy: Slow your pace slightly, bring your workout down from 100% to 75%. Let your body recover slightly by pulling back and temporarily going into rest-mode. And whatever you do, don’t focus on the pain. As it will make it feel ten times worse than it already does.

All jokes aside — If you do feel any serious joint pain, extreme fatigue, chest pain, shortness of breath or severe dehydration, listen to your body, call it a day and take care of yourself so you can live to fight another wall, another day.

Lastly know this – Hitting The Wall Syndrome is only a temporary, beatable condition. Knowing this simple fact can be the exact motivation that sees you emerge from the shadow of the wall and gets you to your finish line.