In my last post, I talked about how exercise can be a sort of training ground for dealing with the challenges of medical treatment. Today I am sharing two tips from elite athletes (as described in Pushing Past the Pain) that can be useful to Healthy Survivors:
Become familiar with the track. Competitive cyclists rode faster the more familiar they became with a route, even when they believed they put out the same maximum effort for each ride. Similarly, Healthy Survivors may "perform" better if they know what to expect during or after treatment. This includes knowledge about everything from where to park the car at the clinic, to what to eat and when to rest. Familiarity with the challenges before you helps you pace yourself in healing ways.
Find ways to motivate yourself. Some elite athletes resist the urge to slow down by zoning out and dissociating themselves from the task. Others do the opposite: they focus on the task, mentally pushing themselves to increase their efforts (e.g. "Reach, Reach. Right foot. Left foot. Push. Push...). Healthy Survivors find a balance of (1) distraction/dissociation and (2) focus that helps them get through.
Although I believe that many people place too much emphasis on being optimistic (what some people call a "positive attitude"), I do agree with Tom Fleming, a marathoner, when he says: “The mentality was I will do whatever it takes to win,” he added. “I was totally willing to have the worst pain. I was totally willing to do whatever it takes to win the race.” On some level, Healthy Survivors choose to do whatever it takes to get well again.
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