In our increasingly stressful and chaotic lives we are often living at 100mph. We struggle to disconnect, to relax, to clear our minds. Our ability to focus on the moment is declining and our attention span is shortening. If we want to make the most of our workouts, we need to learn to find our focus and channel our energy into earning our results.
Disconnect
There have been countless occasions where I have been training, an email has come in and then all I can think about is the resulting work I need to do or the response I need to send. The rest of my workout is poor quality and my focus is lost. Now, I purposefully put my phone in airplane mode for the vast majority of my workouts and I avoid touching it between sets or exercises. If you’re trying to multitask, tweeting and training at the same time, neither activity will be done efficiently. Do your workout and smash it, right through to the end. No distractions.
Rise Early
On a similar note, try training first thing in the morning. Before the birds start chirping, before the streets get busy, and before your emails start building up. Don’t even check your inbox before you head to the gym. I know it’s tempting but leave it. By training before you start you day, you manage to avoid distractions and excuses.
Plan Ahead
I’ve seen so many people wander aimlessly around the gym and leave without breaking a sweat, myself included. Without a pre-planned workout you can easily fall into the trap of hopping between cardio machines while scrolling through your instagram feed, not pushing yourself or your body. Avoid this by writing down a basic plan before you work out, whether this is just some exercises to try or a full fledged training program, just make sure you have an idea of what you want to do.
Tune In
Everyone knows the power of an epic gym playlist. It can make a challenging session pass in seconds and give you the energy to push through even the toughest workout. Try putting together a specific exercise playlist which you can listen to every time you train. One which empowers you. Then plug it in, zone out from the outside world and focus on what you need to get done.
Find Space
Get up early in the morning. Get outside. Find a quiet place. Somewhere which makes you calm. Somewhere you can be alone with your thoughts and your goals. Train right there, with no distractions, no one around you. When I run in London, I love to do it super early in the morning. I’m talking 5am. When no one is on the road and the park is empty. I feel like I can breathe more deeply and empty my mind. It is just me, myself and I. I can focus on my performance without a single distraction.
Get In The Zone
Adidas have just released their Z.N.E hoodie. This means Zero Negative Energy. It is specifically designed to enable you to more easily get in the zone with its heavyweight fabric and funnel-shaped distraction-proof hood. Slip it on before your next session to ignore the chaos going on around you and find your focus.
So turn up, switch off your phone and get your workout done.
You’ve got this,
Zanna xx
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by the lovely lot over at Adidas.
