Yesterday was a tough day in terms of getting motivated to complete my training. On Thursday mornings I’m up at 4am to coach 3 classes at Orangetheroy Fitness and by the time 9am rolls around, I need a nap to get ready for the second part of the day! When I woke up from my nap, I wanted so badly to stay right where I was. Don’t we all have those moments? Getting motivated to complete my long run and easy bike ride reminded me of this mindset training tool I absolutely love. It’s called the Minimum Baseline. This tool was a key to becoming very consistent in my training.
A Minimum Baseline the least amount of anything that you are willing to do. We all have Minimum Baselines for certain areas of our lives. What is your minimum baseline for consecutive days without showering? Or minimum baseline for arriving late?
If there’s a new habit you want to create in your life or a refinement you want to make to be more committed, a Minimum Baseline is your answer.
Examples:
If you’re not currently swimming “enough” and want to swim more, decide on a Minimum Baseline to swim 2x per week for 5-10 minutes each.
If you want to foam roll more for injury prevention, decide on a Minimum Baseline to foam roll 1x per week for 5 minutes.
You might notice how easy these seem. That’s the point! It’s important to create the Minimum Baseline that way because it should be just as easy not to do it as it is to do it.
Why? Because it’s NOT about the results you will get from doing the thing. It’s about the commitment you make to yourself. And honoring that commitment over and over again.
As a mindset coach, my focus is on our thinking and not our actions. The idea is that you begin to think of yourself as a triathlete who swims regularly or foam rolls for injury prevention. Obviously, these use the examples above, but you could do this for anything: swim, bike, run, strength, recovery or any non-triathlon habit! Commit to the minimum. It’s better to do the minimum then none at all.
This practice is important patterning for our brains because our brains provide so much push back to our own discomfort and/or when we’re not working towards earning a grade, paycheck or gold star from someone else. We don’t know how to honor ourselves if we’re not being rewarded.
This is about the work you do when noone else is looking. Just because you said you would. This is about building integrity with yourself. Don’t let the brain talk you out of the Minimum Baseline.
If you committed to swimming 10 minutes, you get dressed, drive to the pool and swim for 10 minutes. That’s a win. The emphasis is switched from what fitness you will gain from swimming to what the consistent commitment will provide.
The goal: learn how to follow through and overcome the brain chatter.
Decide on a Minimum Baseline and then decide on the first step. If it’s the swimming example above then maybe the first step is putting on your swimsuit. Or if your Minimum Baseline is running 3x week for 5 minutes then maybe the first step is putting on your running shoes.
Then allow the brain chatter to arrive. You will likely experience thoughts like “this doesn’t even matter” “this isn’t worth it” “I don’t want to go”
But this is the crucial point where you honor your commitment just because you said you would. Overcome the brain chatter and go anyway.
When you’re nailing your Minimum Baseline consistently, that’s when you can increase it. If you’re not following through on it then you must change your Minimum Baseline. It won’t work unless it’s overly achievable and you actually follow through.
It’s a beautiful thing when you say you’re going to do something and then you stay in integrity with yourself.
Remember, don’t do it for the results, do it for the commitment. Celebrate yourself when you follow through. Watch your brain fall in line with your new habit. Increase and transform from there.
INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO HAVE A PERFORMANCE MINDSET?
