Ignore Negativity! By Jennifer Austin

It’s sure to happen. Resistance and negativity on the way to your fitness goal, that is. You’ll simply share your fitness goal only to be told you can’t do it, don’t have the time, know-how or fitness ability. Instead of allowing negativity to sabotage your workout efforts, use the emotion to power-up your motivation to reach your goal against all odds.

What makes a great athlete? They have the well-trained ability to ignore nay-sayers, negators and unsupporters and maintain focus to achieve their athletic and fitness dreams. Having the ability to not engage, debate or defend yourself with those who are not supportive takes practice. Great athletes have the courage to continue moving against the grain when others question what they are doing and why they are doing it in the first place, and what are they trying to prove anyway. Staying focused on your fitness goal can be tough. Here’s how to do it when you encounter opposition:

Say nothing. Sometimes no words are a better choice. Why fill the silence with sarcasm or a joke.

Keep it general. When your friend asks about your fitness goals, keep the details to a minimum.

Don’t quantify.  Resist the temptation of offering specific details about sets, reps, timing or training cycles.

Keep questions simple. If your friend wants to talk about details, they will ask about details.

Don’t take it personally. Remember their negativity is not about you, your dreams or athletic endeavors.