CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE May/June Issue | Page 14

Mental Game for Dealing with the
lesley timbol
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
At the time of writing this article, many people are
practicing the 14 day self-isolation process, myself
included. Many businesses have closed to follow
provincial orders.
Online grocery shopping is
tricky because various items
are out of stock or have quantity
limits and delivery times are
booking 7-10 days in advance.
Gyms are closed. Gasp! Many
bodybuilders likely experienced
some level of anxiety at this
prospect alone, especially if
they were in prep for a show
they didn’t know whether or not
was going to happen.
Dealing with uncertainty is not
easy but there are things of
which we can be certain. One
of the most influential people
in sports as a mental skills guru
is the late Dr. Ken Ravizza. He
would use catchphrases, i.e.,
“Control the controllables” and
“Attitude is a decision”. These
are powerful statements that
need further explanation.
“Control the controllables”. No
question there is much beyond
our control with the limits CO-
VID-19 is putting on all; yet, let’s
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look at what we CAN control.
For example, I can control what
I eat given the food I have and
sticking to my routines. Is it
tempting to eat junk food, especially
if you can be an emotional
eater? Sure, but this is what
separates the bodybuilders
who will be ready to kill it at the
next show from the ones who
are not able to look their best.
Do you have the mental game
to compensate and adjust to
the changes going on around
you? Do you know how to learn
to be uncomfortable? Let’s take
the gyms closing as an example.
Now I’m fortunate to have a
bench and some dumbbells in
my basement and I am sticking
to my training and cardio routine
with some modifications.
Let’s say you have nothing at
home. Have you checked Kijiji,
EBay, or other online sites for
people selling used training
equipment? If this is not an option,
do you have 2 buckets (for
cleaning the floors, your car,
etc.)? Add some bags of protein
powder/books/whatever to
serve as weight into each bucket.
Voila! Now you have homemade
dumbbells. You can use
the broom handle as your bar
so you can do squats for example.
Use a chair to do push-ups,
triceps workout, step-ups, and so
on. If you have a child, depending
on their weight/age/your fitness
level, you can do good mornings
with your child on your back. Use
a paper plate on a smooth surface
to do single leg sliding adductor
lunges; use one plate per
hand to do some sliding ab exercises.
Be creative! If you are not
the creative type, go to YouTube
and search home workouts. Despite
appropriate modifications,
eating and training routines need
to be consistent. This is how to
compensate, adjust and keep
moving forward. Use what you
do have rather than focusing on
what you do not have.
“Attitude is a decision”. We have
a choice: give up or persevere.
Keep the process greater than
the outcome. Bodybuilders tend
to make everything about the
outcomes; their final prep and
stage presentation. In times like
these, it’s particularly important