Go Legs Go

Cheering myself on to the end!

It’s hot. I mean—hard-to-breathe, skin-sizzling, eyeball-burning hot. So why in the world would I choose to go for a trail run one morning? In this heat?

Glutton for punishment? Maybe. But sweat and run, I did.

As I approached the last mile, I was petering out. The tank was running low, but I needed to finish strong—and, more importantly, I needed to finish quickly. It was getting too hot, and the quicker I finished, the quicker I’d be sitting in my air-conditioned car.

My inner cheerleader came out.

I started cheering myself on and challenging myself to get to “that bush” or “the big rock on the left.” Before I knew it, I was saying—out loud—“You’ve got this!” “Come on! Keep going!” “Go, legs, go!” and “You are strong!”

And it worked.

I pushed myself all the way to the end without stopping.

After 30 years of teaching fitness classes—and as a former cheerleader—I’m comfortable with the lingo and cheering myself on. Fortunately, no one was around to hear me, but honestly, it wouldn’t have stopped me!

There is power in self-promotion. Self-encouragement. Sometimes, you can make yourself feel like a freaking rock star!

Cheerleaders make winning teams.

Case in point: The high school my daughter attended had a football team without cheerleaders. That’s like a peanut butter sandwich without the jelly! Needless to say, they did not have a winning football team.

We all need a little rah-rah. A little, “You’ve got this!”

Sometimes, we need to be our own biggest cheerleader.

Because there will be days when the tank is running low. Days when the finish line feels far away. Days when all you can do is focus on the next bush, the next big rock, or simply putting one foot in front of the other.

And when those days come, don’t be afraid to cheer yourself on.

Come on! Keep going!

You’ve got this. Go, legs, go!