Candice Keene: Back in Action: "The Rough is Only Mental"
Hey Everyone!
Wow! So yeah, it has been awhile since I made a blog. March was obviously an awesome month! I turned 30, placed 3rd in the Figure International, and also com
peted in the Bros vs Pros event in St Louis. Placing 3rd at the Arnold was my goal, so I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend!!! My next show is the Orlando Europa at the end of April, which is just shy of 3 weeks. It is right here in my backyard so I am pretty excited for all my friends and family to come and cheer me on.
The Bros vs Pros event in St Louis a few weeks back was pretty cool too! I was proud of myself with what I did. I knocked out 43 reps at 140lb for deadlifts, 29 reps at 70 lb for curls, and 7 pullups (which btw I suck at pull-ups! LOL ). But Rx Girl’s, Gail, took home first place so congrats again to you girl!! ;) It definitely was a blast. I gotta tell you though, the curls round wasn’t easy! I had to dig, I mean dig within myself to get what I got!!
When I think back to remember what exactly I was thinking to pull that ‘oomph’ from within, all I can recall was feeling intense focus and determination. I refused to give up! Lol And then it reminded me of an audio CD I like to listen to before a show when I am in my car. The author is Norman Vincent Piel, and talks about motivation, positivity, etc. He uses an analogy involving golf and hitting the ball out of an 'impossible' terrain....and did he do it? Of course he did...but with these helpful words (which btw, I use them quite often!), "The Rough is Only Mental." Now seriously, if this isn't the truest expression I don't know what is. His interpretation of this expression is as follows:
'It is only rough because you think it is. In your mind, you have decided that here is an obstacle which will be difficult. But to overcome this obstacle is also in your mind. If you visualize yourself and believing in yourself that you can do it, your mind can transform flexibility, rhythm and power to your muscles and you will handle that 'club' in such a manner that the ball will rise out of there with a beautiful shot."
So basically, all you need to do is focus and tell yourself (with conviction!) that you WILL and can do it. Banish self-doubt..drop it out of your unconscious completely. A little note to remember: your conscious mind feeds off your unconscious. It does not asks questions, it just does what is "told" to do. And your unconscious is conditioned by your repetitive thinking patterns. So if you are always thinking even the slightest thoughts of self-doubt, well guess what!?.. Yep..you guessed it!! Your body follows what your mind tells it to do. I also firmly believe this is correlated with dieting to achieve a specific end result. You have to keep those flowing thoughts on the up and up! Trust me, I know it's not always that simple..that is why I choose to listen to these types of audio while I drive. You will be surprised the impact it has on you!
Listening to motivational material like this is healthy for the mind. It brings us back to reality in an uplifting way, and recharges our intrinsic drive that tends to slip away from life's daily grinds. For me, it reinforces that fire in my eyes even stronger leading up to a show. We all know how overwhelming the few weeks prior to a show can be, in addition to low-carbing it and upping the physical intensity of everything. It can consume you and become mentally draining as well! Lol, with me though, it seems 
that I ALWAYS have crazy amounts of demands with school literally the weeks leading up to my shows. So naturally, I get a lil crazy lol. But I do..I tell myself, "Candice, the rough is only mental." It definitely rearranges my attitude and perspective on handling those obstacles. Another line I use from this audio is, "If you expect the best, you will get the best....and if expect the worst you will get the worst." And this all boils down to the art of Believing, along with changing your mental habits.
So guys, if you feel you are faced with any type of obstacle/s, just repeat those two expressions to yourself and become the dominator :-)
Until next time!!! Xoxo..CK
Candice Keene
IFBB Figure Pro www.facebook.com/candicekeene
www.speciesnutrition.com
Candice Keene can be contacted for appearances through : www.fmg-fitessmanagementgroup.com
"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it." ~ Lou Holtz
"We stop the waves, but we can learn to surf." ~ Jonathan Kabat-Zinn
"He can who thinks he can, and he can't who thinks he can't." ~ Orison Suett Marden
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