If you ask any professional athlete, they will tell you how important mental sharpness is to being competitive. Consistent workouts, year after year are the key to reaching your competitive goals. Staying mentally fresh is the key to consistent workouts. Following some of these simple tips will help you to reach your goals with a smile on your face.

1.Remember why you are training.

It can be easy to forget why you are working out in the first place, we all have our reasons why. Whether you are training for the sense of accomplishment, your health, or because you love to compete, getting out the door is a choice we have to make. Of course, there will be those days where training is the last thing you want to do, but think about how you would feel if you didn’t?

2.Don’t put all of your eggs into one basket.

Sacrifices need to be made to reach our goals, but making too many sacrifices is a quick way to get burnt out. The best pros indulge once in a while. Enjoy the occasional drink, dessert, and don’t be afraid to skip a workout when life throws other opportunities your way.

3.Don’t set too many alarms.

Often times the best time to fit in a workout is the morning before work, however dreading the sound of that early alarm and the run, ride, swim, gym session that soon follows is an easy way to burn out on training. Consistent training is important, but enjoying what you are doing is more important, and so is sleep. Try going to bed earlier, or training after work a few times a week to give the alarm a break.

4.Make it social.

Between work, family, training, and getting enough sleep, it can be hard to find time to have a social life. Training with friends, or finding a training group is a great way to maintain relationships with friends, and meet new friends. Having people to keep you accountable to do your workouts and push to work harder doesn’t hurt either.

5.Recognize when you’re pushing too hard.

Pushing through the days where you aren’t motivated to get out and train in order to reach your goal is one thing, but when day after day you find yourself unmotivated and beginning to question if the training is worth it, it might be time to take a step back. Stay in touch with how you are feeling, and don’t be afraid to take a break to reevaluate. If you push too far something you once enjoyed, it could become forever something you despise.

Following these tips, not only will you toe the line ready to push yourself, but you will cross the finish and look back and view the whole experience in a positive light. Who knows, you may even sign up for another one.