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Pro-tips for a winning mindset Ever wondered what it takes to be a professional sports-player, or even a Paralympic or Olympic champion? Wonder no more! In this set of interviews, Bulletin speaks to four Leeds-based rising stars to learn the secrets of staying motivated and achieving your goals, no matter the odds. When it’s cold and grey, how do you get the motivation to get out there?
Enjoy it, and exercising with friends makes it much more enjoyable.
It’s hard sometimes, but it’s my daily routine, so part of it is habit. Also, I train with a really good group of lads, and if we have agreed to meet up I don’t want to let them down by not showing up.
Away from sport, what else motivates you?
Is goal setting important to you? And do the goals vary in size and importance? Yes. Small goals like hitting the times in the morning swim, or getting to bed on time to get my nine hours of sleep are just as important because they make the big goals more achievable. However, goals have got to be personal and controllable, e.g.: Be in the best shape possible for the Olympic Games, not: I’m going to win the Olympics, because there are too many factors outside of your control. How do you know when to stop? Credit: Chris Sansom
Jonny Brownlee, three-time Olympic medallist Leeds born and bred Jonny Brownlee seems to be getting better with age, continuing to beat his own records and win medals, the most recent being Gold at the Tokyo Olympics. He was more than happy to share an insight into his life and motivation with LTHT staff. What’s your average daily training routine? Every day is slightly different but the general stats are that I train every day. Monday to Friday I swim first thing. Every day except Friday, I will ride and run. Sometimes I run twice. Friday is an easy day - I just swim and gym. It amounts to about 35 hours a week. How does training make you feel? It makes me feel good! It’s part of my daily routine and that structure is important. It also can be tiring but most of the hours I do are easy (aerobic) with five key (hard) sessions a week. The reward of a good session or a successful race outweighs everything.
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That can be hard, and I have had some injuries when I haven’t listened to my body. Also, a good team of support staff and coaches can tell when you are looking tired, or too skinny, and you need to back off for a few days. If you could pass on one motivational tip what would it be?
It’s still sport but the work we do with The Brownlee Foundation – introducing primary school children to triathlon - to date 32,000 kids – is something I will do more and more of as my sporting career begins to slow down. My brother Alistair and I have had, and still take, enormous pleasure from swimming, cycling and running, and we hope others will be able to have a similar positive experience.
James Simpson, Leeds Rhinos’ Wheelchair Rugby League Captain and 2021 Rugby League World Cup ambassador and England player. James Simpson was born in Leeds and joined the army at 17. He lost both legs on a tour of Afghanistan in 2009 and has gone on to carve out a successful career in wheelchair rugby league, with his team winning pretty much every trophy going.
