The Mindset of a Mindful Athlete: One Month Out from a Competition

For many women in EmpoweredRx, our upcoming competition, "The Gratitude Games", will be your first. Maybe even your first time stepping onto a platform, being watched, or allowing your body to take up space in this way. If you’re feeling excited, nervous, or unsure what to expect—you’re not alone. Every single person, no matter how long they’ve been lifting, remembers their first meet. What makes this one different is that you’re walking into it with a new kind of awareness: one that honors your body as both the instrument and the home of your strength. AND this meet will be trauma-informed, community and connection focused.

As we move into the final month before competition day, I want you to remember one thing: this meet is not a test. It’s a celebration. A mindful meet is simply another training day, but one where you are a little more intentional, a little more curious, and a little more reverent toward the body that got you here.

The Weeks Before: Listening, Not Pushing

It’s tempting, especially as the event gets closer, to think you need to “do more". But the truth is, the work has already been done. The next few weeks are about creating the right internal environment—physically, mentally, and emotionally—for your strength to show up.

From a physiological standpoint, your nervous system thrives when it feels safe. Cortisol (your stress hormone) levels drop, muscle tissue repairs more efficiently, glycogen stores replenish, and your brain can send faster, clearer signals to your muscles. This is what allows you to lift well. That means sleep, nourishment, hydration, and rest are not luxuries...they are your foundation.

Instead of thinking about control, think about communication. Your body has been speaking to you for years, even when you weren’t listening. Now, you’re learning a new language- one based on cues like fatigue, hunger, tension, and emotion. Trust those signals. If your body asks for a slower pace, that’s wisdom. If it asks for food, that’s fuel. If it asks for movement, that’s energy seeking flow. Your job is not to silence those needs, but to respond to them with respect.

The Mind-Body Relationship: Training the Nervous System

When we talk about mindset, we often think of mental toughness or focus. But in a trauma-informed and recovery-oriented approach, mindset isn’t about overriding discomfort, it’s about staying with it. True athletic presence comes from nervous system regulation: the ability to remain grounded when adrenaline rises, to stay connected to your body instead of dissociating under pressure.

As competition approaches, practice gentle grounding before and after your lifts. Before you touch the barbell, take one deep breath in through your nose and one slow exhale out your mouth. Feel your feet connect with the floor. Notice your heartbeat. Let your body register safety before intensity. The best lifters in the world regulate between lifts, not just during them. They know that focus and relaxation are two sides of the same coin.

This is also a good time to remind your brain what self-talk you’re rehearsing. Inner language shapes performance more than we realize. Instead of “I need to hit this number,” try, “I’m ready to meet my body where it is today.” Instead of “I can’t mess this up,” say, “I’ve practiced this movement hundreds of times. My body remembers.” These words matter. They’re not affirmations in a fluffy way, they’re nervous system cues. Every time you speak safety to yourself, your muscles follow.

The Role of Food and Fueling

For those in recovery, food can still feel complicated, especially when performance enters the picture. But here’s the truth: strength cannot exist without nourishment. Energy availability is one of the biggest predictors of performance success, hormonal balance, and recovery. When energy intake drops too low, the body starts borrowing from essential systems (reproductive, digestive, immune) in order to preserve survival. That’s why athletes who restrict tend to see plateaus, injuries, and burnout.

Instead of asking, “What do I HAVE to eat to do this?” begin asking, “What does my body need to feel supported?” Think of fueling as an act of self-trust. Every meal leading up to the meet is a message to your muscles that you have their back. Carbohydrates refill glycogen, proteins rebuild tissue, fats stabilize hormones, and micronutrients fine-tune the orchestra. And also remember, you deserve to eat simply because you are HUMAN.

Reframing What Success Looks Like

It’s natural to want to hit personal records. But in the Empowered RX space, we’re redefining success. Success is not just the number on the barbell, it’s the internal shift from self-criticism to self-respect. It’s stepping onto that platform and letting yourself be seen, without shrinking. It’s showing your nervous system what it feels like to move through adrenaline and still stay connected to yourself.

Every lift, whether it goes perfectly or not, is feedback. If the bar moves smoothly...great. If it feels heavy...also great. That’s information. Your worth doesn’t fluctuate with your total. This experience is meant to give you something deeper than numbers: a tangible memory of power in your own skin.

When you walk up to the bar on meet day, I want you to remember how many times you’ve done this before.

This Month Is About Peace

As you enter this final month, I invite you to treat your training as ceremony. Approach the bar with curiosity. Stretch with gratitude. Fuel with gentleness. Rest with intention. If you need to cry, cry. If you need to laugh, laugh. If you need to take additional days off or lighten your training, do that too.

Competition day will come and go. The medals will shine for a moment, but the real win is this: learning to live in partnership with your body, not in conflict with it.

You’re already strong. The platform will simply remind you.