# How does your environment effect your training mindset?



## Orange Lightning (Apr 7, 2015)

I've experienced differences in my training mindset due to both small and large differences in my environment. I'm curious if anyone else has experienced similar differences.

I'm really used to training in a rural environment. No one can see me but the people in my house. I'm surrounded my trees. I do almost everything barefoot, wearing just shorts or flexible pants, and no shirt.
The farther I deviate from that norm, the less involved I feel in my training. The more clothes I wear, the less enthusiastic I am about beating my heavybag. (Not to say that I'm entirely unenthusiastic about it. Just less so.) Adding a shirt, a jacket, or a coat bogs down my mindset. Does anyone else feel more powerful without a shirt? Serious question.
In gym environment, I feel a lot more.... like I like I'm exercising. It's hard to explain. My college has a "fitness room" and I use that a lot. It's very small, but I can do almost everything in there. But my mind is a lot more fixated on the fact that I am exercising. I feel like I'm wasting my energy. I don't so much feel like I'm accomplishing anything so much as I feel like I'm tiring myself out with for beneficial effects.  There are occasional exceptions when I'm just in the zone for some reason, but most of the time, I get tired and bored a lot more quickly.
In my regular environment, I can exercise for several hours throughout the day, and not get tired or bored. Up to 3 or 4 hours total on a really good day. In the gym, I'm done in an hour, and it's a decent enough workout for whatever I focused on that day, but not nearly as intense as it would have been at home, and not as many muscles either. I barely ever go for cardio at the gym. I like running and moving around plenty, but I hate treadmills.
Basically, when I'm at home, I forget about the soreness and tiredness, and feel like I'm climbing the mountain of accomplishment. I'm DOING things. Jumping over/off stuff, running to/up/down to places, lifting heavy things, hitting things, etc. Even when I'm doing traditional weight lifting or calisthenics.  In a gym environment, I'm just getting tired on purpose. I know that  I want to, but I want get it done and over with as soon as  I can. I think it has something to do with certain types of activity that let me move in a natural, dynamic way, give me a possibly instinctual edge in grit. Exercising in the gym isn't nearly so frustrating if I get plenty of outdoor time before that. 
Has anyone else had similar experiences? Having seemingly meaningless changes that shouldn't technically effect you change how effectively you train?
Or, do you have certain rituals or routines you do to put you in the right mindset?


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## tshadowchaser (Apr 7, 2015)

I live in an area that can at times be warm to hot or cold to down right below zero. I find that if it is cold and I am bundled up I want to work out even harder to the point I am taking off clothing because I have become to warm.
The fact that I have to push myself to that point means I am working harder and perhaps getting a better workout. It also means I am training with what I will be wearing on the street.
Working out in the woods or open fields dose have a different feeling or being on top of a mountain also. A gym or a school/training hall has a certain feeling but being outside even with the same group of people just feels different.


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## Orange Lightning (Apr 8, 2015)

As far as needing to get warm, I could say the same thing about wearing less clothes.   But I agree that it's better to train in what you're likely to be wearing.
Outside feels more....massive. Unrestricted. Expanded. I find it inspiring. 
My outdoor scenario is admittedly advantageous though. You can't go beating the park trees.


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## tshadowchaser (Apr 8, 2015)

I feel it is of advantage to practice in as many varied environments as possible when possible.  You can talk about how to defend yourself in different situations but if you have never practiced in that environment then how do you rely know what can and can not be done?
Now I'm not saying go to your job and start throwing kicks or punching everything in sight but take a good look around and be truthful with yourself could you do this or that in the space around you. Would you be endangering your self or others with your techniques?  
If it is possible to practice in some place that is not your normal practice area why not see how it feels and what restrictions there are in different places


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## Buka (Apr 9, 2015)

Environment - that can mean a lot of different things. The physical is usually the most obvious. But I think the people(s) in said environment are the most important to discussions like this and to folks like us. Take any environment  you want, populate it with vastly different people per socio, economic, ethnic, religious, crime rate, taxes, political, age,beliefs, etc, and you have vastly different environments as they might apply to mindset for what we're all talking about - which is Martial Art training as it applies to these particular environments, or self defense.

My mindset in training is to push. How I apply anything I develop through pushing is up to me, I guess. So far so good.


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