You, an Athlete?

It's Not Such a Strange Concept; Think Like One and See What Happens

Calling all athletes. Yes, you. Who did you think? Stop laughing -- you'll snort coffee all over the paper.

You may not be able to give yourself a nickname or call yourself charming, but you can declare yourself an athlete -- whatever your waist size, bowling average or how much you'd really rather be snoozing. And maybe you should. Establishing a fitness identity -- of any ability -- makes it more likely you will keep exercising and live a healthy lifestyle, say some experts. And that makes you more likely to judge yourself on what you do, not on how you look, which some would argue is the road to happiness.

Think of it as the fitness equivalent of "You are what you eat."

"There is a process of forming an identity as an athlete," explains Diane Whaley, associate professor of sport and exercise psychology at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education. "Buying the clothes, learning the lingo, hanging out with other participants in the chosen activity or sport. Once you form that identity mentally, it is more likely that you will come up with strategies to participate in that sport over time. Having that identity translates into the behavior."

Or as Yogi Berra famously said, "Ninety percent of the game is half mental."

But what, you say, if you're not very good at your chosen sport or activity?

Redefine your goal, suggests Whaley: "It's all about improvement, not about outperforming others. You can improve skills or time. We all compare ourselves to others, but how we use that information is key. Use comparisons to learn, not to feel bad."

My husband, Rob, did that instinctively when he was a college swimmer. He kept competing because he kept learning. "I never swam a perfect race, although I won a few," he says. "Racing identified the things I needed to practice; it made practice interesting and fulfilling. Swimming is a sport that offers so many things to get better at. It's like solving a puzzle."

I didn't grow up as an athlete, so I thought all athletes were just naturally good. Rob made sure I got over that and opened my eyes to seeing sports as a subject I could study. Studying was something I was good at, so I began to feel I had some control over what I was doing. Now, exercising and talking and learning about exercise is as natural a part of my day as eating and sleeping. I call myself an athlete, and not just to excuse the goggle marks on my face most mornings, my lack of interest in events that end after 10 p.m. and my chronic tardiness.

There are limits, of course, to such makeover thinking.

John Jakicic, chairman of the Department of Health and Physical Activity at the University of Pittsburgh and of the American College of Sports Medicine's committee on behavior modification, doesn't mince words: It's "pretty obvious when you're not Marion Jones." Still, he thinks it's possible to help people achieve an exercise identity. He has two suggestions:

"One, you must provide mastery experiences. A person must be able to complete an enjoyable activity in order to have a mastery experience. Then they can try to do better next time. We must tailor opportunities to exercise to be challenging and achievable.

"Two, it will take a long time to change the way people see themselves. People have both a visual and performance image of themselves. Changing the visual image is too hard. Focus on changing the performance image, and you might get to a feeling of confidence and self-efficacy."

Curious to see how these ideas work in practice, I talked to personal trainer Robert Price at One to One Fitness in downtown Washington.

Price says that new clients who see themselves making progress toward their fitness or weight-loss goals double their efforts because they feel good about their achievements. A client may not start out wanting to run a 10K, but in the process of inching toward a smaller initial goal, she forms an athletic identity, and now exercise is a regular part of her life.

Olwen Huxley, a USA Triathlon-certified coach who was an active member and unofficial coach for the DC Triathlon Club ( http://www.dctriclub.org) before moving to Hawaii last year, described how rank beginners get hooked on a sport or activity.

"People stick with it because they are surprised (and happy) with what they can do after a short time of regular training," she wrote via e-mail. "I think the most important thing for people to understand who are intimidated is that although there are tons of . . . people in sports who were gifted from the get-go, there are millions of people in this country who have picked up a sport they know they will never be that great at, but they don't give a damn and they don't let it stop them from enjoying being an athlete at their level."

Glover Park resident Mira Mignon, 39, knows what Huxley means. Mignon took part in her first triathlon last year and found the experience transforming. Today, she wears her Ironman watch to work and sometimes lets the laundry pile up because she has learned to define herself by what she does as an athlete, not as a housekeeper.

"Motivation [to exercise] is not a problem anymore because exercising with other people is so much fun," Mignon said. "And I have a goal, which keeps me from getting bored. There's always more to learn." Her goals for this summer's races are to finish and have fun. "A solid mid-pack placing would be great," she said.

My friend Randall Stoltzfus, 35, is a successful New York artist -- a member of a group not known to exercise religiously. A few years ago, he discovered Ashtanga yoga, and now he loves it and the fortitude it gives him to work with the large canvases he favors. "It's the first athletic thing I've ever done," he said. Like a true convert, Stoltzfus has spread his passion for yoga and its benefits to his girlfriend, Callie.

Gordon Gerson, 70, hesitates to describe himself as an athlete, although he competes in swimming events and often wins or places in his age group. Gerson, president of Reston Masters Swim Team, used to be a long-distance runner, but he had to quit because of arthritis. Rather than give up his fitness identity, he returned to an old sport: He was a swimmer in high school.

Another athlete who has reinvented himself is Steve Wydler of McLean. Wydler, a former high school wrestler who took up squash and running as an adult, is recovering from surgery for a knee injury suffered in a squash tournament. He says he'll keep exercising even if he has to give up the sport, because being fit is an important part of his life. His advice to those who didn't get the exercise bug in high school? "If you have a partner, it will help. You can't leave your friend on the corner at 7 a.m. and just not show up."

Once you think of yourself as an athlete, exercise becomes a part of who you are, not just another item on your to-do list. Don't let the professionals or the collegiate stars be the only ones to know the benefits of being an athlete. The word is democratic enough to describe you and me. ·

Laura S. Jones is a freelance writer living in Charlottesville. She is certified as a health fitness instructor by the American College of Sports Medicine. Comments:health@washpost.com.