Humor

Athletic performance and physical exercise sometimes result in emotional-loading.

Positive emotional loading is a lot of fun.  Endorphin rushes, a sense of accomplishment and the experience of increased physical capacity lead to good feelings and associations.

Any physical practice system that is advancing in progress will involve some of the flip-side emotional work as well.  This might be experienced as feelings of dread of an intense workout, or broad spectrum feelings of fear relating to exertion, or possibly a correlation between physical practice and self-worth.

Physical work load  and performance can be viewed pragmatically.  This eliminates some of the derailment from negative emotional associations.

Take a moment to note that:
                                              Volume of physical work is not equal to personal worth
                                              Completing a workout is a chemical process driven by will
                                              Athletic capacity increases based on consistency 

Go through a short physical check-list to make sure you are free of unnecessary tension, you are breathing effectively and that your face and jaw are relaxed.

Keep a short list of humorous events to reference when in the midst of extreme exertion.  At the moment when you most consider quitting, remember a lighter moment and consciously release tension unrelated to the actual physical task at hand.  If you manage to laugh at least you know your breathing is on track.

It should go without saying that over-training and consistently feeling run-down are not long term desired outcomes.  The creation of a healthy balance of challenging physical exertion and recovery time is the objective.  Keeping physical practice emotionally light is one way to maintain consistency.