Motivation
I did NOT want to work out today! I looked at my house and was trying to convince myself that it was more important to clean it up than to do my workout. Not to mention, all the kids' clothes that need mending, and the laundry, and...
This is how we let ourselves slide, under the sleek disguise of "something else" that is more important. But why do we sabotage ourselves, when we know what we must do in order to reach our dreams? When I stopped and thought about it, it really came down to being lazy. I didn't feel like exerting myself. And, if you aren't really in it when you are working out, you probably aren't exerting enough effort to make a change in your body. Your mind has to be part of the workout. So where does this leave us when we are just in the wrong mindset? In every other facet of life, we find ways to motivate ourselves to do something we don't neccessarily feel like doing. Housework, driving on slippery roads, even going to work or school. What tools do you use to get motivated to do those things?
Today I used reasoning and music. I have only missed two workouts since I began this journey, and I didn't want to let myself or my readers down. OK, so I don't have readers yet, but once someone sees the incredible progress I make with my body, people will read. I talked myself out of being weak. A little music by Flyleaf helped me feel strong, and I decided to put the workout on the TOP of my list of priorities, and let the other chips fall where they may. I am most important. Without me, none of the other stuff matters. My workout was awesome. It is bittersweet that it kicks my butt a little bit. During it, I feel like I am really testing my strength, and after, my muscles feel so strong, and my energy level spikes. I actually like the energy I get from weight training more than cardio, it lasts a lot longer. Plus, having slightly sore muscles is a reminder of the work I did, which makes me feel skinny and attractive, even no one else sees it. By the way, for those of you who use muscle soreness as an exscuse to not workout, after the first few workouts the muscle soreness decreases tremendously, and your muscles start to heal faster and faster.
My reflection has been changing though. When I look at my face and neck, I am amazed at the difference. Yes, it is only 13 pounds (oh yeah, I am down to 179 now. Shh! I wasn't supposed to report that til Monday, but I am so excited to be under 180 that I had to write it) but I am noticing some big changes. My rings are getting loser and loser, so are my pants and funny enough, my underwear are baggy in the butt. Now that is a strange sensation! It is already easier to cross my legs, bend down, even do certain exercises. I am starting to see some shape to my shoulders instead of them just being round. So, at 179, I am 36 pounds lighter than when I first began the South Beach Diet in Oct 2009, and 44 pounds lighter than my all-time highest weight. It finally feels like this time could be the real deal. I might actually be a success story at some point. To think that my goal weight is just 34 punds away feels absurd to me. I am so used to the number being so much larger than that. And, I am not against the idea of going lower than that if I am not satisfied with how I look or how my health is doing. As my husband has told me many times, (and I consider him to be an expert on the subject) I will need to continually step it up and make it harder for myself, in order to keep seeing gains. That's why it is good to start off slow, so you have somewhere to go. For now, I am still following the routine from Oxygen magazine. By the way, that is another of my great inspirations, looking at people who have the physique I admire and thinking about how hard they work to get there. The article is called "Your Best Body Starts Now!" and it is from Fall 2009. I will tell you the muscle workout I do, in case anyone wants to try it out. For tips, how-to's and inspiration, oyxgenmag.com.
Plie squats
Lunges
One-arm row
Seated dumbell curls
Dumbell bench press (I use a stability ball since I don't have a bench)
Standing overhead press
One-arm extensions
Bench V-sit (I use a small table)
Reverse Crunch (I do this bracing the underside of my couch)
The next time you find yourself wanting to cop out of a workout, ask yourself why you are trying to escape it, and try to imagine how you will feel emotionally and physically if you allow yourself to skip it, as opposed to just pushing through it. And, if reasoning with yourself doesn't work, turn on some loud music that makes you feel good. Find your tricks and know the cues so you can stay on track.
Two final thoughts, Oil of Olay products are outstanding! My skin has never looked more radiant! I use Age Defying night cream at night and Olay Complete during the day. What a difference it has made! Remember, most people start to see more wrinkles when they lose weight, so moisturize!
Secondly, if you haven't tried greek yogurt, RUN to the store and get some now. It is my favorite healthy treat. Yesterday I combined plain greek yogurt with pumpkin concentrate, cinnamin and splenda. It tasted like the filling of a pumpkin cheesecake. If pumpkin's not your taste, try fresh fruit, or just add a little vanilla extract and some splenda, I am telling you it tastes like cheesecake and you get tons of protein and some healthy fats/ probiotics. Make sure to get the plain kind and flavor it yourself though, the flavored kinds have a bunch of unwanted sugars and additives. Try it, if you don't like it you can yell at me, but I bet you'll like it!
Hopefully we can all find the inner strength to push past the times we don't feel motivated to workout. Let your mind be a weapon, not an enemy.
This is how we let ourselves slide, under the sleek disguise of "something else" that is more important. But why do we sabotage ourselves, when we know what we must do in order to reach our dreams? When I stopped and thought about it, it really came down to being lazy. I didn't feel like exerting myself. And, if you aren't really in it when you are working out, you probably aren't exerting enough effort to make a change in your body. Your mind has to be part of the workout. So where does this leave us when we are just in the wrong mindset? In every other facet of life, we find ways to motivate ourselves to do something we don't neccessarily feel like doing. Housework, driving on slippery roads, even going to work or school. What tools do you use to get motivated to do those things?
Today I used reasoning and music. I have only missed two workouts since I began this journey, and I didn't want to let myself or my readers down. OK, so I don't have readers yet, but once someone sees the incredible progress I make with my body, people will read. I talked myself out of being weak. A little music by Flyleaf helped me feel strong, and I decided to put the workout on the TOP of my list of priorities, and let the other chips fall where they may. I am most important. Without me, none of the other stuff matters. My workout was awesome. It is bittersweet that it kicks my butt a little bit. During it, I feel like I am really testing my strength, and after, my muscles feel so strong, and my energy level spikes. I actually like the energy I get from weight training more than cardio, it lasts a lot longer. Plus, having slightly sore muscles is a reminder of the work I did, which makes me feel skinny and attractive, even no one else sees it. By the way, for those of you who use muscle soreness as an exscuse to not workout, after the first few workouts the muscle soreness decreases tremendously, and your muscles start to heal faster and faster.
My reflection has been changing though. When I look at my face and neck, I am amazed at the difference. Yes, it is only 13 pounds (oh yeah, I am down to 179 now. Shh! I wasn't supposed to report that til Monday, but I am so excited to be under 180 that I had to write it) but I am noticing some big changes. My rings are getting loser and loser, so are my pants and funny enough, my underwear are baggy in the butt. Now that is a strange sensation! It is already easier to cross my legs, bend down, even do certain exercises. I am starting to see some shape to my shoulders instead of them just being round. So, at 179, I am 36 pounds lighter than when I first began the South Beach Diet in Oct 2009, and 44 pounds lighter than my all-time highest weight. It finally feels like this time could be the real deal. I might actually be a success story at some point. To think that my goal weight is just 34 punds away feels absurd to me. I am so used to the number being so much larger than that. And, I am not against the idea of going lower than that if I am not satisfied with how I look or how my health is doing. As my husband has told me many times, (and I consider him to be an expert on the subject) I will need to continually step it up and make it harder for myself, in order to keep seeing gains. That's why it is good to start off slow, so you have somewhere to go. For now, I am still following the routine from Oxygen magazine. By the way, that is another of my great inspirations, looking at people who have the physique I admire and thinking about how hard they work to get there. The article is called "Your Best Body Starts Now!" and it is from Fall 2009. I will tell you the muscle workout I do, in case anyone wants to try it out. For tips, how-to's and inspiration, oyxgenmag.com.
Plie squats
Lunges
One-arm row
Seated dumbell curls
Dumbell bench press (I use a stability ball since I don't have a bench)
Standing overhead press
One-arm extensions
Bench V-sit (I use a small table)
Reverse Crunch (I do this bracing the underside of my couch)
The next time you find yourself wanting to cop out of a workout, ask yourself why you are trying to escape it, and try to imagine how you will feel emotionally and physically if you allow yourself to skip it, as opposed to just pushing through it. And, if reasoning with yourself doesn't work, turn on some loud music that makes you feel good. Find your tricks and know the cues so you can stay on track.
Two final thoughts, Oil of Olay products are outstanding! My skin has never looked more radiant! I use Age Defying night cream at night and Olay Complete during the day. What a difference it has made! Remember, most people start to see more wrinkles when they lose weight, so moisturize!
Secondly, if you haven't tried greek yogurt, RUN to the store and get some now. It is my favorite healthy treat. Yesterday I combined plain greek yogurt with pumpkin concentrate, cinnamin and splenda. It tasted like the filling of a pumpkin cheesecake. If pumpkin's not your taste, try fresh fruit, or just add a little vanilla extract and some splenda, I am telling you it tastes like cheesecake and you get tons of protein and some healthy fats/ probiotics. Make sure to get the plain kind and flavor it yourself though, the flavored kinds have a bunch of unwanted sugars and additives. Try it, if you don't like it you can yell at me, but I bet you'll like it!
Hopefully we can all find the inner strength to push past the times we don't feel motivated to workout. Let your mind be a weapon, not an enemy.
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