Happy Wednesday!! Yet another winter storm is on its way and everyone seems to be in panic mode about getting their milk & eggs. I’m more concerned about my workouts the next two days & what options I will have. Are you one to go into the basement or a small space in your home and do a mini workout or are you a couch potato who needs a personal trainer to ring your doorbell in order for you to get up and workout? So many people I come across need so much motivation to workout it’s actually frightening to think of how they would survive a fire drill walking down 21 flights of stairs. After this post today, I hope you walk away with a different mindset. You only get one body; unless you have a perfectly good excuse, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be in the best shape of your life… or at least on the sweaty journey to get there.
I want you to start thinking of working out as a privilege rather than a chore. As I get older, the more stories I hear about who has cancer, who has tendonitis in the arm, who has bad knees (& the list goes on and on)… its very depressing & I count my lucky stars everyday that I am healthy and have the ability to workout as much as I do. Some excuses are valid excuses; if you have an injury or illness, working out might not be in the cards for you right now. But if you are healthy, what is your excuse? I’ve heard lame excuse after lame excuse, why people couldn’t make class, why they had to cancel their session or why they haven’t worked out in a month. I would be here for days if I started to list them but every single one of them got them nowhere except backwards. As a personal trainer, I try and remain calm, smile & give them a piece of advice, don’t make it a habit. Once you stop for a short period of time, it usually becomes a long period of time. Once it becomes a long break period, walking into that gym again or getting back on the healthy bandwagon is as much of a drag as watching the Presidential Debate, thanks but no thanks.
My life consists of 3 jobs plus getting in my own workouts. There is no “if I workout today,” I workout everyday, that’s not even a question anymore. I made it a part of my lifestyle. Just like we don’t go a day without brushing our teeth, I don’t go a day without getting in a workout. Don’t get me wrong, a rest day or 2 is normal, it’s actually needed in order to let your body rest & recover. I am referring to a day off because I have to get my nails done, no.. my nails can get done another time.
When people think of “physical activity,” most think of it as another #painintheass thing to do today. Instead, think of it as a daily part of your day. If you think about it, we are so lucky; there are so so so many options of physical activity to choose from. If you don’t enjoy running or the elliptical (one of my most hated machines ever), you have so many other options. Dancing, Pilates, Yoga, Kickboxing, Total Body classes just to name a few. I have made kickboxing apart of my every day. That is my favorite source of cardio so I don’t think of that workout as another annoying thing I have to do everyday. Engage in activities that give you joy and pleasure. You will never benefit from anything if you do not enjoy it because you will not be putting your heart & soul into it & that’s just wasted time & energy.
Everyone who works out knows that there will be times when you just don’t feel like working out. It doesn’t matter how motivated you are or how much you love being active, it’s a normal feeling to sometimes have a challenging time pushing yourself. These are the times either your body is telling you it needs a break or if you are just being lazy, you must push through it. Here are three tips to remember if you are having one of “those” days-
1~Do it anyway. If you are in “full-blown lazy mode,” this is the time a group fitness class can help push you through this workout. If you are in a class & there is an instructor standing in front of you pushing you, there is less of a chance of you stopping to change your Facebook status or post a picture on Instagram (& if you still do this stuff in class, hopefully your instructor will call you out like I would.) Be respectful to your instructor, the people around you and yourself, put the phone down.
2~If there aren’t any classes available at the time you need & you have to work out on your own, make a playlist with your favorite motivational songs. To me, music is the greatest way to get through any workout. It doesn’t matter if its James Blunt or the Goo Goo Dolls, whatever songs you enjoy listening to, make a playlist between 45 minutes-1 hour & load them onto your IPod. Press play once you are ready to begin your workout and don’t stop until the playlist is over. This is a great way to push you through & there is less of a chance of you stopping if you are listening to something you enjoy. Try it, I promise it will work!
3~Start a journal that tracks your workouts (including type of workout, duration, instructors name, was a bad/good/or amazing workout). When you see it on paper, you are less likely to skip a workout. It will also let you visually see what you are really doing, how much of it and it may even trigger you to try something different. It’s always great to mix up your workouts so your body doesn’t get to a plateau by doing the same thing over and over again. One of my favorite quotes relating to fitness is “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you have always gotten.” It’s not a great feeling to look in that book and see your last workout was 6 days ago while watching the latest episode of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Write it down!! It’s all mental; mind over matter!!
So next time you ask someone if they are working out and they give you the response, ” I don’t know, Ill see how I feel later” you can give them these quick tips for getting it done!
Always remember, you have to move it to lose it!!!
Here is a quick workout for my Northeast friends who will most likely be stuck home tomorrow due to the snow. Repeat this workout two or three times.
~10 Squat Jumps
~20 Shoulder Presses (if you don’t have weights, find items in your home that are heavy)
~30 Burpees (yes, 30) This is our usual warm-up, just do it!
~40 Bicep Curls (alternating- 20 on each arm)
~50 second Mountain Climbers
~60 Squats (slow up, slow down)
~70 second Wall Sit (get lower, I see you)
~80 second Plank (high to low- keep switching)
~90 second Squat Pulses (stay in a squat for 30 seconds and pulse) stand- repeat 2 more times
~100 Jumping Jacks
~90 second Reverse Plank Hold (squeeze butt & lower stomach)
~80 seconds run up and down your steps (if you don’t have steps do high knees)
~70 Scissor Kicks (on your back scissor legs up and down)
~60 Hammer Curls (30 on each arm)
~50 Pushups (break into 2 sets of 25 if needed)
~40 Burpees (yup, more!)
~30 Shoulder raises (15 on each arm- front or side or both 😉
~20 Lunges (alternating 10 on each leg) Hold weights for more of challenge
~10 Tricep Kickbacks