Fair question. I think we all realize that the effort we put in correlates to the results we get out. But have you ever had a day that your trying to get out of working out? “I really don’t have time today….” , “I don’t have the energy today”…. Believe me, I get it, I think everyone has those days, moments….or weeks of not being motivated.
This is where thought process can help. As a trainer, I’m going to ask you, give the workout 8 minutes, if by 8 minutes in….your not feeling it, permission to skip that day. I’m a true believer in listening to your body. But I’m here to tell you, after a few minutes of your body moving, blood flowing, 98% of the time you’ll feel better & want to then commit to the rest of the workout.
So how to keep this in motion? Schedule your workouts, set your clothes out the night before (oh and by the way, cute workout clothes help with motivation, true story - permission to go shopping!!) Set yourself up for success, prepare your water bottle in advance - my favorite mix is some lemon, mint and ginger in my water diffuser that I have at the home gym for clients. Plan to meet a friend for the workout, you’ll hold each other accountable, plus have fitness fun together.
Once your body gets used to getting the endorphin release from your workouts - its addictive. The best addiction to have…..the byproduct is health and fitness. I remember a client telling me after a few months of sometimes skipping out on attending her fitness class she was suddenly doing everything she could to schedule things AROUND her workouts now - she stopped looking for excuses to not workout! Success! Her body was now looking forward to that important process of getting that healthy stress relief!
Once your at your workout though, you still need to put your mind into the workout. I’m always reminding members in class to put their mind into the movement. This is a way to be sure your using muscle fiber recruitment. Fancy term for feeling your muscle working. Picture 2 people working out side by side on treadmills. One is leisurely walking while reading a book or watching a screen. The second is maybe still walking, but with purpose & intensity, you can see it in their face, the way the arms are incorporated in the movement, abs tight - full body connection. Which one is getting more out of the workout? You guessed it! Effort matters - hands down.
This is also why having a mirror is good for your workout. Sounds vain huh? But guess what - your able to check yourself for intensity. Are your engaging the muscle? Are your movements full and with purpose? Hold yourself accountable - you are only cheating yourself if you are dogging it. Picture yourself as an athlete, and train like its your job - because its your health and well being on the line. I always let clients know, even if you never played a sport, for the hour your with me - you are an athlete.
Ok, so all good advice, but what about those occasional times you really aren’t up for intensity? A low impact slow moving workout may be just what your body and mind need - trust me thats better than no workout at all and your body will respond. Fitness does so much for our bodies and our minds - tap into this and get all the wonderful benefits of spending time and energy on you - your worth it!!
Here’s a challenge for my clients, if you’ve never been in one of our online workout videos - sign up to do it!! Its an extra workout for your week (we usually film on Sundays). But most importantly performance adrenaline is a real thing - and trust me you’ll know what I mean!!
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