Even as a trainer, coach and someone who loves to train, there are days where I just don't feel like getting my workout in and I make a million excuses as to why I should just mail it in, throw on my slippers and house sweater and get to it tomorrow. You, too?
I completely get it.
Some days we feel like a million bucks and we're ready for anything, other days we would rather get a latte and a donut (which is fine, by the way!).
There are days when we feel bloated and lazy and the thought of jumping up and down and moving around weights around feels like a death sentence.
When our mind becomes a hurricane of all the excuses and things that need to get done, giving ourselves the out from our workout often feels like the biggest gift we can give to ourselves. Which it is, some days. I'm all about that gentle grit...sometimes we push, other times we let ourselves rest.
But, willpower and motivation is in inside game, and I know from the many women I work with that an act of self-compassion like giving ourselves an out tends to reeeeeally be a form of self-sabatogue. Meaning: we do it too often.
We say...
"I've had a hard day, I deserve to just rest with this ice-cream on the couch"
"I'll get back to it Monday after this crazy week"
"I'll get to the gym when my new leggings come in the mail"
"When the kids aren't sick"
The list goes on, right?
But, here's the deal: there's a big difference between not letting ourselves off the hook and feeling completely over the moon excited about our workout. Sometimes, we need a baby step. Something to get our mind back in the game. A tool to combat the career lawyers in our brains that can, in 10 seconds flat, build a fabulous case for why organizing the garage is where we really should be spending our time right now.
I firmly believe that when we struggle with discipline and workout consistency, we are being called to keep things simple.
To do less, not more.
To not add another method of training to our ever-growing list of fitness we take part in. To get back to the basics.
I love to try new things in the gym and I'm often working towards mastering new skills, which means these workouts take more mental energy than the ones I can plug into rather quickly. They call for following new cues and thinking more than usual about what I'm doing. If I find myself procrastinating and just not feeling these workouts, I use this simple trick to get myself over the hurdle of taking the first step.
Try this: Commit to 5 minutes.
When the excuses start stacking up, I strip it down to the basics, committing to 5 minutes of moving my body purposefully and intensely. I choose between 1-4 full body exercises, set a 5 minute timer and complete the movement(s) as fast and crisply as possible. See, I know I can do anything for 5 minutes.
I call these 5 minutes body and mindset shifters Power-Ups and my clients use them as a consistency tool; on days where they can't get a full workout in, need a pump up in between meetings at work or while the kids are at the dinner table as a powerful reset for the body and mind. The resulting muscle burn and breathlessness from 5 minutes of intensity can be a powerful reminder of our commitment to our health and consistency.
I don't know about you, but when I'm climbing into the car or up the staircase and I feel my muscles buzzing from the work I've done, even the 5 minutes of work, I'm far more present in making decisions that support my health goals; opting for healthy, nutrient-dense food rather than those that will spike my blood sugar and cause more cravings; like, a bagel or scone at the drive-thru or a handful of goldfish from my kid's plate.
There's a million ways we spend 5 minutes during our day; doing dishes or laundry, sitting on hold on a call, waiting in a check-out line. In fact, I always think back to Junior High and High School, when 4 minutes was the time between period bells where we had to get to our lockers, pass a few notes and get to our next class. It always felt like no time at all - surely, I can do anything intense in that short of a window, right?!
How to do a Power-Up:
Try this bodyweight circuit of three exercises (squats, push-ups and split jumps), one after the other for 10 reps each. Do AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 5 minutes, keeping the movements very crisp and tight. Rest only when you need to and go for it until the 5 minute mark. {Video shows full movements then modifications}. The goal is to reach muscle failure and breathlessness.
Try it out and be sure to share your #powerup success with us here in the Be PowerFULL community.
I completely get it.
Some days we feel like a million bucks and we're ready for anything, other days we would rather get a latte and a donut (which is fine, by the way!).
There are days when we feel bloated and lazy and the thought of jumping up and down and moving around weights around feels like a death sentence.
When our mind becomes a hurricane of all the excuses and things that need to get done, giving ourselves the out from our workout often feels like the biggest gift we can give to ourselves. Which it is, some days. I'm all about that gentle grit...sometimes we push, other times we let ourselves rest.
But, willpower and motivation is in inside game, and I know from the many women I work with that an act of self-compassion like giving ourselves an out tends to reeeeeally be a form of self-sabatogue. Meaning: we do it too often.
We say...
"I've had a hard day, I deserve to just rest with this ice-cream on the couch"
"I'll get back to it Monday after this crazy week"
"I'll get to the gym when my new leggings come in the mail"
"When the kids aren't sick"
The list goes on, right?
But, here's the deal: there's a big difference between not letting ourselves off the hook and feeling completely over the moon excited about our workout. Sometimes, we need a baby step. Something to get our mind back in the game. A tool to combat the career lawyers in our brains that can, in 10 seconds flat, build a fabulous case for why organizing the garage is where we really should be spending our time right now.
I firmly believe that when we struggle with discipline and workout consistency, we are being called to keep things simple.
To do less, not more.
To not add another method of training to our ever-growing list of fitness we take part in. To get back to the basics.
I love to try new things in the gym and I'm often working towards mastering new skills, which means these workouts take more mental energy than the ones I can plug into rather quickly. They call for following new cues and thinking more than usual about what I'm doing. If I find myself procrastinating and just not feeling these workouts, I use this simple trick to get myself over the hurdle of taking the first step.
Try this: Commit to 5 minutes.
When the excuses start stacking up, I strip it down to the basics, committing to 5 minutes of moving my body purposefully and intensely. I choose between 1-4 full body exercises, set a 5 minute timer and complete the movement(s) as fast and crisply as possible. See, I know I can do anything for 5 minutes.
I call these 5 minutes body and mindset shifters Power-Ups and my clients use them as a consistency tool; on days where they can't get a full workout in, need a pump up in between meetings at work or while the kids are at the dinner table as a powerful reset for the body and mind. The resulting muscle burn and breathlessness from 5 minutes of intensity can be a powerful reminder of our commitment to our health and consistency.
I don't know about you, but when I'm climbing into the car or up the staircase and I feel my muscles buzzing from the work I've done, even the 5 minutes of work, I'm far more present in making decisions that support my health goals; opting for healthy, nutrient-dense food rather than those that will spike my blood sugar and cause more cravings; like, a bagel or scone at the drive-thru or a handful of goldfish from my kid's plate.
There's a million ways we spend 5 minutes during our day; doing dishes or laundry, sitting on hold on a call, waiting in a check-out line. In fact, I always think back to Junior High and High School, when 4 minutes was the time between period bells where we had to get to our lockers, pass a few notes and get to our next class. It always felt like no time at all - surely, I can do anything intense in that short of a window, right?!
How to do a Power-Up:
Try this bodyweight circuit of three exercises (squats, push-ups and split jumps), one after the other for 10 reps each. Do AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 5 minutes, keeping the movements very crisp and tight. Rest only when you need to and go for it until the 5 minute mark. {Video shows full movements then modifications}. The goal is to reach muscle failure and breathlessness.
Try it out and be sure to share your #powerup success with us here in the Be PowerFULL community.
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