When Motivation Fails You

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Happy Training Tuesday! Today I thought we could all use some motivation. Motivation is the reason a person engages in a particular activity. Motivation only gets us so far and then at some point fails us. It could be tomorrow, next week or next month but at some point we lose our motivation and it's a battle to get it back. There are millions of tips, tricks, hints and advice on how to regain your motivation, which is why I decided not to make this blog a list. I thought I'd just share my personal experiences. 

A couple of months ago I started a new weight training regime. It was fantastic. I loved it and I managed to follow through for an entire month. This was HUGE for me. However, I made a mistake. I decided to change my routine. Not the days, not the location, just the specific exercises. I don't know about you, but if I'm honest with you (and more importantly with myself), I do not deal with change gracefully. In fact, I get downright miserable. It doesn't matter if the change is good or bad it affects me. I've known myself for almost 32 years....you'd think I would remember I don't cope very well with change. 

For the past month I've been struggling to get into this new routine. I managed 2 days per week for 2 weeks and lost 2 weeks. Tonight I forced myself to work out. I've been feeling crappy because when I stop working out any healthy eating also goes out the window. I realized what it was about the "new routine" that had me avoiding working out. I don't like changing the weights by doing a heavy set and a light set. That's why I didn't last long with Body4Life either. I admit it...I really enjoy lifting heavy! 

This is what I don't get about myself...I KNOW that I will feel better if I weight lift 3 times per week. I KNOW that I have more energy and have more confidence. I KNOW eating better makes me FEEL better. So, if I know all this then why can't I seem to do it? 

The one thing that does seem to work is FORCING myself mentally to work out. I convince myself that I cannot miss today's workout. I usually still drag my feet and end up lifting weights at 9 pm (because working out before bed seems like a good idea...sigh).

What do you do when motivation fails you? I'd love to hear from you!

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6 Reasons Why Women Should Lift Weights

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Welcome to Training Tuesdays! Now I don't have all of the kinks worked out just yet, but that will come in time. 

1. Gain Strength (without the bulk)

As a woman and mother strength is important in my everyday tasks like lifting the kids, carrying  groceries and hauling laundry around the house. No, as a woman you won't get bulky by lifting weights. We don't have testosterone which is why women don't get bulky. 

2. Lose Body Fat

I think this is pretty well self explanatory. Who doesn't want to look better? The more muscle you gain the less room there is for fat. I've still got a long way to go, but I firmly believe weight lifting is the key to success for me. 

3. Get a Good Night's Sleep

A consistent training routine helps you to destress and enjoy a deeper sleep. There are so many benefits to getting a good night's rest. For most of my life I've struggled with falling asleep. It used to take me an hour or so to finally get to sleep. Then I had kids and I could fall asleep but would be woken several times a night. As my kids got older and started sleeping through the night I went back to having trouble falling asleep.  Since I've been weight lifting I drop off to sleep within 15 minutes and honestly, it's probably less than that. 

4. Gain Energy

Who doesn't need more energy? I'm high energy on my best days, but I'm only human...although I like to think of myself as a superwoman...I'm not really one. (shhhh don't tell) My point is that sometimes my PMDD gets the best of me and I'm completely useless. Weight lifting really does give you a boost of energy.    

5. Reduces Risk

Weight training reduces the risk of injury, back pain, arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease. There are so many more I could list but I think you get the general idea. Weight lifting is good for your health! 

6. Helps with Depression 

I left this one for last because I have a lot to say about this one. Depression is something I've battled off and on for years. I know now that a lot of it was related to my period and ultimately my PMDD. Weight training reduces symptoms of depression by boosting confidence and strength.   There's such a stigma when it comes to depression but I think I'll leave that for another day and another post all on it's own. 

All in all my health has greatly improved from weight lifting and I highly recommend it. Have a great night. 

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Week 1 Complete

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Sunday: Lower Body (Weeks 1-4)

DAY:	5
DATE:	July 25, 2010
TIME:	Cardio 6:30 am Weights 10:30 am
CARDIO TODAY?	YES
EXERCISE	Biking
DURATION	28:40 (3.28 miles)
LENGTH OF WORKOUT:	1 hour
WEIGHT:	65 lbs
LOCATION:	Home
MOOD WHEN STARTING:	Didn't want to do cardio this morning, but I did it anyway. Felt much better about working out when it came time to do my weight training.

EXERCISE	Set #1	Set #2	Set #3
Deadlift: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	15x12	15x12	15x12
Barbell Squat: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	15x12	15x12	15x12
Dumbbell Lunges: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	5x12	5x12	5x12
DB Seated One-Leg Calf Raise: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	20x12	20x12	20x12
Dumbbell Shrugs: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	10x12	10x12	10x12
Reverse Crunch: 3 sets of 10-15 reps	15	15	15
Superman: 3 sets of 10-15 reps	15	15	15

TRAINING, NUTRITION & SUPPLEMENT NOTES:

Today went really well. I'm exhausted yet energized! YAY for exercise highs! I had a hard time with the ab work because my abs still hurt from Wednesday's workout. I wanted to give up while doing Superman. Funny, it's the "easiest" of all the exercises for the day but mentally the hardest. However,  I DID IT! I completed WEEK 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Working Out...Again

Hello Peeps! We bought a weight bench AND  I'm actually enjoying using it! I found a 12 week workout for women from BodyBuilding.com called The Female Training Bible. There is a lot of information to go through and somewhere in the middle is the 12 week training guide. I absolutely love the Body Building site because it has everything. You can look up exercises and find other exercises that work the same muscle group. I especially find this useful since there were some exercises I'm not able to do yet. Like pull-ups and dips. My muscles are definitely not ready to hold up or pull up 243.6 lbs!

So far I prefer the leg workouts but that`s because I have more muscle in my legs and find it easier. I`m excited to see how my muscles are going to form. 

Alright let me break down the 12 weeks a bit for ya`ll. In general I`ll be working out 4 days a week. Cardio in the morning, weight training at night. The 12 week program is separated into 3 sections:

Weeks 1-4: 3 sets of 8-12 reps

Weeks 5-8: weight increase and 3 sets of 6-8 reps 

Weeks 9-12: weight increase and 3 sets for 4-6 reps

Each week will break down something like this:

Monday: cardio a.m. upper body weight training p.m. 

Tuesday: cardio a.m. lower body weight training p.m.

Wednesday: Off 

Thursday: cardio a.m. upper body weight training p.m.  

Friday: cardio a.m. lower body weight training p.m.  

Saturday: Off

Sunday: Off

Now my week will change depending on what days I am working in the office. Usually, I work from home 4 days a week. I`ll be figuring out my next week`s schedule when I get my work schedule Friday`s. Regardless, I will be working out 4 days a week.

Here is today's workout:

Friday: Upper Body (Weeks 1-4)

DAY:	3
DATE:	July 23, 2010
TIME:	11:30 am
CARDIO TODAY?	YES
EXERCISE	The Barefoot Dancer
DURATION	20 minutes
LENGTH OF WORKOUT:	40 minutes
WEIGHT:	65 lbs
LOCATION:	Home
MOOD WHEN STARTING:	Optimistic

 

EXERCISE	Set #1	Set #2	Set #3
Reverse Triceps Bench Press: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	15x12	15x12	15x12
Bent Arm Barbell Pull Over: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	15x12	15x12	15x12
Side Lateral Raises: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	5x12	5x12	5x12
Incline Barbell Triceps Ext: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	15x12	15x12	15x12
Barbell Curl: 3 sets of 8-12 reps	15x12	15x12	15x12

TRAINING, NUTRITION & SUPPLEMENT NOTES:

Had a migraine last night that left me exhausted this morning. I didn't do my cardio, but at 11:30 I found I had the energy to work out and followed a TV workout The Barefoot Dancer.

I didn’t work as hard as I could have but I was trying to get used to the selected exercises. I'm sure the next workout will be better.

NOTE - I realized that I haven't had any cookies in a few days. I have had mocha's from Starbucks but usually I have several cookies a day. Now that I've realized it I notice I'm not craving them either. I really hope to continue with this!

How I kicked my own butt....

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So, I've managed to keep my momentum since my last update. Monday I had to work in the office, but brought a healthy lunch and actually ate it instead of buying something. I even went with a lower calorie coffee from Starbucks. 

It's still early on, but I've managed to work out 3 days in a row. I've also managed something else "new". I've eaten only one bowl/plate of food and I haven't binged on anything. Again, I know, it's still early on, but I'm very proud of myself for the progress I've made so far. 

I decided to do cardio one day and weight training the next and keep alternating. Since, I went for a walk/jog on Sunday that meant Monday was a weight training day. As usual an obstacle came up to try and deter me from my path. I burned my left hand while making supper. It hurt so badly I was calling it quits, but my amazing husband went out to "get the paper" and came home with some burn cream. I watched House and then decided I could do my lower body weight training instead of the upper body training I'd had planned. 

My quads still hurt from these:

Dumbbell Squats (Q) with two 5 lbs weights 4x12

Dumbbell Sumo Squats (Q) with one 10 lbs weight 4x12

These exercises are so simple, yet very difficult:

Dumbbell Lunges (H) with two 5 lbs weights 4x12

Straight-leg Dead Lifts (H) with two 5 lbs weights 4x12

I already have fairly strong calves so I didn't do as many sets on my calves:

Standing Calf Raises (C) 2x12

One Leg Calf Raises (C) L-1x12 R-1x12

We had a family crisis at the end of my workout so I didn't do more, although I'm not sure I could have managed more my first time out. I did something right since my abs hurt today:

Crunches (A) 3x12

Bent Knee Leg Raises (A) 2x12

After my workout and my family crisis was over I laid down on the couch and promptly passed out cold. I woke up at 2:30 am and went to bed. It was the best sleep I've had in a long time.

Today's workout was supposed to be walk/jog again but it snowed here in Ottawa which later turned to rain. I considered going outside anyway, but looked up heavy bag routines. I came across this 30-30-30 routine and boy did it kick my butt. 

The first 30 seconds you hit the heavy bag with regular speed. The second 3 seconds is the hardest because you have to be quick. You lift your knees and hit the bag while rotating around it. All this is done as quickly as possible and with your knees as high as possible. The last 30 seconds is knockout punches - hit the bag as hard as you can. Rest time in-between sets can vary anywhere from 1 minute to 15 seconds depending on the workout you're looking for. 

I used my Cardio Trainer App on my phone to determine the 30 seconds. I'm not sure how many full sets I did. When I grew too tired of keeping this up I improvised and went between the three types of heavy bag exercises as I could handle. I started to get really out of breath and a stitch in my side so I ran/walked forward 4 steps and backwards 4 steps. I kept the last but up for about 5 minutes. I lumped this in as aerobics and my total workout was about 20 minutes. 

Date:      Tuesday Apr.27, 2010 06:36 pm
Distance:      1.14 mi
Duration:      00:21:46
Exercise Type:      Aerobics

Right now I'm trying to focus on building a decent routine, one that is reasonable that I can stick to. I feel good about this fresh start, but I've said that before. Well, I'm off to bed - g'night. 

Another Step Forward

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After all my running around yesterday and trying to get the kids to bed I did NOT want to go to the gym. I was so angry and frustrated that the boys wouldn't go to sleep. I feel guilty that my husband is home with the kids all day long and then he has to deal with them at night too. I decided not to go to the gym. Ben told me to just go anyway. I honestly wasn't going to go, but then a thought occurred to me: this is the exact reason why I fail every time I try to lose weight. I get frustrated or too tired and I basically give up.

So, I started my workout at 9 pm and worked out for an hour. I spent 20 minutes on the treadmill. I was angry so I kept walking faster then I'd set the speed for. So I kept to a very brisk walk and even ran a few times, granted not for long periods of time. I'm just so proud of myself for not falling into old traps and working hard. Of course, I felt so much better after my workout!

Cardio - Treadmill
20 minutes / 1.1 miles / 314 calories

Weight Training - Back/Biceps/Calves

Lateral Pull Down
1 warmup set 40 lbs 12 reps
3 sets 60 lbs 15 reps

Reverse Grip Lateral Pull Down

2 sets 60 lbs 15 reps

Alternate DB Bicep Curls
1 warmup set 5 lbs 12 reps
3 sets 7.5 lbs 15 reps

Alternate DB Hammer Curls
3 sets 7.5 lbs 15 reps

Standing Calf Press
1 warmup set 40 lbs 12
3 sets 60 lbs 15 reps

Cool Down 5 minutes Elliptical