This is how I feel this morning:
Did anyone else have a rough night of sleep last night? I was tossing and turning all night long. I feel like I didn't even sleep, which surprisingly made getting out of bed relatively easy, since I wasn't actually asleep when my alarm went off.
My commute to the gym was a piece of cake, and I made it in record time (the T was empty), but I was seriously doggin' it in my step class this morning. I had no energy and my legs felt like they weighed a million pounds. (Don't ya hate that?) I was feeling a little bit better in the Body Express class, but I still felt weak trying to lift the free weights. I apologize for being such a complainer this morning! On a positive note: I feel good about making it to the gym and taking a class! :)
My Starbucks iced coffee with soy milk definitely motivated me through my workout! I was fantasizing about it while practically dying in step class!
At work, I had some cantaloupe and strawberries...
and a packet of Kashi instant oatmeal with high-fiber cereal and a scoop of peanut butter. This breakfast never gets old!
Question of the Day
What motivates you during a workout when you are doggin' it? How do you push past that no energy/blah feeling?
Monday, August 11, 2008
Doggin' It
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38 Comments:
Hah im totally with ya- when i need some "umph" to get through it, I totally think about what I want for post-workout eats...and how good i'll feel after a nice sweaty workout and shower :) hope you get a little pep in your step! Happy monday!
hi tina!
just curious what these classes you take at the gym are like... i know that after an hour long fitness class at my gym, i am pooped! can't imagine how you make it through TWO!
anyways, when i'm struggling through my morning runs, i just try and think about how good it will feel the rest of the day knowing that my workout is DONE! especially at 5:00 when i can just relax and not hit the gym!
ugh i feel like that this morning too! sometimes i think to myself 'no pain, no gain!' haha that's what my mom always tells me when i complain about being sore from a workout. group classes help me work through the pain too rather than working out alone
Great question! I go through everything else I have to do that day and think about how this workout will enhance how I feel later. For example, if I know I'll be going to a Happy Hour, then I think about that while running in the morning and think how much better I'll feel having a glass of wine, knowing I already burned some calories that morning.
What a cute dog!!! I'd say I definitely struggle to keep motivated when I'm having one of those days... I'd say just the idea of how good I'll feel afterwards, the great meal I'll have, and the benefits I'm reeling in for my body motivates me... but some days you really can't make it through what-so-ever... when your body is just yelling "STOP!"... those are the worst!
I totally know that feeling, and it is TOUGH. Sometimes I get A.D.D. and just bounce around from machine to machine to get myself a little variation, but mostly I just remind myself how amazing I will feel after. And if I've managed to get myself to the gym in the first place, I'm already more than halfway through the battle.
if you can make it to the gym, you can do it. if i get really bored. i just stop and jump on another machine, a workout is a workout.
i don't always listen to my ipod so i can go and get that if i need a little pick me up.
if possible, i will talk to anyone! around me and tell them i don't want to be here and they will help me through, i go to a very small gym and the same people are there every morning.
i just started a new routine at the gym this morning so i shouldn't be bored for awhile.
Awww. Too bad you weren't on the beach like that pug!
I had the same feeling this morning and I blame the nasty weather. Usually, I just think of how good I will feel when I am done to get me through that blah feeling. If that healthy mindedness doen't work, I bribe myself with a Starbucks latte.
- Heather
OMG I MISS STEP SOOOO MUCH! *insert sad face here* :(
Ever since my fracture I have to be so careful since it was in the ball and heel of my right foot, but I hope that I'll be able to get back on the risers soon! :) Let's see... For me, the struggle is sometimes just a mental barrier that, once I've gotten onto a machine or onto my yoga mat, I'm totally good to go! :) I'm totally a happy happy camper once I'm finally moving :) (Objects in motion stay in motion... lol) But yeah, I just have to get my foot in the door and then it's smoothe sailing!
(PS) For some reason I just thought about those toys called "Skip It"... Do you remember how much fun they were? What a FUN and NOSTALGIC workout that would be! Haha, ohh the randomeness of my morning thoughts sometimes... hehehe
Have a Great Day Beauty, and GREAT JOB powering through that workout! ;)
i love motivational quotes... i post them on my blog (seebriderun.blogspot.com) all the time. sometimes when i get really tried, i repeat a quote in my head like a mantra, and it usually gives me the extra OOMPH!
:)
I split it up into little chunks in my head. So if I'm in spinning, I'm like, only about four more songs - that's nothing, four songs go by so fast when I'm just listening to my iPod. Or if I'm on the elliptical/treadmill, I focus on getting through ten minutes at a time.
I actually like classes because I can't quit early, I'd feel like a loser to walk out!
Good for you for getting a workout in despite a rough night and feeling blah! i hope u feel proud of yourself :)
When I dont feel like working out i picture myself looking untoned in a dress or bathing suit and that usually makes me drag myself to the gym or out for a nice long run!
Hello, just wondering if you found anything out about wheat germ storage? I didn't really find any helpful information when I googled it.
I slept horribly 2 nights ago and so did at least 3 other people. I swear it's the moonlight that's messing with our rhythms. Do you have a sleep mask? They put me RIGHT to sleep.
Tina, I've been following the blog for a few months but never left a comment, so first of all thank you for the hard work you're putting into it! Love your questions of the day...they're a great way to facilitate constructive comments/discussions.
I'm with everyone who motivates themselves by thinking of how they will feel after a workout. Usually, by the time I've gone to the gym or out for a walk/run/skate/whatever, and come home and showered, that blah feeling is long gone and I've set myself up for a much better day. Whereas, if I choose not to exercise, the blah-ness usually just persists. I often will set an "easy" goal for myself, for example, less time or intensity than usual. Sometimes once I get started I really get into it and end up increasing my time or intensity, but if not then I feel like some exercise is better than none at all! Another trick that sometimes works for me is challenging myself to keep up a higher intensity then usual, and cutting back my time if I am able to do so. The exception--if I truly feel burnt out/exhausted/sore from a few days of intensive workouts, then I will just give myself a rest and get back into my routine the next day.
Laura,
I found this on the web:
"Because of its unsaturated fat content, wheat germ goes rancid easily, especially if it's raw. Fresh wheat germ should smell something like toasted nuts, not musty. Unopened, a sealed jar of wheat germ will keep about one year on the shelf. Always store opened wheat germ in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container, where it'll keep up to nine months."
Now I am starting to wonder if my wheat germ is okay to eat! Anyone else know what's up with storing wheat germ?
hey there! great blog! yay for making it to the gym when you don't feel like it, AND when you didn't get a restful night's sleep! have a good day!:)
Haha, that photograph is too funny :0D
I slept in sooo long this morning, which is NOT like me at all - guess my body needed the rest!!
To answer your question, I always remind myself of how I feel after kickboxing, dancing, strength-training - I feel alive, elated, and just all around GOOD :0)
Hey Tina,
Way to go on chugging through despite the lack of energy!! The fact that I get to have some alone time - I am a stay at home mommy - really motivates me to get my butt in gear and get the blood pumping. I love my "job" but I do also like to have some time to myself and if I don't take advantage of that small window of opportunity I usually do not get the chance again until my little one is asleep. Yeah, right, then I have to do laundry, dishes & attempt to pay attention to my husband, so see I really have to seize the moment.
Happy Monday!!
Found your blog this weekend and I love it already. I saw the pic today and had to comment. I love pugs! :)
I enjoy reading about your routine. I live abroad right now and while we have a gym to go to and great foods to eat, I find I miss my old routine from when I was in the States.
Usually if I'm feeling unmotivated I make a deal with myself that I only have to do 20 min instead of 30 min. It gives me the motivation to get to the gym and I end up doing more anyway. :)
I definitely am one to think about how great I feel later when working out. Also, I break up my runs a lot and have ever since my high school cross country days of 5K's because 3 miles was so easy to break up and being 2/3's is a lot nicer that 1/2. I also use inspirational songs even if they may be silly...like Ace of Base "no ones gonna break my stride", Air "Run", and the worst-All American Rejects "Move Along"...Oh and fitness podcasts work too!
What motivates me is thinking about how much better I'll feel after a good workout!
When I don't feel like working out I'll also motivate myself with the reward of being able to read an awesome book on the elliptical!
I always try to think about how I will feel after I'm done. I know even if I do a lighter work out it is better than nothing. I wish I could make it through 2 classes when I was motivated to work out! good for you :)
Maybe wheat germ is like ground flax. I wasn't sure what happens to flax when it "goes bad," and when I looked it up I found it loses its nutrtional value, but is ok to eat. I would love to know for sure about flax and wheat germ.
man I want a dog now!
I had the weirdest dreams last night too!!! They should have been nightmares (like people chasing me and stuff) but I wasn’t scared. Almost like I was in a movie or something. Anyway, I had them like that all night long, so it was a rough morning of no sleep.
What motivates me when I am doggin’ it---The hope that the workout will make me shake off the doggin’ it feeling. Even if I don’t go my hardest at the gym, simply breaking a sweat typically makes me feel more energized.
sweets&sweats
Wheat germ is NOT OK to eat once it goes bad. I landed myself 2 days in the hospital with a terrible food poisoning from wheat germ that had gone bad. When in doubt, throw it out!
Thanks Tina and also Mo! So I'm thinking I'll keep it in the fridge but if it ever smells musty and not nutty then I won't eat it.
Whenever I feel blah (like this morning for example!), I just remind myself of how awesome I'll feel after I get my exercise done! I do my cardio in the morning before I do anything else and it gives me SO much energy for the rest of the day. It also helps that my pre-workout meal is my favorite food, which is chicken and FF cheese in a low carb wrap with LOTS of mustard and a pickle. It makes me get up just thinking about eating it! :)
Yep! Last night was the exact same for me. I must have slept, because I'm not totally exhausted today, but I certainly felt like I was laying awake in bed all night.
I was also able to get up for my first morning workout today, though! And somehow I'm still not completely zonked. I'm looking forward to sleeping well tonight! Let's keep our fingers crossed!
Hi there, I found your site through KERF- anyway, with the Olympics around, I've been having major American pride- especially with athletes such as Michael Phelps and all of our female gymnasts! I imagine how much effort they put into doing their best and pushing themselves as hard as they can with each event, and it amazes me what their bodies can do! It gives me so much motivation to get on that elliptical and push!
The thought of my delicious breakfast-to-come motivates me through a workout when I'm not feeling good.
I always workout in the AM before breakfast (I don't like to eat before my workout), and the thought of a comforting meal gets me through.
I'm sorry you had a rough night, that's NEVER fun.
i think about my jeans...... and how they don't fit as i want them to!
I feel that unmotivated this morning too! But I nearly always feel worse if I don't get out there for a run/bike/swim/whatever than if I do. Plus, my schedule is so hectic I know realistically if I don't get it done in the morning it won't happen, and then I'll feel lousy for wimping out.
With that said, I tell myself I only have to get out for 15 minutes, then if I really can't, I have permission to go home. I can't think of the last time I actually *went* home - I keep going for over 1 hour!
But if its really burnout, I know its best to rest for a few days so I can come back stronger.
I had horrid sleep last night as well but surprisingly had energy to work out earlier.
To answer your answer: I will envision myself being stronger/better after my workout or tell myself that it's the last cardio for today etc. Basically trying to psycho myself.
I forgot to add that I always fantasize about my post workout meal to get me going. :)
PUGGIE! soooooooo cute. I am emailing this photo to my husband - right now - saying :see, this is why we need a 3rd pug=baby. We need a fawn!
soooooooo cute!
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