Rant and Tip for June 29, 2011

Good morning again. My focus today is motivation. Yesterday at work someone asked my how could I go to the gym everyday, to her it looks like everyday because I go during my lunch, they said “ For the past 2 years you have gone religiously and have not missed a day.” I informed them I have missed a day here and there but yes they are few and far between. I continued on to say that, everyone needs to find his or her own motivation. In the beginning mine was to just get physically fit enough to play with my kids and try to get a six pack back for abs. As I continue to work out and got stronger motivation came in the form of watching the changes in my body. I also keep a fat picture in my cell phone to remind me how easy it is to get back out of shape. Most people will have periods where their motivation and confidence in themselves will wane. In the beginning it is easier to stay motivated because you can see the external changes in your body and these changes are motivating. However as you become more fit these changes become harder to notice and at times people will tend to think, why should I train so hard I am not seeing the results I want. At this point it is a good Idea to look a little deeper in yourself. Notice how the training is making you feel at that moment. Take note of the strength gains you have had and remember as you get closer to your goal in weight loss say with in those last ten pounds your body it going to resist losing it. It is going to be hard to lose those last ten than it was losing the first fifty or more. At this point you may want to switch any goals you had set and regarding weight loss and concentrate more on putting lean muscle mass on. This will get your metabolism cranking and since you won’t be stressing over losing the last ten, your body will release less cortisone into your body, which inhibits fat loss. Cortisone is a steroid hormone, or glucocorticoid, produced by the adrenal gland. It is released in response to stress. Phew, how did I get from motivation to hormones that make losing fat more difficult? We all need to find the things that motivate us. Being a little narcissistic I enjoy seeing the striations in the muscles when I work it. I enjoy seeing how the muscle works and when it is used. If you no longer feel motivated analyze the situation and find something else that motivates you.


Have a great workout!

Tip:

If you can feel yourself wanting to skip a workout, you can stop and take the time to write down what you're feeling at that point. Then, if you do in fact skip the workout, write down again two or three hours later what you feel. Don't let yourself hold anything back while doing this - you should down what thoughts are running through your mind. Then, do the same for days when you do proceed to do your workout so you can clearly see the difference between the two. In many cases you figure out what is happening on the days you are less motivated and avoid those triggers.