Haha True, I'm just getting back into it. I'll add lifting eventually. I usually do strength training along with some DVDs I have.
that will work.. landscaping again today. back shoulders and abs tomorow
Haha True, I'm just getting back into it. I'll add lifting eventually. I usually do strength training along with some DVDs I have.
Cool. Landscaping is a great work out in itself. Now I have to get my 8 pound dumbbells back from someone who "borrowed" them.that will work.. landscaping again today. back shoulders and abs tomorow
Starting a new position so i'm going to chill at the gym for another week. Fire back up next Saturday. Just want to make sure my body is fresh for work this week.
There's a soreness that comes with working out when you're not used to it, but it hurts so good. heheExercise was incredibly helpful for me. The routine of lifting weights gave me something to focus on, something to do, a task which I could do and do well. I grew up in competitive gymnastics, so I'm pretty blessed to have a body that can get back in shape very easily, it's all very familiar to me. When you're in shape, the endorphins after a heavy lifting session, are blissful. In fact, I think I should really get back into a solid routine. I kind of loved being sore and having regular progress.
Once my mind recovered after a year of nothing but gym and staying healthy, I could play guitar again, and now I'm back to uni. I am so lucky to have done so much exercise all my life, I really doubt that I'd be here otherwise.
I think for most people, the more intense the workout the better the results, as long as you keep consistency. The body just adapts to what is required of it. A mild workout will give mild results. Whereas pushing yourself and doing a little bit more than you think you can cause growth and adaptation. There's a nice flow of intensity that comes with experience, you just listen to your body. Sure there's a period where you'll be sore and run down, but only for a short time, then you get stronger and start to love it.
For people who don't exercise though I can see how that might scare them off. Psychological barriers of "it's too hard" / avoiding 'pain'. The pain of inaction is worse than action. Exercise is so crucial to my mental performance/wellbeing, once it became a necessity for recovery/survival, it was very easy (beats sitting at home thinking about drugs/feeling sorry for yourself). Once you're fit, it becomes enjoyable, it's really a shorter journey than people think. Make the commitment for a year, two, three, however long it takes you, then you're in the habit and benefits compound.
How do I capture that for the rest of my life? Lol I don't know. It's like all or nothing with me. It's so annoying! I have a hard time pacing myself. Point taken though. Thanks.Hey C2C.. Your spirit encompasses fire. Peek at wisdom and patience to spice that fire. A long term plan that involves smaller incremental steps may result in a permanent change in your life. Consider starting a little slower and working your way into well this what I do. You know your going to look good and feel great. Now how do you capture that for the rest of your life?
I also have that "all or nothing" mentality. Maybe it allows us to avoid failure and feeling weak. Because we know we didn't really try anyway, right? If I'm not going to win I won't do anything! We know we could if we wanted to? What "motivation" are we looking for? Do we need to feel driven to do something?
I used to think I wanted to look good, but now that I do, it hasn't changed much, the benefits I get are mostly from when I'm regularly working out, it just makes me feel good. I love being able to run whenever I want, have the energy to do things on a whim.
It was a good motivator, to begin with, but now it doesn't really matter to me.
Building consistency is very important: I tend to do 12 weeks of heavy lifts, then 6-12 weeks of home workouts/exercise when I feel like it/ride the bike/stretching, etc.
I don't plan it that way, but it seems to work well.
It's hard to invest time when everything is so immediate these days.
I suppose doing something like 2 days heavy lifts (work your way up, slow and steady, good form, etc.) and 1 day of cardio/general stuff would work pretty well. I think if you have a smart routine: 3 x 30-minute sessions a week will be way more valuable than you think. Especially once you get to 12 weeks of hitting all your sessions.
Focus on the feeling within your body, squeezing and releasing, breathing. Almost like a meditation routine. Feel it and just go through the motions, sometimes you've just got to get it done.
Go because you are looking after yourself and because you want the natural energy and endorphins that come from it.
I guess my biggest motivator is just that I look back on my overall health and it's much better when I'm lifting.
I'm trying to remember that my current mindset doesn't always know what's best for me. The thoughts I get are usually weakness telling me to take the easy way out, coming up with excuses. I have extremes of "work as hard as possible" - competition mindset, and "I don't care, I'll just lie around". It's very easy to be lazy.
It's bizarre that I will try so damn hard in many situations and feel a lot of pressure from myself to perform, but then because of that intensity, I avoid things. It's like I can't turn off my own expectations, I'm so disappointed if I'm not above average in everything.
Just thought this might resonate with your "all or nothing" mentality. I'm interested to read what your perspective is.