Switch it up!

Have you ever been bored? If you’re perusing the web right now that may be the case. We’ve all been bored. Sometimes you can even get bored at the gym — no matter how many exercise options you have.

I mentioned in the last post that I get bored running. I love the results that running provides but I always find myself numbingly repeating an old Christmas song in my head. If you’ve seen the old claymation film Santa Clause is Coming to Town, then you know what I’m talking about. “Put one foot in front of the other and soon you’ll be walking out the door.” That’s about all running does for me. So what’s the point…?

Anything can be boring if you do it enough time. With exercise your muscles can get bored too. The past two weeks Rob has flipped our entire workout routine. We’re still working on the same muscle groups but in a completely different way. Instead of pushing bars, we’re pushing dumbbells; instead of using a machine, we’re doing pulls ups. It’s been really tough!

I thought I was getting to a point where the workouts were just another repetitive part of my day. I must say that switching it up has really invigorated the whole process. It almost feels like I’m starting a whole new training cycle. It’s fun, but not easy!

So if you’re bored with your workout, diet, schedule, whatever it may be… switch it up! For instance, maybe you usually run a couple miles on the treadmill. This week go for 30 minutes on the bike and do the elliptical backwards for 20 minutes. It will wake your body up and fuel your motivation.

I promise it works!

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." - Andy Warhol

I’ll be in Washington, D.C. this week visiting family and friends. I invite you to follow me on Twitter where I’ll be posting photos from my trip to our nation’s capital. (And yes, I’m going to try and get a workout in; my sister is an exercise phenom!)

- John

A New Challenge

I’ve decided... I’m taking this whole workout thing up a notch.

My initial weight loss goal was to reach less than 190 pounds. Yesterday was my lowest weigh-in yet — 192! I’m almost there. When I saw that I had just about reached my target, I realized it was time for me to set my sights on a new goal.

The biggest problem is deciding what that should be. I really don’t know what I want to do yet. I’ve been kicking around a few ideas including a sprint triathlon, an adventure race and long-distance biking. I’ve even though about trying out kickboxing. The better I feel physically, the more I want to do something to put my energy into. As you can see from the list, marathon isn’t on there. I just get bored running, so that’s out.

I want to ask my readers for some suggestions. What do you think I should do?

Leave a comment or a suggestion. I’ll pick one and write about the whole training process and maybe even post a little video from the event. I think this could be really fun. Anyone working out at Body-N-Motion is encouraged to join me.

Normally I leave you with one quote. In my search to find a quote about pushing your limits I came across two people who have truly overcome their limits.

“I seldom think about my limitations, and they never make me sad. Perhaps there is just a touch of yearning at times; but it is vague, like a breeze among flowers.” — Helen Keller

“They say the sky’s the limit. And to me that’s really true.” — Michael Jackson

- John

A Mark of Success!

During the holiday season, I put on some extra padding. I’d say it was there to keep me warm, but the truth is I was just getting rather large. How did I notice? Well, for one, my clothes weren’t fitting.

Loose T-shirts started becoming skintight. I literally only had one pair of dress pants I could fit in and my jeans basically were useless. So I did some shopping and bought some new, larger gear to accommodate that “extra padding.”

I have to mention this because I’ve come a long way since then — over 40 pounds of weight loss!

Just last night I was getting ready to go out and I had a clothing dilemma. The same pants that I bought to accommodate the weight gain were over 4 inches too big for me. There are two pair that I cannot even wear anymore.

So if you’re at the point where you feel like larger clothes is the only option. Don’t buy them! The best way to really feel comfortable in those clothes is to take on the challenge and give your body the exercise it needs. Trust me, it feels much better having to buy the smaller size!!

Quote: Milton Garland, “My advice is to go into something and stay with it until you like it. You can’t like it until you obtain expertise in that work. And once you are an expert, it’s a pleasure.”

— John

Be Willing to Wait for Results

It’s hard not to get distracted in the summer. After all, it’s summer time in Indiana... you’re supposed to be distracted. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve let my blog posting take a back seat to work and social activities. Today I’m jumping back on the wagon.

Even though I haven’t been keeping up with the blog, I still have been working out during that time. Rob at Body-N-Motion has been pushing me really hard the last few weeks and the results are starting to show. Seeing those results was just the motivation I needed to help me continue down this fitness path.

When you’re trying to lose weight or start a workout regimen, sometimes it feels like you’re just not getting anywhere. That’s why it’s important to stay away from the scales. As trainers will tell you, they are a terrible indicator of success. And chances are if you don’t see results on the scales — and you’re feeling stressed or less than enthusiastic about working out — you’re going to sabotage your efforts — no matter how dedicated you set out to be. Start staring at those scales or in the mirror, and you’ll just end up becoming more and more distracted and discouraged. So... DON’T DO IT!

When you’re tackling a long-term fitness challenge, it’s important to remember that patience and persistence are the keys to your success. We’ve all had that inspiring jolt where we feel like, “Tomorrow I’m going to change everything.” That attitude can really be inspiring until the next day, when you get up and realize... I didn’t change everything in one day!!! Well, I want to tell you, that’s OK.

If you’re serious about making or creating a positive change in your body/mind, you need to have a long-term plan of action to realistically achieve your desired level of success. The great thing about working with a personal trainer is that he or she can help you gauge that long-term plan and set up short-term goals to lead and encourage you along the way.

If you’re frustrated with a lack of results or overly eager awaiting them, remember this: Any physical change worth making needs to and will have a long and lasting impact on you personally and physically.

So plan accordingly, ask the experts and don’t be afraid to wait for the change you want to eventually see in the mirror.

All in good time

Quote: “We must learn to view change as a natural phenomenon — to anticipate it and to plan for it. The future is ours to channel in the direction we want to go ... we must continually ask ourselves, ‘What will happen if ... ?’ or better still, ‘How can we make it happen?’” — Lisa Taylor

~ John