Keep Your Workout Fires Burning!

You’ve made your New Year’s resolutions, and have faithfully slogged through snow, slush, and freezing cold temperatures to get to the gym several times every week. What's going to keep you going when it gets hard? (And, it will get hard.). Typically, it will get hard when you’ve reached your goal, whether it is to lose 10 lbs for a wedding, achieve six-pack abs for a beach vacation, or to get in shape for a high school reunion. Suddenly, the motivation to workout is gone. Then, WHAM! You fall off the wagon and sit along the side of the road watching your ride disappear into the distant horizon. Have you been there? It’s okay – nearly everyone has.


The trick to keeping yourself on track and focused on long-term weight management/optimal health goals is figuring out what motivates you. If what motivates you is a trip or vacation 6 to 8 weeks out -- look out, you might be the one sitting on the side of the road soon. Why? Your motivation isn't intrinsic - that is, it isn't coming from within you. Rather, you are working toward a goal for external (and dare I mention, "short term") reasons. When all is said and done, and your goal is reached, you'll ditch your workout for your old routine of television and a bowl of Ben and Jerry's.


So how do you keep going? Do it for the right reasons: long-term health...because you want to feel great everyday for the rest of your life, and because setting an example for your kids is, as Martha would say, "a good thing." Oh, and because you can.


Tips for sticking with it…

Write down everything you like and dislike about your current routine. For example: Do you like how you feel after a workout? Do you like the tranquility and stress-free rhythm of running outdoors? Or, do you dislike giving up something else, such as a favorite television show, or an afternoon by the pool, in order to fit your exercise session in?


Next, add weight to the items on your list. That is, give each of your responses a numeric value equating it with how important it is. Here is a real life example: One of the things I like about exercise is the high I experience after a long run. I rank this an 8 or 9. I occasionally don’t like the time commitment, especially if it means I have to get up early in the morning to get the run in. I rank this a 6. My 8 outweighs the 6, so for now, I choose to focus on what I like about the workout (feeling good), as opposed to what I don’t like (getting up earlier to fit it in). By focusing on the positive outcome, my motivation for doing it remains high.


Consider a lifestyle approach to exercise and healthy eating. Rather than view your routine as an 8-12 week plan of attack, look at the smaller picture – aim to get 15-20 minutes of moderate physical activity today. That’s right – just focus on today. This “exercise” could be in the form of a family walk after dinner, or a 15-minute walk in the morning and a 15-minute walk in the evening. Break it down into manageable chunks, and take it one day at a time.


Make sure your goals align with your lifestyle. Nothing zaps motivation faster than goals that are out of reach. If you want to train for a distance event for example, but you only reasonably have thirty minutes per day to commit to training, perhaps your goal needs some tweaking. Choose a goal that matches the time you can reasonably commit to accomplishing it, and then make that goal a priority. Schedule training sessions just as you would any other important meeting or appointment, and hold yourself accountable for checking it off your daily task list.


Finally, if you get off track and must miss a few days, don’t derail completely. Jump right back in, focus on the day ahead, and don’t look back.



Diane Raymond is the Founder of Blue Sky Gym, a personal training business specializing in outdoor and in home personal training, lifestyle and weight management coaching, workshops and educational resources. She is a noted consultant, workshop presenter and freelance writer. Check out her daily musings about training, health, and personal fitness at http://www.blueskygym.com/blog and http://www.fitgirlinthecity.com/blog.

Drink Your Coffee, Work Out Harder

One of the latest and greatest studies that I have heard out there recently I feel that I must share with you. Not only is coffee my obsession and passion, but I am now finding out that it promotes exercise and relieves muscle soreness and pain! This may seem too good to be true, but I assure you, it is not. There was a small study showing that when a group of men cycled after having a few cups of coffee beforehand, then their results of pain and soreness were dramatically reduced. The simple reason behind this is that the caffeine in coffee blocks some of the chemicals your body makes when it is inflamed from exercise and soreness, so therefore, you are getting the benefit of the workout, without the nasty "workout hangover" afterward where you feel you can barely move from soreness and stiff muscles. I don't know about you, but this 100% makes me want to jump on an exercise bike and sip a latte. Seriously.