The one about lacking the motivation

This past weekend was doozie for me.  I didn’t really want to talk to anyone, do anything, or even concentrate on television.  I completely lacked the motivation to move.  All I wanted to do was sit on the couch and maybe watch some television, but that was a BIG maybe.

I don’t know what put me in this horrible mood, but it happened.  Last Friday I decided I needed a work out break because my workouts that week sounded like I was ordering hamburgers from Wendy’s:  triple (M), double (Tu), triple (W) and double (Th).  When Saturday morning came around I had every intention of doing my long run, but I just couldn’t do it.  It was still a bit raining so I decided to go to spin and do some weight training.  When I got to the gym, I immediately starting talking myself out spin but I would still do the weight training.  Yes, I did walk into the spin room and then I walked out and then I walked back in.

Halfway through class I was glad that I took the plunge to stick it out even though I was DYING.  Finishing the class made it much easier to go to Group Power.  Usually, I am the person that has to be stopped from working out 7 days a week.  Saturdays are usually my fun day because I do long runs and just enjoy the weekend.  This particular Saturday, I talked myself out of it very quickly.  I’m not totally convinced that if my friend hadn’t seen me sitting outside the spin class that I would have gone back in.  What was my problem?

People always say listen to your body when it comes to working out too much or just needing a rest day.  Everyone SHOULD listen to your body because it knows when enough is enough.  In this case, my body wasn’t the issue, it was my mind.  The mind is a powerful thing and it can be your best friend or your greatest enemy.  Saturday, my mind was not my friend and my body had to take over control.

When I run and I feel like I want to stop I always tell myself, “Your mind says quit before your body does.”  A friend told me that not too long ago and now I pass it on to you.  I know I would have been upset with myself if I didn’t get my Saturday workout in because I let my mind psych me out.

Don’t let yourself defeat YOU.  Push to be better than you were the day before and continue to grow everyday!  When you’re in a funk, exercise will usually help guide you to a better place.  Unfortunately, I stayed in my funk the rest of the weekend and I did sit on the couch the remainder of the day.  But I got my workout in and that is all that mattered.  If sitting on my couch, AFTER my workout, was what I needed to heal my soul, it was okay to do so.

We all have bad days; it’s how we deal with those days that define us.  Having a bad day isn’t a bad thing and even if I would have skipped my workout it would have been ok.  I would have survived to see another bad day.  Tomorrow is a new day to start fresh.  The musical Annie taught us all a valuable lesson: “The sun will come out tomorrow…” So we can get up, shake off the dust and start all over again!

Everything Is New Again

Everything Is New Again

Losing the weight has been one of the biggest accomplishments in life. Everything seems so attainable and there is nothing I feel like I can’t do. I’m opening up more to people which means I’m making new friends. I’m trying new things, so I am developing new interests. Most importantly, I’m taking risks that I never would have taken before when I was larger. It’s amazing just how different I am from before. Losing the weight was just not a physical change, it was a mental and emotional change also. People look up to me as this great inspiring force…

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