Top 3 Workout Tips
April Vlog #workout!
The Workout.
It's gotta be done. You just gotta keep your sense of humour and sweat through it.
Here's three wonderfully simple tips on how to power through.
#1 Keep a diary
Simple. Keep track of every day you workout. Some people keep training diaries and write down what they did, I just write a number. This tells me how many days I have worked out so far in the year.
Behold:
ad. infinitum....
It's just a number. But after a while, that little number accumulates power.
Because, well, let's look at what happens when you don't write it down.
It's been a back to back work week. You feel fat tired and ugly. Period bloat, and a chocolate and TV series binge have turned you into a blob. You can't remember what it feels like to be be fit and toned and motivated. Was that ever you?
Hah! If you had a workout diary, at this stage, all you would have to do is open it to find your last workout page.
Say, day #122? And BAM! The weight of your daily accomplishments snowballs into a motivational reminder that working out is indeed part of your DNA and just because you've had a time-out doesn't mean you can't very easily step out of your blobbiness and make it day #123.
You want proof? Earlier this year, I got my mom to start writing her workout days down. And recently, she came and visited me (in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) from England, where her cross-training machine has (for most of the time I've known it) lived out a lonely life in the spare room behind a busy clothes rack of coats.
She was a changed woman. She brought workout clothes, socks, trainers, and gave me a high five the day after her arrival (day #41) and left after her two week holiday with day#49 of 2017 written down in her diary. Go mum!
Just keep writing a new number down every day you work out.
It won't matter if you ever make it to day #365 because by the end of the year, whatever the number, you will have beautiful visual proof of all the work you put in to be fit, healthy and fabulous.
#2 Resist Distractions
Let's face it, there are danger zones all around us.
The first one you will have to face is the iPad, phone, or whatever device you may use when turning on your workout timer /video / tune.
Just RESIST the urge to 'have a quick look' at social media and save it for after your session.
Don't get caught in the wormhole of facebook scrolling and funny cat videos.
I've watched my sister spend half on hour on her phone before eventually getting around to her 15-minute workout ... sometimes she never even makes it that far, and just ends up ordering pizza.
So. Reward yourself with a post-workout selfie if you really have to. But don't touch that stuff until after you're done.
Other distractions might be less predictable. Treat mischievous siblings, husbands and cats that try to meow or talk to you when you are in your workout time zone like obstacles in a video game: Smile, acknowledge, but mentally dodge. Stay focused on one thing and one thing only - getting through your workout.
Keep your game face on.
They'll get the idea and get bored of trying to distract you and seek entertainment elsewhere.
#3 Get a workout buddy, even a Virtual one.
If you don't have a real life buddy to get you through the grit every day (or, more realistically, 4 -5 days a week), go virtual.
Either way, I find that having someone working on a set of exercises (on my iPad) makes me feel like "Well, they finished that set, so can I!"
My favourite workout buddy is Bodyrock TV. Actually, I started working out with Lisa Marie's HiitMax body rock back in .. what was it, 2011?
These days I follow my own routine, but like having her in the background so I can follow the timer to her sets and soak up her motivational energy!
Hearing someone roar 'Get yourself into beast mode!' every five minutes may not be your thing, but it works for me. :p
Another Fitness YouTuber I recently started following is Daniel Peazer.
She did a series of dance-workout videos for ICON UK, and I find them fun, simple and easy - especially great for when I'm short on time and just want to squeeze something into my day.
Anyway, there you have it!
Get rockin!