In an affort to expand the content on my new blog, I will be inviting some friends to share their personal fitness related experiences.
This post is written by Jody, a friend I've known for a while. After marrying a good friend of mine and having a few kids, she decided to get fit, and currently works as a fitness trainer.
Motivating your own self can be the hardest thing to do when tired, overwhelmed with so many other obligations, or even just time constrained ( just to name a few reasons ). You may have a trainer to motivate you, or have a friend to workout with.These are definitely big helps.
But either way, it's up to you to make the best of the time spent on the workout.
Initially, you're the one who has to decide to do this workout. You must be dressed appropriately and really be telling yourself over & over again how this is really important to get done.
Have your goal in mind. Have the intent & your workout in mind. Make a plan of attack, and don't let anything stop you. This is serious, this is war! Our laziness, war to destroy the fat!
I sometimes just tell myself that I will only do a little and trick myself into getting into that fitness feeling. Once I start to feel my own adrenaline kick in, and body heating up, with sweat on my skin, I at that point am not in danger of letting laziness take me over.
We all have to fight the urge to not reach our goals. It's a challenge. We must push ourselves to reach higher levels and not give up on ourselves. Believe in yourself and don't listen to the chatter in the gym, as those who chat are not as focused as you are.
You're
Doing this for yourself and know one else. Having said that you will become sexier than you thought, because you weren't focused on being sexy. You were focused on doing each exercise to its fullest, with proper posture and breathing.
Sexiness is a byproduct of being fit. Being fit comes as your first priority.
Never loose sight of that and never let it slip through your fingers. You will prevail one day at a time, one workout at a time.
Achieving the proper mindset to get motivated to workout is probably one of the most important steps in being able to achieve one's goals when it come to fitness training. Like anything else in life that requires effort, it's only too easy to come up with valid excuses on why today, this week or this month isn't good. From being tired or overworked, to having a busy lifestyle schedule, a human being inherent laziness is always ready to intercede on your behalf to disrupt any positive effort required to make the necessary changes.
For many forty something individuals such as myself, the everyday grind of juggling between responsibilities both at home and at work, are often the culprit. It's only too easy to lay blame on these factors, but laying blame won't get you in any better physical shape. Recognizing, understanding, and internalizing this, and you've conquered the first step to making positive changes in your life.
Speaking from personal experience, unlike quitting smoking or changing bad eating habits, working out requires a lot more physical effort. While it may be hard enough to train oneself to ignore a craving for nicotine or junk food, once you're at it for a while, it becomes second nature. Exercise on the other hand, requires 100% effort every time you train,no matter how tired you feel or how busy you may be.
Here are a few pointers to help with motivation:
1) Make the time to work out, and make it sacred. Set aside 1 hour per day at your most convenient time, and dedicate it to working out come hell or high water. If it means waking up earlier, do so.
2) Set goals to achieve. Whether increasing the amount of repetitions / weight, beating a previous speed record when running, biking swimming, etc.
3) Vary your workout routine. Your muscles need time to recover between workouts, so I alternate between 3-4 routines, and allow 1 day of total rest per week. As an example, I'll try to cycle 2-3 days per week, and circuit train on the other days. I'll also vary my circuits between strength training to endurance training style exercises. To help prevent injury, make sure to warm up for at least 15 minutes before, and cool down / stretch for a good 5 to 10 minutes when done. The cool down period also is not only physical, but mental as well, and helps put your frame of mid back into your everyday routine.
4) Make your workout routine fun. I like to cycle on scenic routes, or combine my biking with fishing, one of my main hobbies. I do my strength and endurance circuits in my home office, so I blast my favorite tunes when doing so. On the odd occasion where a certain muscle may be sore or strained, switch up your routine to accommodate whatever situation you may be dealing with.
5) Chart your results. I keep a spreadsheet of my weight loss/gain on a daily basis, and it also contains much of my workout routines, time logged, etc. It make for some great references to see what trends work well over time.
6) Motivation tips. I tend motivate myself than stepping on a scale every morning, then planning my workout based on a combination of weather conditions, d how I feel on a given day, and what I've been doing for the couple days leading up to it. During a proper workout, it's totally normal to feel gassed every now and then. Often, the lactic acid buildup in your muscles will burn, and once in a while you'll reach a point where you may feel like your going to explode. I use these moments to try and push even harder instead of easing up, and over time, the results are very noticeable. Don't be afraid to push harder than ever before, every time you work out.
7) Admire your results. Every once in a while, admire your body in a mirror, or show off your results to your significant other or friends. After all, it isn't during the workout that you're going to feel great, it's after.
8) Lastly, always remember that the mental challenge is a lot tougher than the physical challenge. Even if you feel a bit tired or unmotivated when getting started on any given day, that usually wear off a few minutes into the routine. Don't cut corners, stick with your planned routine, and give it your all every time out. I guarantee you'll be happy with the results.
Being a long time fan of combat sports like boxing and mixed martial arts, it's only natural that one of the most enjoyable workouts for me over the years, has been boxing with my Wavemaster punching bag.
I bought my wavemaster a good 12 years ago or so. After originally setting it up indoors in a residential setting, I quickly realize a few issues that prompted me to move it outdoors.
1) The noise level is unbelievable when hitting a bag that size with that sort of power. The neighbors came running within minutes of my fort round with it indoors.
2) The Wavemaster will naturally wobble around as you hit it, and will keep moving if left on a flat, smooth surface. Great way to destroy a carpeted or wood floor, on viable option would probably be a warehouse style concrete floor.
After moving it out, I have put it to good use outdoors during all 4 seasons of the year. In boxing practice with a punching bag, you can control the intensity of your workout by altering your pace gears as required. During the dead of our Canadian winter, I've managed to go at it with enough in intensity to have me in a t-shirt, with steam rising off my body in sub zero temperature. Spring and fall are manageable, but during summer, early morning workouts still need to be less intense, especially on those hot, smoggy, dog days of summer.
The set up is fairly simple. The Wavemaster base can be filled with either sand or water. I chose water in order to be able to move if to different location as required. Once filled, it will weigh close to 275 lbs or so, giving plenty enough resistance to most of your punches. I usually leave the base in place year round, and simply remove the "bag", which is basically a strong cylinder core surrounded by foam padding and an outer leather/vinyl shell.
I've added images of my various villains that I use for motivation, and coated them with layers of clear tape, which probably reinforce the outer shell as well. As you can see, the assorted villains have taken quite a beating by my fists over the years.
First step to a Wavemaster workout, if to watch some footage of how to properly throw basic punches like jabs, crosses and hook. Proper form is important, though not necessarily essential.
Next, make sure you are properly warmed up. I typically do a 10 to 20 minute warmup routine indoors, followed by a god 25 to 30 minute intense body weight / dumbell circuit. Though it uses more energy than one would before a fight, The Wavemaster doesn't hit back, and I like to ensure that my entire body is properly warmed up, to avoid injury.
Though you can punch with your bare hands, I prefer to use hand wraps and light boxing gloves, which allow me to put a lot more power into my punches with much less chance of breaking my hand or wrists.
Keep a water bottle nearby for hydration, a towel to towel down between rounds. A stop watch to time your rounds comes in handy, and a boombox with your favorite workout music makes it more enjoyable.
I aim for 5 or 6 rounds, usually about 3 minutes each. I start off with some light jabbing and punching, then to a couple round focussing more on speed and accuracy rather than full power. I work in increasing punch combinations of jabs, crosses and hooks, thrown both a head and body level of my target. I also switch stances from orthodox (left hand/foot first) to southpaw (right hand/foot first), to work out and practise punching from both sides evenly. Elite boxers switch stances at times during fight, but for the most part they stick to their natural stance, which would be orthodox for right handed people, and southpaw for lefties.
Once I've gone though a couple rounds, my heart rate is increased, and by body has warmed up / tuned in to punching mode. This is where the fun comes in, where I'm putting close to full power into every punch. I'll aim for a least 200 punches per round, often throwing more. So over a full workout, I'll throw between 1000 and 1500 punches, depending on the length of me boxing session.
Once done with the wavemaster, I store the bag in a dry space to keep it out of the rain. Then make sure to properly do some full body stretching for a good 10 minutes or so, as proper cooldown is important to recovery.
He is a short video clip I shot of myself using the Wavemaster punching bag, should give you a rough idea of what it's like.
One of the more enjoyable ways to stay fit and in good shape is cycling. Ever since I was a child, I've always enjoyed getting on my bike and riding the various routes, dedicated bike lanes, and trails in the Montreal area. Over the past 10-15 years, Montreal has become quite the bike friendly city, with reserved bike lanes and trails popping up all over the place.
Though most serious cyclists prefer road bikes, my primary concern when biking is comfort. I'll gladly give up speed and the ability to ride 100 km days for the comfort of my double suspension mountain bike. Though you lose some cranking power when pedaling hard or going uphill, I don't need to concern myself with wearing those funny looking padded shorts, nor with my bike shattering to pieces riding over our terrible roads or rougher trails.
In comparison to my other workout circuits, biking / cycling has proven the most effective for weight loss. During extended periods of time where I was forced to stay away from weights due to injuries, I lost a decent amount of weight simply putting in more time on my bike.
For motivation, I time my rides, trying to beat my previous bests for any given trail almost every time I ride. Keeps me pushing and panting, especially when riding uphill. Beating a previous record every now and then re-assures me that I'm on the right path to staying fit.
Living not too far from Mount Royal, I incorporate a decent amount of uphill trails into most of my cycling hours. The mountain itself has a nice wide trail all the way around it, and there are various roads that cut through the different slopes and peaks.
My favorite ride is cutting through the Notre Dame des Neiges cemetery from Decelles, then exiting it at Camillien Houde, right across Beaver Lake. From there it a few minutes ride up to the peak where the radio towers are, via the Mount Royal trail (Chemin Olmstead).
Typically stop to stretch on my way back down at the Chalet Du Mont Royal lookout.
Other decent rides up and down other segments of Mount Royal go through the upper scale residential areas of Westmount. Ascending from the North slope, Victoria, to Sunnyside, to Gordon Crescent, will lead you to Summit Circle. Not as long of a ride from where I live near Decarie / Van Horne, but a bit more of an intense uphill ride.
Lastly, most of the roads going South from the Boulevard are quite steep. Very quick acceleration downhill, and a short but intense uphill on any of the roads between Grosvernor and Clarke once you pass Sherbrooke and climb back up.
Aside from the mountain trails, I often combine biking with fishing. I can hit the Lachine canal trail within less than 25 minutes, and although fishing there is tough, I am able to run and gun many spots within an hour or so, just perfect for a short bike n fish break during my work day. Biking to the canal and back involves climbing Mount Royal with some fishing gear on my back, which ads to the workout.
The Lachine Canal trail runs about 12.5 kilometers from it's starting point on the Lachine/Lasalle border, and runs along the canal into Old Montreal. The trail tens to get very busy on weekends, so I try to bike it only during the week during work hours during peak season. Various waterfront parks to stop at along the way, a bike rental/repair shop, and of course, plenty of spots to cast your line. The canal is accessible from various points, I typically hit it by climbing Mount Royal, crossing lower Westmount into Ville St Henri, than then heading West towards Ville St Pierre, or East towards Little Burgundy. See map at: https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.4589907,-73.6019523,13.47z
Alternatively, I can fish the Riviere des Prairies by crossing St Laurent and Cartierville, a bit more of a steady flat ride without much incline. Less scenic, but still a good cardio workout. Gouin Boulevard runs along the waterfront, and certain segments of it further East have some bike trails.
Additionally, there are some nice trails off the island that require driving to by car.
The Soulanges Canal bike trail West of Montreal Runs 24 KM from Pointes Des Cascades to Les Coteaux (Coteaux Landing). Scenic paved trial runs along the South side of the canal trhough wooded area, much less bike or foot traffic than the Lachine Canal trail.
See map at: https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.3288924,-74.1091795,12.5z
Lastly, the longest dedicated bike trail in our region is the Linear park / Ptit train du Nord, that runs 200 KM from St Jerome up to Mont Laurier. Originally an old rail track, it was turned into a bike trail after the trains stopped running. Much of it is a well managed dirt trail, though the Northern segments are paved. It runs mainly through forest, with some very scenic rivers and lakes along the way. As it passes through many small villages, stopping for a bite, drink or other leisure activities, is only minutes away. A yearly access fee of $15 is no longer in effect, so it's free to ride.
