Workout tips from a complete and utter amateur

Today was a beautiful day, and while I worked out, I felt joy. Not because it was an amazing 70 degrees, or because my son was happily playing and allowing me to walk uninterrupted. It was because I didn't want to do it. Make sense?




I felt completely devoid of energy when I woke up this morning. The whole time I was thinking that I could surely skip today. I just didn't feel like doing it. The source of my joy was the fact that despite my lack of desire, I got up, put on my shoes and started out the door. It's hard to describe how hard that is for me to do. Self-discipline is a real source of frustration for me. I know I'm not alone in that. It's as if I'm addicted to my bad habits and getting out of them is like quitting smoking (not that I've ever done that, but I hear from those who have that it's like cutting off an appendage).



So as I walked today, I thought about some of the things I've done to help myself along. Here are just a couple of them to get it started:



1) Pray. My faith is an integral part of my life. There isn't anything in this life that I've accomplished on my own. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is my reason for living so it makes sense that while I try to work on something that is so difficult for me, I ask for His guidance. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)



2) Use music as a motivator. Music is also very important to me. Have you ever been listening to a song and couldn't help but stand up and dance (or at least tap your toe)? I created a playlist on my ipod that is filled with songs like that. It's an energy injector and puts one foot in front of the other.



3) Find a way to measure your workout that's easiest for you. I found that timing it in the traditional way was making it harder for me. I would stare at the timer while on the treadmill or my watch if I was outside. It was like watching the calendar, waiting for your vacation to get here. It seemed to make the time completely drag by. So, it just hit me about the third day, that if I measured it by how many songs I had listened to, then it would successfully get me past the time I needed. And it wasn't like watching the seconds tick by on a watch. I do aerobic exercise for 10 songs. Since most songs are 3 - 4 minutes long, I know I'm getting at least 30 minutes in, and more often than not, more. Because I am enjoying the music, and because the playlist is set to shuffle making each new song a surprise, I look forward what's next. That would also work with audio books.



Again, I note that I'm no expert. I'm just trying to figure out a way to make the process easier for me. An expert might even disagree with me, but of the resources I've used over the years, the overwhelming majority say that you need to do what works best for you to get the job done. As I come up with new things, I'll be sure to share them! Now, I must work on another thing that's a bit hard to be motivated to do....laundry!