Saturday, June 5, 2010

What motivates you to get your ass outta bed to workout?

I went through a period where the only thing that motivated me to get out of bed at 6am (sometimes earlier! eek) to workout was FOOD. If I get up, then I can EAT. So I'd sluggishly walk to the kitchen for handfuls of Kashi Go Lean cereal, spoonfuls of peanut butter and anything else that looked good. OK, so this was a problem for a couple reasons. Even though I had already eaten more than a sufficient amount of calories for breakfast pre-workout, I'd still want to sit down for my real meal afterwards. (Double the calories, double the tummy rolls. No thank you!) And of course this little snacking habit was not economical; I can't even remember the last time I bought Kashi cereal--that shit is EXPENSIVE. But, I think I have found a solution to this problem.

So you know when your alarm goes off, but you're so tired that you think that beeping noise is just in your dreams? Well that happened to me on Friday at 5:30am. I seriously could not figure out for the life of me where the noise was coming from--all I knew is that I wanted it to stop. After what seemed like ten minutes later, I finally snapped out of it and turned off my alarm. My head felt cloudy (no I was not hungover) and my whole body was just exhausted, but since I hadn't exercised much all week, I knew I needed to do something.

And something I did. I told myself I'd just go for a walk and see what happens, in the hopes that I'd eventually start running. Well I took off down Fifth Avenue and ten blocks later I was still walking. Another ten blocks, walking. I just didn't have it in me to run. Sometimes you just gotta push through and DO IT, but my body seriously felt incapable of any sort of strenuous activity. I always kinda thought it was BS when yoga teachers said to "listen to your body" and rest when you need it--I mean, who really wants hold a side plank or full wheel for 60 seconds? (Acutally, I'm kind of the bomb at both poses, but you know what I mean.) But, I think there's something to that--you need to know what to push yourself and when to back off.

So now I've learned that it doesn't have to be all or nothing when it comes to working out. I just need to get my ass UP, and taking the pressure off myself to go balls to the wall (yes I said it) every time I lace up my sneakers will help me do just that. And actually, I think the walk on Friday was just what I needed because my run this am was awesome! (Hello sweaty Ellen! Well, that pic is a helluva lot better than this one. Whoa.)

So tell me: What motivates you to get outta bed to workout when you're really not feeling it? Any tips or tricks to share?

10 comments:

  1. It's actually simple. I want to stay as youthful and fit as possible but, being a person who loves all types of food, I have to hit the gym or the park if I want to continue to enjoy those foods. It's a small price to pay to enjoy life a little more.

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  2. The hottest guy in the gym goes in at 5 am. So I've been hitting it too. Today, I randomly woke up (on a SATURDAY) and thought, man I'd like to go for a run. It's hot as all get out in Atlanta so I popped into the gym. At 8 am who walks in but my gym crush! He promptly hops on the machine next to me and chats me up. I went an extra mile for him!

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  3. I am so loving your blog! I'm not really a morning worker outer, but if I need to fit it in early what normally motivates me is that fact that I will be DONE! By 10 am, I no longer have to worry about exercising. It's pretty a powerful tool (:

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  4. I'm motivated to get up early if I don't plan to do a strenuous workout. It's probably because my body isn't accustomed to early morning runs and things, so if I start my day with a fast walk, I feel energized throughout the day. This summer I'm going to try to go for 7am runs, to beat the heat.

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  5. I hate Exercising ! I need to though. I bought a wii fit a year and a half ago and still haven't tried it out. Totally Lame, I know.

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  6. I've only started doing morning workouts this week! I really like it though. The other day my man slept over and i woke up at 630 and couldn't fall back to sleep. Guess I got used to early morning wake ups pretty quickly!

    I guess the idea of not having to workout after a long day of work is incentive enough for me!

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  7. I really love just getting my workouts done in the morning because then I don't have to worry about it and I feel great for the rest of the day! Or exhausted, but whatever. =P
    I made a little "exercise inspiration board" one day and every so often when I need motivation I look at it!

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  8. I hear ya, JA...but sometimes when I workout just so I can eat that piece of pizza or extra cookie, it kind of defeats the purpose! There's a fine line there.

    Whoa, Berryfine, keep us updated on THAT! But what if he tries to chat you up after you've sweated it out on the treadmill? Geeze, flirting at the gym seems stressful!

    I think that way too Alycia...working out at the end of the day just seems like TORTURE. I hate when I put it off!

    And I'm the same Lisa...trying to beat the heat can be an incentive for me to get up in the summer. I always forget how hottt it gets this time of year, ugh.

    Miss Emma, I have friends who don't like exercising either who LOVE Wii Fit...def try it out!

    Nice work on the morning workouts, Jenny :)

    Good idea on the inspirationg board, Megan...what's on it? I've heard having visuals like that can really help with achieving goals.

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  9. i'm not physically capable of working out in the am. ain't. gonna. happen. ever. lol. I'm really inconsistent with working out...oops

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  10. i dunno. it comes from within. it is a desire to be better than yesterday, improve what i did yesterday, and to be bad ass. aesthetic goals only get you so far....other goals, that are internal...get you farther.

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