I have lots of irons in the fire right now… and am feeling somewhat overwhelmed by everything looming in front of me that needs to be done, all seemingly in a short period of time. Sometimes I just don’t feel like doing any exercise.
I know that this little panic is fleeting…. I will sort it all out and put my nose to the grindstone, so to speak, and get it all sorted out, and yes, DONE. I am pretty sure that being BUSY is just an excuse.
Do you ever feel like that? That there is just too much to do and your workouts sorta slide… or you want to let them slide?
Why is that?
I am really seeing good results with the hard physical work I have been doing in this and the previous round of Best Body Boot Camp. I am doing lots of new exercises that I have not been exposed to before, and I am finding some of them very difficult, and some of them actually impossible… it has taken a bit of a toll on my attitude lately. I have found myself procrastinating and taking more time to getting to my morning routine these past couple of weeks.
I am not sure just why. I need to sort this out because I don't want to go down the road to self sabotage.
It is time for an assessment. It is time for an attitude adjustment. It is time for a recommitment to the process and to remind myself why I am doing this work in the first place.
Just getting my thoughts out in front of me in no particular order:
- I know that when something is easy it really isn’t doing me a lot of good.
- I find that I mostly want to work my upper body – my shoulders and my arms especially.
- I love feeling worn out and really spent after a hard workout.
- If I haven’t lifted weights I don't feel like I have really worked.
- I don’t like ‘focused’ core work. I would rather work my core/abs as part of the overall workout.
- I am happy to do lower body work but I don’t want to dedicate a whole workout to it and not do any upper body work at all.
- I like working out 3 days a week and having the other 4 days to do cardio/run or active rest – walk, yoga, dance, hike and so on
- I am doing all of these things for me and me alone. No one makes me feel like I should exercise. No one is disappointed if I don’t exercise. There is no competition or comparisons with other Boot Campers going on here.
- I love to sweat. I love to work hard. It makes me feel good.
- I love seeing and feeling the results of my hard work.
- Sometimes I don't want to do the workout I see assigned for a particular day.
Ah... there is the real problem, I think. WHY don't I want to do the particular workout I see laid out before me?
It is not the workout that I find lacking... it is my ability to DO the workout. I don't want to do it because I think I CAN'T do it well enough to get any benefit from it. I feel like there is not point doing it at all if I don't do it well enough.
But, just perhaps I am getting MORE out of it because I cannot do it well... because my muscles are working hard just to attempt the moves.... yes, just possibly that is true.
BAZINGA!
Therefore, I need to allow myself to NOT be able to do something… to be inept… to have struggles… to keep TRYING…. yes, to suck... and to do the moderations or alternatives suggested.
It is okay to not be good at things…. it is NOT okay to not try them. It is NOT okay to avoid them.
Pitty party over. I have a workout to get to!
Do you ever avoid an assigned workout because you don’t like it or aren’t good at it?
Elle, you are SO not alone in this!
ReplyDeleteI avoid things I don't like too; usually they're exactly the things I NEED to be doing!
Just one more reason by trainers need trainers too...
My CrossFit gym posts the workouts the night before and I sometimes have to force myself to go if it's a workout that I don't want to do :) You're totally not alone on this one!
ReplyDeleteI have that feeling too that you can't do a workout right. I mean, I know I can work up to it but sometimes its frustration when in a single workout, they are lots of moves that you have a hard time with. Since I'm not doing a challenge, I just choose to focus on moves I can do that will help strengthen those muscles so eventually I can do the more advanced stuff!
ReplyDelete~Ang
I teach exercise and have to make modifications for certain exercises! That is not failure. Plus there is a learning curve to some things, getting stronger for others. So yes, you have to try, or you will never be able to do it.
ReplyDeleteI remember a quote that I love, "Let it be a challenge to you." It was from Up the Down Staircase (I didn't remember that, had to look it up). In the book it means that you're stuck with it (like teaching with no tools),but I like to think of it as an optional thing, can you rise to the challenge of whatever it is?
Great post. I think the biggest thing here is that you were able to ID the issue and work out how to make it not an issue. I think the rest will fall into place nicely, now.
ReplyDeleteI am feeling the exact same way! My workouts are taking a back burner to all the other things that are on my mind lately. Frustrating!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I can't do those one legged glute bridges either. I struggled through them the first time around and then modified them to a regular glute bridge the second week. But, you're right - I should have struggled through them again - it is okay to not be good at something.
ReplyDeleteGlad you worked through your pity party. I hope your workout was awesome!
I think we all go through this. Keep up the great work, Elle! I'm always impressed with you!
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot that has been said already... I will say that those things that are super hard for me, I try to do them.. if in the long run I just can't get them right, I just move on but challenge myself with a different move. Also, I find that exercises that work for some just do not for me so I find what works for me... I think that is important. Better to do something & do it right & put effort into it then hate it & do it half assed... The older I get, the more I just don't so things I hate - this does not mean things that challenge me but that I just really really really do not want to do - I find another challenge! :)
ReplyDeleteOh I think we can all relate here! you are NOT alone...far from it!
ReplyDeleteI go through periods where I'll run, run, RUN and never focus on strength training, then I'll all of a sudden switch and not the hit the pavement for DAYS!!
plus sometimes schedules aren't FUN so just doing off the cuff is more more :) I recommend it!
This happens to me a lot too! It's normal. We pressure ourselves to do so much and then feel guilty when we don't get it all done (or, like you said, don't WANT to get it all done). It's too much sometimes! Maybe you need a good solid rest day to clear your mind and get you pumped up for the next workout!
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