A Kick Up My Own Butt! Reluctant Home Workout
As I was getting a drink of water between rounds of my workout, I realised how reluctantly I had got changed and stepped into the cold garage ( in a semi huff with a matching face) and begun lifting the FREEZING steel. Can I really be a fitness professional? LOL
When I got back from the USA after getting engaged, i was feeling great! I was motivated to start lifting heavier again and try to be super fit for the wedding. Even last week I was talking about “making the most” of my garage gym before I move away. But very cold weather has crept in, my hamstring pain has returned and I am beginning to see a frustrating trend in my mood about training which ends up a self-made trap. The day always starts with great intentions and ends in a great compromise.
After grumbling to myself all morning and afternoon, I decided to give myself a kick up the butt and to do a short workout. I think a plan to do short workouts every day *might* be a great way to adapt things to help me stay consistent and maintain my fitness over the next 6 weeks.
Honestly, I feel far more motivated when I train *with* people, but I have no longer got a gym membership and that means I must break through my daily attack of excuses. Usually i go into the garage and start with some KB Snatches which gets me to then do some Goblet Squats and Hip Thrusts… which then turns into a workout. Today, I thought I would film my short 15-20min strength workout to show you what I mean.
While I could easily throw together a HIIT workout, I am just not in the mood for them right now and I like choosing 4 exercises for the main workout and keeping the reps low(ish). My goal is just to maintain a decent level of strength and move well. I don’t have any desire to be breaking strength records – just as well 😉
The thing that always seems to get me off my butt is the fact that my job requires me to help others and I recognise that familiar echo in my head… “I can’t be bothered”. Knowing what that lead to in the past, I have the chance to maintain a health lifestyle NOW.
What do I imagine is going to happen to me? Why would I rather sit in a chair than walk 10 metres into my fully equipped garage? Perhaps I am overwhelmed by the amount of filming I have to do for the new site and feel I am just biting off more than I can chew.
Regardless of the excuses, the reasoning and the decision to put something off another day, I *will* do what I set out to do: staying strong, healthy and productive.
After a weekend in Munich, spending time with my Family and my good friend Annika, I realise that laziness is very much a culture here in Northern Ireland. Annika and I spent several hours hiking through the snow in the German Alps and then having bite to eat in a mountain restaurant. Loved it! An active and productive life 🙂
Me and Annika 🙂
At the bottom of the hike
Getting snowy on the climb
The kitteh’s like the heat, too!
The Workout
1a) Double KB Front Squats: 3×5
1b) Double KB Single-Leg RDL: 3×5
1c) Burpees (just coz): 3×10
1d) BB Hip Thrust: 3×12
2a) RKC Plank: 2×30 sec
2b) X-Band Walk (side to side): 2×30 sec
That’s it for today.
Hope I helped to motivate you!
November 21st, 2013 at 2:18 am
Marianne.
You’ve mentioned a few times as of late that you feel less motivated to train. And i very much know the feeling. I’ve even had one lasting several years where i just got so tired of it.
It very likely doesn’t help that all of “us” that follow your training videos, are kind of expecting something from you once in awhile, and that feeling probably makes it feel like a chore for you now and again.
Before you burn out, i think you should take time off where you do nothing but what you like, without the obligation of having to post and video every session you do, we’ll manage you know :o)
And come back again when you feel good and ready.
On top of that we are now entering the time of year where i personally feel like i have to sleep more, and try harder in regards to training, to keep motivated due to the shorter days. I live in the same latitudes as you but in Scandinavia, so unbeknownst to you it could be affecting your mood as well.
Must be hard to stay true to training with all the things now happening in your life.
Good luck.
November 21st, 2013 at 3:50 pm
Thank you for this 🙂 You hit the nail on the head! You are very insightful. What I really need to be doing is preparing the site (behind the scenes) for the new launch – there is so much i want to do. A wee blogging holiday would help.
Bet it colder where you are! The daylight (or lack thereof) really does affect me. It’s nearly 4pm and i want to sleep!
Hope you get through the winter without hibernating too much 🙂
November 21st, 2013 at 11:02 am
Hi Thanks for that i have been having a knee issue of late and have held off for almost two weeks! Im going to get back to it. thanks for your post it makes me realise we are all human x
November 21st, 2013 at 3:34 pm
Thanks for keeping it real my dear:)
November 21st, 2013 at 4:07 pm
🙂
November 21st, 2013 at 8:05 pm
I hear you Marianne. I am in a big slump at the moment. I was just thinking about 2010 when I was training 6 days a week and my diet was really great, the last 6 months I have been running and doing yoga but not consistently and last week I started to beat myself up about it which doesn’t really make matters any better.
It is also getting cold here NYC which just adds another layer of laziness. I am glad you posted this. makes me feel like we are a community and we need each other to keep going and it’s not just exercise.
Thank you for the encouraging post
November 22nd, 2013 at 9:44 am
hi marianne, thank god im not the only one feeling like this. love the post, much needed today -2 outside 🙁
marianne congrats on all the plans. much excitement and lots to be done 🙂
can i ask your opinion please, i am ordering new trainers (cold weather motivation) and id like a pair of vibrams as im sure they will be warmer than barefoot.
i wear 8.5 usa sizing and id like to know in your experience should i order the same size as usual or do they run large/small ????
November 24th, 2013 at 9:53 am
Hi Bug 🙂
Thank you!
I am a US size 9 and I got a size 8 in the vibrums. I think the size guide tells you to measure your foot. Also, it will depend if you intend on wearing socks with them.
Hope this helps.
November 22nd, 2013 at 2:25 pm
Hi Marianne,
Cool workout, short and ro the point.THe less exercises you put in, less chances to find an excuse to miss the workout.
WHere did you get this band? (the one you’re using for the x-band walks
Regarding the lack of motivation to train’ I have an idea for you.
Maybe you should try to get in you workout first thing in the morning?
I don’t how about you, naybe you’re not a “morning person”, but it works well for me. I try to get uo early, do to the gym and then have all day long “free” for work and other activities.
November 24th, 2013 at 9:57 am
Hi Polina,
Thank you for the suggestion. Good idea and something I used to do when I lived in belfast near the gym. Both times require motivation since i am at home.
I got my bands on Pullum Sport in the UK. I am sure you can get resistance bands on Amazon – choose ones that can help assist with chin-ups. They are normally 41inch and this band of mine is a “super mini”. I also have the small and the mini for helping clients do chin-ups.
# 1 – Mini (Plain) 5-35 lbs
# 2 – Super Mini (Red) 10-50 lbs
# 3 – Small (Blue) 25-80 lbs
# 4 – Medium (Green) 50-120 lbs
# 5 – Large (Black) 60-150 lbs
# 6 – XLarge (Orange) 70-175 lbs
# 7 – Monster (Plain) 80-200 lbs
Read more: http://www.pullum-sports.co.uk/resistance-bands/pullum-resistance-bands/prod_514.html#ixzz2lYVQMGsL
November 28th, 2013 at 3:28 pm
Needed this! Have been in a workout slump for 3 months (due to travel, illness and plainly not being motivated) but finally getting out of it. Thank you
January 26th, 2014 at 9:16 pm
Exactly, same here too–and laziness is sure to be found everywhere, it’s not endemic to any one region 🙂 BTW for cold hands and ice cold steel, I know it’s so controversial but one could use biking gloves. I have Raynaud’s phenomenon and would go crazy without mine. So it’s 22:13 and I’m going to go do my KB workout now 🙂 Cheers and have a good move to the KSA.