Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Rain, workout excuses and more spiralizer fun!


This morning was a tough one to wake up for the gym. It hardly ever rains in SoCal and when I woke up this morning it was a torrential downpour. Amazing! A part of me would have loved to just stay snuggled under the covers listening to rain on the roof but on the other hand I wasn't about to let a little rain interfere with my morning! SO I got up as fast as possible and hit the road. Once I got to the gym (this always seems to happen to me) I stepped out of the car and into I swear the biggest puddle in the parking lot. Naturally. Luckily my shoes dried fast. Although I did forget that they were wet on the soles and I almost slipped off the elliptical. Ha! Graceful. But I ended up having a fantastic workout and I really enjoyed my morning! Just by chance I got an email this morning from fitness magazine about the top 8 workout excuses..

1) I'm too tired
2) I'm too busy
3) I'll never look like Jennifer Lopez, so why bother?
4) I'm too sore from yesterday's workout
5) I feel as if I'm getting sick
6) I'm bored with my workout
7) I'm stressed
8) I'm not in the mood

I thought this was a great list they put together. Although I would have added weather as one! Does anyone ever feel more sluggish on cold rainy days? I do! But I always make sure to go anyways.

I've totally been there with all of these and can totally relate to them. On the flip side though I've taught myself how to make it through each excuse and still get in a killer workout! For instance saying I'm too busy or too tired..I feel that squeezing in some time to workout, even if its just a 30 minutes quick walk actually makes me feel less tired and busy. The time I take to do something active makes me feel as though I have some time to myself and it also perks me up! Which makes me more productive.

Excuse numero three.."I'll never look like Jennifer Lopez, so why bother?" I think a comment like this really affects upon a lot of factors that I could go on and on about. I think the bottom line is setting goals and working on them will help you see past these idealized views of others. We tend to forget sometimes that celebrities have a ton of personalized dieticians, trainers and amazing make up personnel that can make them look the way they do. And as easy as they make it look, Im sure its a lot of work to maintain that appearance. (Hey we are all just human!) Be happy knowing you are beautiful and taking the time to do something active will keep your outlook positive and body as healthy as possible! Now onto excuse 4!

"Im too sore from yesterdays workout". Well just from personal experience I find that doing some light activity can actually help relieve tense muscles and help to stretch them out. The day after I rode my long distance ride, my legs and back and shoulders were pretty sore. But I went to the gym and did some light cardio and stretching. I found I wasn't quite as sore later that night. I'd say even just a small walk or anything can help get the blood flowing and help to heal sore achey muscles faster!

"I feel as if I'm getting sick" - I think this is something you really have to make the call on. Growing up my parents always had us "sweat it out" when we were getting sick. Whether or not this is a good idea or not I think is up to you.

"I'm bored with my workout" - Well one way to fix this. Mix it up! Try a class at your local gym. Go for a hike, try a new running route, swim anything! Maybe even try out something you've always wanted to do but haven't before like rock climbing. Anything you can do to get that heart rate up is great!

And last but not least. "I'm stressed" and "I'm not in the mood". I find working out to be a great stress reliever. Its amazing how taking your frustration out on the treadmill can really improve your mood. Studies have shown that any form of exercise can relieve tension and help calm. As for not being in the mood, again, any for of excercise can really help boost your mood.
So put on those running shoes and get out there! You'll feel 100% amazing after wards and feel as though you did something great for yourself!

Id love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this!

Since it was still amazingly rain cold tonight I was in the mood for something warm and comforting. Dinner was a big bowl of roasted veggies over noodles. I tossed them in a touch of Braggs and some hot sauce and I was super happy!

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