Happy birthday, Rhonda!

Stephanie, one of my favorite motivational quotes is "The pain of discipline is less than the pain of regret."

Soooooo, I joined a gym and I wrote up a leg workout and went and did it today and now my legs feel like they're going to fall off. So that's something!

Happy birthday Rhonda! :)

Stephanie, I love this one:

The only thing standing between who you are and who you want to be is what you do.

I did both single leg squats and RDL's today. That was new and challenging.

Thanks for the :hb: wishes everyone. I had a great day and evening.

We're off to a high school reunion tomorrow, and I'm going to enjoy the silliness of such events and hope the food is good!

Tejas: Off to the gym real quick here, but before I do I just want to say have a great time tonight at your reunion. :hug: I like your view of these things.

Stephanie: Your post has been weaving in and out of my thoughts for the past day. I really need to hit the gym right now but I'll be back later today (hopefully) maybe tomorrow to offer my experience with this motivational drain. I think just about anyone on this site who's been around for a couple of years knows I've had more than my share of these moments too. LOL. Let me just say, it does ebb and flow it's quite normal. Before mine ebbs away, I really need to go in and do something...burnin' daylight here.

Oh, and as a side note. I did a heavy back day. I must have really been ticked about those pullups yesterday. :rofl: Really really sore from my traps to the very sides and bottom of my lats. G@D I wish my DH studied deep tissue massage at some point in his interesting youth. Oh and Steph, DH stands for Dear Husband. Or at least that was the assumption I've always made. Some days it could stand for something else....oh, but never in my case of course. :D

So. Workout in for today. I got to the gym and I forgot my iPod. :tantrum: I actually thought about driving right back home to get it but decided to just give it my best and see what happens. (in the past this was a sure bet for a very very uninspiring workout) My favorite cardio equip was busy...I really wasn't feeling it for strength today and without my own tunes to drown out the natives I just wasn't hitting the weights. So I plodded over to the dreadmills. Did some interval training with the incline set as high as possible for 5 minutes of walking with 5 minutes of running at no incline for 45 minutes. Actually, turned out to be a decent cardio workout that I haven't done in a while. Did a little running on the incline at its highest but thought better of it after the first five minutes when I began to consider my knees.

Steph: So about the flagging motivation. I think it happens to most of us for a variety of reasons. It is sometimes very difficult to maintain this lifestyle choice when our life is in flux and full of new or upcoming distractions. (trust that I truly know all about that right now. ;))

In my case the first thought that entered my mind a year ago when DH said we wanted to move to Fairfax, Va was....and I've never never shared this..:sssh: I don't have to do all of this any more if I don't want to. I don't have to workout to maintain this bodyfat percentage. I could slide and let it ride a little higher. No one knows me there...don't even know I'm a personal trainer. I could just be a less fit although still healthy version of myself.

But immediately after that thought entered my mind I had another image...the one of me busting my @ss in that gym. (Actually the image is of me doing pushups face planting into a towel on the last few reps...don't know why it's always this one but it is, lol)

I also thought about how much I really enjoy some of the fitness goals I've reached. Damn. Pullups ARE fun! Really. They are! And the thrill of each time I try something new and I can DO it! That's always such a rush! And to think that I might trade because it just became inconvenient to train for it....or because I lost motivation...No. I just can't do that.

I know you've been working really hard since your participation within the forum. You have done a great job of hitting the gym and reaching your goals through NROLFW. You also have some transitions in your life that are weighing on your mind. :hug: It may very well be that you are fatigued. It's very real and can cause our motivation to dip a little. You may need a week to recover and regroup.

Acknowledge your lowered motivation as your mind/body way of telling you that something needs to be evaluated once again in order for you to grow further. Perhaps its and underlying worry about how you plan to build your new life around your current fitness choices.

Anyway, don't think that motivation is something that the rest of us don't wrestle with from time to time. For me, I've usually been able to recover by going back into student mode and making something new out of my workout or goals once again. Or...watching someone do something I know how to do but do it better than me. Yep. That will tick me off. Oh! I mean...motivate me to do better. :D (Didn't I just post my new goal for pullups this spring. :rofl:)

Hope this helps Stephanie.

Thanks so much for your motivating post, Lydia227. You're such an inspiration for those of us just beginning our journey...for the 1000th time! ;-) I'd fallen off the wagon for a few weeks (food and exercise-wise, unfortunately) but am heading back to the gym this morning for a long, enjoyable workout with weights, cardio and resistance machines and stretching. Love the Hot Point Fitness exercise routine! My sense of well-being is SO tied to my exercise routine that I kick myself when I fall off track. When I'm exercising I'm so much less stressed, eat healthier and feel optimistic, but when I'm off track it's almost like a downward spiral. I still get everything done that I need to for my family, but feel like a sluggish middle-aged mom with little hope to be that good-looking, athletic babe I once was. :-) And of course, with no exercise and grocery stops for Haagen Dasz that becomes a self-fulfilled prophecy!!! Turning it around this a.m, though, and will be thinking of all of you who HAVE successfully turned it around as I enjoy that fabulous, heart-pounding muscle-working exercise. Today I begin again!!

Busy: Hey Thanks. :goodvibes: Oh, the sluggish middle-aged mom thing...I could wear that hat too. I swear, if I miss a week of consistent workouts I feel bloated and begin to see things in the mirror that I know weren't there before. I become much more critical of myself and then I begin to feel like well, what's the point and struggle with those food choices all over again. It's hard isn't it?!

This entire summer could have been an excuse to just coast for me. Really. I've been to so many new places (restaurants) with some very interesting/comforting foods available. Haven't had a milkshake in years but oh wow, I found several places that appear to do it right. But I just take these one meal at a time. When it actually comes time to ordering I just suck it up and order what I KNOW is the best choice to support my workouts and then move on. Yesterday was another tough one. Lunch at Whole Foods. Everyone had the woodfired pizza. Me, I had the cold sliced grilled chicken with honeydew from the salad bar. It was cold, it was chicken and it was NOT pizza. But....after I ate it I felt pretty good about my choice. I was satisfied and ready to move on. Would not have felt that way after eating the greasy pizza. Had a taste of the crust left over from my son's. My first thought was, I didn't miss much.

Have to agree with you that when the workouts are a part of my day, my ability to eat for my workouts become much easier. Really, don't even think about it because it's all part of the routine. However, when that cycle is broken by an illness, injury, major life event, or anything else unplanned that's when things feel more challenging with the diet. And really, I have come to see it as a double sided problem: without the workout the metabolism isn't running as high throughout the rest of the day, tissues aren't being remodeled, stress related hormones aren't exercised out and I'm more likely to find myself facing inappropriate food choices. Kind of silly really. It's like telling our bodies to transform into something fit strong and sleek but I'm not going to move you, release you, or feed you what you need to do it.

Anyway, hope you are having an awesome workout. Make sure you get plenty to drink afterward and think about foam rolling those tissues post workout and tomorrow if it's been a while since you last workout.

Fantastic posts Lydia. I echo every word you've said, just substitute "older woman" for middle aged mom.

When I changed jobs and added two hours of commuting, I was terrified that what I'd have to give up would be my fitness level. I still think about making the conscious choice to do drop the extra am cardio and allow myself to inevitably gain some fat. I STILL flirt with the idea. But when it really comes down to it, I make the choice to do the workout, to eat clean except for one weekend splurge meal. It makes me feel better about myself, and the endless parade of junk food at work sure wouldn't make me feel better about myself or feel better physically. (Unfortunately, what I gave up was sleep, and that doesn't feel better!)

So kudos to all for every little choice we make for the better, for taking the harder, less traveled road instead of the road of instant gratification.

Yesterday I did "Fight Gone Bad" at CrossFit, then today's WOD was 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 of pull ups, kettle bell swings and pledge push ups. The pull ups are my Achilles heel- especially after yesterday.

After yesterday's WOD, dh and I drove down to south of Baltimore(:wave: to Lydia and Nelie) to take my son out for his 20th birthday. Unlike last year, we all had a good time and he seems to be turning into a person rather than a surly teen :carrot: I'm sure that will flip flop many times over the next few years!

Mel

Originally Posted by Lydia227:
when that cycle is broken by an illness, injury, major life event, or anything else unplanned that's when things feel more challenging with the diet. And really, I have come to see it as a double sided problem: without the workout the metabolism isn't running as high throughout the rest of the day, tissues aren't being remodeled, stress related hormones aren't exercised out and I'm more likely to find myself facing inappropriate food choices.

Sigh. Yes. I am in that place at present.

Yup, broken cycle for me too.
No heavy weights really since 8/6. On Friday I went and did a heavy leg workout and have been nearly incapacitated with soreness since. Couldn't run Saturday. Yikes. I can tell it is better but now I'm worried about my next planned workout. I've written a nice chest and back workout for tomorrow:
flat dumbbell press, incline dumbbell press, BB press, cable rows, one-arm cable rows, lat pull downs, BB rows. But now I'm scared. I'm worried about being super sore Tues and Wed. I need to be able to put my bra on and do Pap smears. :lol: I'm wondering if I should ease into it. Maybe do 1 chest, 1 back, 1 shoulder, 1 bicep, 1 tricep exercise for each and call it a day vs. really killing my chest and back in one session. Any advice?

Hi:

D(ear)H and I had a wonderful time at the reunion last night. We reconnected with old friends, and I saw my really good friend who has been weight lifting for years. He was effusive in his praise and encouragement for me :dance: He transformed from a skinny runt into a really buff guy, looking good and healthy.

Midwife, I'm so new, I don't have specific advice, but don't kill yourself and put your bra on!

I was really sore from the one legged RDL's and squats I did on Friday. I was hobbling at the reunion last night :lol:

I've really enjoyed the recent posts about motivation....they're very helpful.

Originally Posted by Tejas:
He was effusive in his praise and encouragement for me :dance: .

I :love: this. Did you flex a bicep for him? :s: How fun! Did he have any advice for you too? Glad to know you and DH had a great time.

Midwife: My vote...GO CONSERVATIVE. All you need is to begin the process of microtear and repair. More than that takes longer to heal and may invite unwanted injury. Take it easy and then next week you can add to it if it's too light. Right? Don't go all out and heavy until you feel you are really ready. You should feel like your ready to bust down the doors when you walk through the gym on that day. :rofl:

K. Kids on the bus (wow that sounds weird, I've been a walking to school mom for years) and now I need to put my "power suit" on and hit the gym.

:coffee: OH! How ya doin" Cheryl?

The soreness ... that's what I'm afraid of. I've been dicking around for a couple months with a bit of this and a bit of that but I'm so afraid of being very very sore! Silly, I know. I've done it before and know it passes. And I do remember how rewarding that soreness felt ...

Yes, it's finding the balance between enough constructive micro-tear mending soreness and still being able to operate efficiently in everyday life. Do you remember that phase you had, Lydia, of lifting and going home for a good sleep? I had one of those too when I first began. In fact, I think that's what was happening when I hit the wall last Wednesday. Despite easing in very, very slowly, I couldn't manage it plus my real world activities and responsibilities. Result = wipeout, injury, and food all over the place. I'm giving myself a week off to regroup with pretty active rest.

Let's encourage one another. :grouphug:

SB, I really appreciate your gentle persistence in reminding us all that rest is just as vital of a part of a healthy lifestyle as food and movement. Goodness knows that's where I drop the ball on a regular basis....well, that and food apparently! Food, rest, and movement are the 3 legs of a 3-legged table---a table that don't stand up so well if one of the legs is neglected.

Sage advice from all of you. I was so excited to get back into lifting it never even occurred to me to ease back in. :lol: I'll look at today's workout as a "warm up" and do some lighter weights and gently hit my chest, back, and shoulders and finish up with ~15 minutes on the bike to try to get some blood moving in the lower half of my body. Like a stretching with lighter weights and a nice range of motion. That way I'll feel like I can knock the door down next week instead of the door knocking me down!