Super Double Awesome

The weights don’t care how we feel about them.  The spin bike does not hear what we mutter under our breath.  Our secrets are safe from the yoga mat and the Pilates reformer.

While I absolutely believe that it is fine to cuss out the weights or that really long hill or the very concept of lunges, we still need to bring a certain amount of positive attitude to our workouts.  I’m not talking about Pollyanna smiling through it all and loving every sweaty minute.  It’s more about remembering that we’re here for a good reason and that we are super double awesome because we showed up.

Maybe we fell out of tree pose again in class.  Maybe the kettlebell won this round.  But we were there doing it and we are going to keep coming back until we win.  And we win better when we save the vitriol for the inanimate objects and treat ourselves with love.

That's Ms. Captain Obvious to You...

We get better at what we work on.  No kidding.  I am Captain Obvious.  Still, I think we forget, so it’s worth saying.

We are not going to get stronger without trying to lift heavier weights.  We are not going to get faster without working high-intensity intervals.  Flexibility will not magically appear unless we continue to stretch and roll.

When we choose our workouts, we need to keep this in mind.  We need to train for what we want.  Maybe that is as simple as wanting to go upstairs without getting out of breath; that means some cardio intervals ahead.  Maybe we’re feeling some back pain from poor posture; Pilates and core work can help.

Where do we want to go?

Dog Cuddling and Whining: Also Therapeutic

I had a cold last week.  It was not nearly as miserable as it could have been because I chose to fight it aggressively by… doing nothing.

Most of the time, fitness is about doing something, moving, sweating, working.  But resting and other forms of self-care also fit into our fitness plans.  By getting lots of sleep, taking appropriate cold medicines, hydrating, eating chicken soup, and otherwise relaxing, I got over my cold much faster than had I decided to tough it out and continue to try to do All The Things.

Our goal is to put in the right amount of effort.  When we are feeling fabulous, that can be a lot of strenuous stuff.  When we’re not, not so much.  The goal is to feel as good as possible as much as possible.