Check in...

Most of us enjoy distractions while we work out.  We like to listen to music or watch videos while we do our cardio.  We chat with our friends or our classmates or our trainer about any number of things from celebrity gossip to pets to best recipes to the antics of that crazy person at work (Wait!  At my work, that’s me!!!!).  Most of the time this is a good thing.  I mean, I personally would rather repeat calculus than have to spend my spin time without loud music—it would be both easier and less boring.

Sometimes, though, we need to stop the external chatter and focus.  We do it naturally when we learn a new exercise.  It takes attention to direct the body into different motion.  Even if we are familiar with a movement, we occasionally need to tune in to refine what we’re doing.  Data needs to flow both directions, from the brain to the body and back.

Maybe we are unconsciously babying the ankle we twisted a little stepping off a curb.  Maybe we slept funny and our neck is tweaking left a little, propagating a tweak down the body.  Maybe our knee has a mind of its own, always tending a little inward if we aren’t constantly encouraging it to stay in line.  A bit of a check-in usually does the trick to get us into alignment.

Then we can turn the music back up and rock out.

Monday Workout: All at once!

As usual, I’m working on a lot of different things at once in this workout.  We have our friends the multi-joint exercises to burn calories and boost metabolism, we have balance work, we have multi-plane work, and we have core stability stuff.  No wonder we get tired!  Three rounds (do regular plank on the first round for 30 seconds or longer, one side plank the second round as long as possible, and the other side the third round!).

kb swings	30
kb twists or 1 leg pass	20
kb 8s	10
mountain climbers/stand	30
rows	20
kickbacks	10
overhead curtsy	30
bench press	20
plank/side plank

Three questions to help with judgment

We all have days when working out seems like more trouble than it is worth.  Here are three questions to ask to figure out what to do on those days:

1.     What is the smallest amount of workout that I can do without feeling wiped out?  Maybe we don’t feel up to a whole cardio class, but a walk around the block with the dog is just enough to keep our bodies from getting stiff and bored.

2.     What part am I dreading the most?  Sometimes there is one particular exercise that we just hate.  Knowing this, we can either look for a substitute or get it over with first thing or skip it entirely if necessary.

3.     Will I feel better or worse after I work out?  If we are going to feel better, it’s probably worth it to get our behinds in gear.  If we’re going to feel worse, it might be time to declare a rest day, but we don’t get to do that too often.

Yes, we need to work out.  Yes, sometimes it is hard.  Yes, sometimes we need a break.   We need to use our good judgment to figure out if we are needing rest or a push.