Gifts: Self-Control

The final gift I’m giving myself this month is self-control.  I mean this in multiple ways.

First, there is the aspect of self-control expressed in my motor skills.  I want to move mindfully, to integrate complex motions into a coordinated whole.

 

Second, I want to manage my emotions.  Working out, because of the way our bodies hold emotion, can get hairy from time to time.  We work stuff out when we work out, and that can be a challenge.  I want to feel my feelings and also I want to express them in healthy and kind ways.  That’s a self-control task!

 

Finally, I want to use my self-control to maintain my healthy habits of work and eating and rest.

 

Anybody else want this gift?

Gifts: Gentleness

Gentleness might not seem like the most obvious gift in a fitness context.  I mean, we’ve all heard “go hard or go home” and similar sayings.  And yes, I am going to work hard when I work out.

 

Even so, the attitude I bring needs to be gentle.  My body is not there to be punished, but to be loved.  When I am working to my limit, I need to be gentle with myself because that is hard stuff.  I would never yell at a client, so why would I yell at myself when I don’t quite measure up to my own expectations?

 

Gentle encouragement makes the difference so many times.

What is gentle in your workouts? 

Monday Workout: Pace

We’re working a lot of different things in this short circuit.  Pace yourself!  Four rounds.

 

1 min cardio
squat raise	30
flies	20
burpees	10
suitcase swings	30
1 leg deadlift	20
plank/side plank

 

Gifts: 3

Ways to be faithful in workouts:

 

1.     Show up daily.

2.     Practice good form.

3.     Be a good workout buddy.

Gifts: Faithfulness

The gift of faithfulness in workouts is a huge one.  When we show up regularly to our workouts, change happens.  When we commit to the habit of movement, we really see results.  So giving myself the gift of faithfulness is giving my future self a healthier, happier body.

 

What could be better?

Gifts: Goodness

The gift of goodness relates to workouts in several ways.

Perhaps most obviously, a good workout is one that works for us.  Maximizing the goodness of a workout is a Good Thing, whether that means we work for maximum strength, increased muscle mass, or just the joy of moving.  For me, there are lots of good workouts, whether they involve swimming or weights or spin or Pilates or any of the other things I do that move my body.

 

Another way goodness comes into it is that there is an inherent goodness or virtue to working out period.  Treating our bodies to movement is good.

 

Then there is the work we do during the workout.  When we do good work, we head toward a flow state and that’s just amazing.

 

What is good about workouts for you?

Monday Workout: As Needed

As always, we need to modify for our bodies.  When I write “jacks,” you can do crouch jacks, plyojacks, ordinary jacks, or modified jacks, depending on what works.  Choose weights that work for you.  Do your YTA on a ball or bench or standing.  Workouts have to work for us and with us.  Three rounds.

 

kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s	10
jacks	30
skullcrushers	20
YTA	10
squat to leg lift/ticktock	30
overhead press	20
brains	10