I had hoped to work out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday over Spring Break, but I hurt my right arm over the weekend and still needed time to recover on Monday. I had to remind myself that this isn't a race, and I definitely need to listen to my body as I proceed so I don't end up injuring myself or causing other undue pain. By this morning, my arm was doing much better so I decided to go ahead with a workout this evening. I went with the rower and triceps curl instead of assisted pull-ups and dips tonight, because I didn't want to overtax my arms. I probably won't go back to assisted pull-ups and dips until I'm both stronger and lighter. The row machine exercises mostly the same muscles as the pull-up, but I can set it at lower weights so it works out great. I increased weights on everything else - last time just felt too easy on everything except pull-ups and dips.
I also did 10 minutes cool down on the treadmill today and stretched in between exercises. That worked better overall, I just need to be sure to plan future workouts so that I have plenty of time for it. The facilities close at 9pm over the break, so I need to schedule earlier workouts.
I was pleasantly surprised when I weighed in this morning and registered the same 2 pound weight loss for the week as I had the week before. It would be great if I can maintain that pace, but I know there will be times when I don't lose as much (or anything at all). That's a natural part of long-term weight loss and getting healthy. I need to remind myself so I don't get discouraged when it does happen!
Question of the day: When you're working on a challenging goal, what do you do to keep from getting discouraged?
I talk to my therapist!
ReplyDeleteHaha...funny and true. >.>
I have a very hard time staying motivated. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's this (and this actually surprised me): success motivates me, not failure. If I have a week where I gain a pound instead of losing two, I am not the type to get super pumped and be like TIME TO KICK SOME BUTT or whatever to make up for it. I wallow in self pity and think it's hopeless. :P But if I lose two pounds I think HECK YES TAKE THAT WEIGHT and I lose two more. So, as unhelpful as this is, I stay motivated by..uh..staying motivated! I know...not at ALL helpful (which is why I go to therapy).
My advice would be this, though: If you don't lose anything one week, make sure you focus as much as you can mentally on your successes. Think about how many times you worked out, how energized you feel, how much stronger you'll be than your wussy friend Jill, etc. :)
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming... :)
ReplyDelete