Even When I Don't Feel Like It...

Due to some Internet issues last week and the fact that I've been putting together some items for one of my other hobbies (www.adornedwithgrace.com), I have been away from my Graceful Coach blog. Does that mean in my busy-ness, I've laxed on my workouts?

No way, lol!!! :)

Let me use this post as an open diary to share that when things get really busy like that, I *do* get tired from the late nights and long hours doing "busy work" and having to get up early to get orders ready to ship, and have those days I'd rather just stay in bed and vegetate.

So what do I personally do in those moments?

I think Chalene Johnson, the trainer of TurboJam, ChaLEAN Extreme, & TurboFire, has said it best (and I am paraphrasing): Even those days you don't feel like it, remember how good you feel afterward. Think about how great you feel knowing you burned off those calories and did something positive for yourself.

I'll admit, one of the reasons I am motivated is to be fit and trim, but I think that just the accomplishment of knowing I did something that seemed especially difficult adds a greater sense of self esteem for me that day. Like this morning, in leui of my usual ChaLEAN Extreme & TurboFire workouts, I did P90x's Back & Biceps & Insanity's Cardio Plyo Circuit because I like to do something with just a little more punch since I use Saturday as a complete rest day. I have not done those videos in a while, much less together, and I had to give myself an extra pep talk; I knew I would not do quite as well as I had done last time, at least with the strength part/P90x, but for that reason knew it would be one tough but great workout!

Sure enough, the pull-ups (or should I say modified via negative-style pull-ups) kicked my butt but was glad to find that the Insanity workout actually seemed easier thanks to Chalene's TurboFire Fire 55 & 60 workouts. I even accompanied the hubby and the dog afterward for a mile and a half jog.

I really did not think I would be able to do all that and I know it is so much easier said that done but knowing that I did something healthy for myself and getting that endorphin high afterward made it all so very worth it!

Now you may still be a beginner and are just working up to a half mile walk or a thirty minute workout video and find that is still quite a mountain to climb! But as mentioned before think about those health benefits and definitely find something that motivates you. If you are going for a walk, make a date with an old friend you haven't talked to in a while and catch up--you may find yourself walking more than a mile you are so engaged in your visit! Or do a DVD with some good music.

Not meaning to advertise, but with TurboFire, depsite the fact that I do have trouble with some of the choreography and find that I prefer Shaun T's "boot-camp" style of moves, the music she uses in it is so fun, it truly makes the time go faster and I'm not even a dance music lover (I'm more of an alterna-folksy rocker chick, lol).

My favorite way to exercise sometimes is while watching "The Biggest Loser" on NBC; I'll pull out my mini-trampoline or get on my elliptical or simply do some calisthenics as I watch. I think if they can do it, I know I can! (Does it blow anyone else away when they have the final set of contestants run a full marathon???) When Jillian or Bob is yelling at one of the people, I imagine they are yelling at me and find my steps getting more intense as I watch them haul it on the treadmills or racing during a challenge.

So, yes, there are ways around those lazy days and like with everything else in life, it is just about the choices we make. Hopefully, we will all strive to do the best we can each and every day! :)

**To buy the Beachbody DVDs listed here (P90x, Insanity, ChaLEAN Extreme, TurboFire) go to our site at Graceful Coach/Beachbody. Sign up under "Graceful Coach" for free coaching and advice from me!

My Workout History

First off, I was not physically active for the first 20 years of my life.

In high school, I was more academic and into Drama than sports or any kind of exercise. I remember struggling through P.E. classes not just with specific sports but with things like jogging--I could barely go 1/8 of a mile (imagine half of a football field track) without cramping and getting *totally* out of breath and just HATED the thought of sweat and getting my heart racing.

So what changed? Well, I got to college, and like so many other students, started having late nights of eating pizza and other fattening snacks to get through long and boring study sessions. (I kept a suitcase full of junk food under my bed!) I didn't quite gain the Freshmen 15, but maybe the Freshmen 5 and thought I really need to do something about this before it got out of hand so my relationship with working out started! (I could not give up the junk food, lol, but did become a vegetarian in the last two years of college in hopes of being healthier, fyi.)

My mother got me a Step Aerobics workout system by Brenda Dykgraaf which helped me get started and also started walking. I also got a slide board that simulated skating that I *LOVED* and remember rocking out to it with my InXS "Kick" album a few years later after I got bored with the Step Aerobics.

When I went went off to OT school in my very early twenties, they offered free personal training to the students so I got set up on a program to do some weight training and this is where I finally fell in love with lifting and have since made a commitment to doing it.

Of course, I fell off the wagon after I had a bilateral inguinal hernia repair (not from lifting, it was a genetic issue) since I was not allowed to lift for a few months after that so I did get out of the habit then but as soon as I was healed up and ready to go again, I not only went back to working out at a gym but I also got involved doing the then very popular Tae Bo by Billy Blanks.

Anyway, Tae Bo started me on my love for workout videos. (I'd say DVDs but I am so "old" it was VHS tapes at the time!!!) I like the structure of video workouts, and I am really independent and disciplined to stick with it, so it works out great for me.

About two years after I got married, we ended up living in apartments that were very small for about a year or so and I had NO room to workout to my usual Tae Bo so I invested in the Windsor Pilates since I could do those on the bed, and it helped me to maintain the tone I did have. I also had a manual fold-up treadmill I worked out for about twenty minutes but I did not like quite as much as it was hard to get it going being completely manual--NO electricity to help me along and fighting friction all the way!!!

Well, once we moved from that place and into a slightly roomier house, I was back at it with the DVDs. Besides my usual Tae Bo, I also did some lesser known workouts that I don't even remember the names or people anymore, but the ones I loved best were Jillian Michaels' first set that she came out with called The Biggest Winner, a set of five DVDs that are *still* some of my favorites when I want to do a little extra.

Then, I went on to buy a very basic Elliptical Trainer from my local Sam's Club and a mini-trampoline and did that along with some 5 & 8 pound hand weights for my arms. By this time, I was getting closer to my mid-thirties and noticed the metabolism was slowing down even more, and I had to start working out longer to maintain the weight I needed as I realized the pounds beginning to creep up.

That is when I rediscovered Jillian Michael's and her most recent DVDs: 30 Day Shred, Burn Fat Boost Metabolism, & No More Trouble Zones. Wow! Especially with 30 Day Shred, I noticed the level of intensity and appreciated the short 20-25 minutes it took to complete the workouts for my busy schedule. To this day, I tell people to start off with the 30 Day Shred as the price is great and you get three different workouts--a lot of bang for your buck!

But like with any addiction (lol) I had to have something harder--and wanted more. My husband actually told me about the P90x infomercials he had seen and many guys on some of the forums he frequented really recommended it. So I thought, "Why not?" and ordered it this past September 2009. Since then, I've moved on to Insanity, Cathe Friedrich (not found at BeachBody though) ChaLEAN Extreme, & TurboFire--with the latter two being my current programs--and now have decided to become a Beachbody Coach because I know I will be buying even more programs from them in the future (like the P90x & Insanity sequels!) and also eying a few others like the Brazil Butt Lift & Rev Abs.

Now that I am becoming more familiar with the various exercises out there, I've also been doing a lot of research especially checking out tutorial videos on the Internet (man, there is a lot out there!) and doing some workouts I have found on other people's fitness blogs that are just as good as some of the DVDs I've been doing. I admit, I miss someone like Shaun T or Jillian who cue me to "dig deeper" or "finish strong" but I can still get a great sweat and pump from them as long as I work hard--which I like to think I do. ;)

So why am I sharing this with you on my Fitness Blog? Well, I think it is important that you know a little bit about me and where I've been as you note products I review; I am not a beginner but not really quite advanced yet where I feel like an athlete or even semi-athlete. But also, you can see I have a pretty big range of programs I've done and I can help others gauge what program might work best for them at their fitness level whether they are starting from never exercising at all to being a hardcore disciplined exerciser like me.

But you'll also know that I am open to trying sensible workouts and are not loyal to one particular set of workouts. I think it is actually pretty cool that we are all unique and that different things appeal to different people! I just want to facilitate others to help them figure out what will motivate and work for them and get them to do things that will change their life permanently for the better. :) 

**To buy the Beachbody DVDs listed here (P90x, Insanity, ChaLEAN Extreme, TurboFire, Rev Abs, & Brazil Butt Lift) go to our site at Graceful Coach/Beachbody. Sign up under "Graceful Coach" for free coaching and advice from me!