Workout underachiever??

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

Must have been in a philosophical mood today - as I

started thinking about my workouts, goals, etc. I

really started to think that I'm an underachiever in

my workouts- but I'm not sure that I want to change

that!

I think of you guys who do really tough workouts

almost every time - and I'm just not " there " mentally.

I know that I probably could and should (if I really

want the spectacular physical results that many of you

have achieved) do more difficult workouts on a regular

basis - afterall, I've been active forever and

exercising at home with videos for probably 15 years,

and before and during that time I worked out in a gym,

ran, etc. - but I'm not sure that I would enjoy

working out hard all or most of the time.

I guess it is a question of priorities. Sometimes I

really want to have the awesome physical results of

looking really cut and lean - but in order to get

there I would have to up the level of my workouts and

focus on my diet in a more stringent and scientific

manner than I do now. Trouble is, I think if I made

myself do hard workouts most days of the week I'd

begin to dread my workout time and, that time for me

is my " fun " time not my " work " time. Hmm...what to

do?

I think perhaps I'd be more mentally and physically

able to do harder workouts if I could workout in the

afternoons or during evenings again - but right now,

my schedule really doesn't permit this. There is

something so unappealing to me of having to face a

hard workout early in the morning, first thing. I

guess I just need to decide what is more important to

me - the fun factor or the results. I'm in decent

shape now - both physically and appearance-wise but I

know I could do better if I were more focused....but I

don't think I want to be more focused....sort of

circular here. Maybe I can try to just do one hard

workout a week or something......

Anyway, I'm just rambling here today.....

Anyone else feel this way?

Donna

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Donna,

Workout is also my me fun time. I

try and push it hard when I feel up to it and allow myself to relax and do what

I want when I’m not. I look at it like any other hobby – for example

if you loved to sew – one day you may decide to make an elaborate

complicated dress and when you were done you’d be proud of it. But

another day you may just decide your daughter needs a tshirt dress (sew a skirt

on the bottom of a t-shirt – it’s an uncomplicated pattern that can

turn out wonderful looking) and you’d be proud of that too. I personally

doubt I will ever have a ripped looking body and truthfully I don’t want

one. I like being curvy and I like my curves being admired lol What I decided

is that I want to be fit and by being fit I mean being is the shape to do my

job. I’m a mother so being fit to me means having energy, having strength

and a certain amount of flexibility but also having patience, intelligence and

creativity. So each month I focus on an aspect I feel I need to work on and I

try and do it in a fun non threatening way. I workout late at night

usually from 9pm (when I am certain all my kids are asleep and I’ve had a

few minutes to have a glass of water and think) to 11pm (or when I get done).

Sometimes I do a morning workout but I can’t give it my all in the

morning. I find gentle yoga, light dance aerobics, gentle Pilates or a

very familiar weight training session work best for me in the morning. Anything

more than that I might as well not be working out.

The fun factor is my main motivation to

work out and there are fun workouts that are challenging (I think kickboxing is

challenging yet fun) If you really want to try to go for it a bit harder maybe

you could add one workout a week where you really “work” I

don’t think I have a single workout I don’t think is fun. I’m

a bit nervous about starting The Firm workouts again (I’m using the

sculpting workouts on Mondays now) but I know I will enjoy them if I can do

them. I know I couldn’t or maybe wouldn’t push it as hard as

some of the ladies here. In my line of work I can’t afford to have

sore muscles or injure myself so I only push myself as far as I can and be

certain I can still be a mom the next day. If you feel fit and look good does

it matter to you that you don’t look really cut and lean? Kids grow up so

fast and one day you’ll be able to workout whenever you want to and you

may even feel a bit sad about that. I know I’ll miss the days when

my kids no longer say mommy help me with this yoga pose or can we practice ballet

or even just say hey look at me I did a full camel (from Wai Lana’s

Little Yogis 2 – I was so proud when I saw my son and his wonderful camel,

I can’t do one;). And I’ll probably miss my late night

workouts when all my kids are in school and I can workout in the late morning

or afternoon. Of course I am reasonably happy with the way I look and feel. Sometimes

I feel like I should push it more – like next month I’m developing

a cardio month to get my body in good aerobic condition and I am mixing

intermediate workouts with beginner/intermediate workouts. I know I could push

it for 6 days straight (I’d have to buy more higher level dvds to do itJ at a intermediate level,

but well I’m not going to. AND I know once my knee is healed I could

bring it up to more advanced dvds, but guess what? I’m probably not going

to do that either. I guess I’m an underachiever too. Working out

has to fun – there needs to be a challenge but not so much of a challenge

I dread the working out.

Just my thoughts on the subjectJ

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Donna M-P

Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2006

11:27 PM

FitFirmies ;

Subject: Workout

underachiever??

§

Hi everyone,

Must have been in a philosophical mood today - as

I

started thinking about my workouts, goals,

etc. I

really started to think that I'm an underachiever

in

my workouts- but I'm not sure that I want to

change

that!

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[Guest guest]

Donna M-P wrote:

>Trouble is, I think if I made

> myself do hard workouts most days of the week I'd

> begin to dread my workout time and, that time for me

> is my " fun " time not my " work " time. Hmm...what to

> do?

i try to alternate between moderate workouts and those that are more

challenging to me. i also do easy/beginner workouts when im sick or

injured or sore or just not mentally into working out so that i can

keep my momentum going. if i tried to do a tough workout every day

then i would never workout.... i would dread it too much. i have to

have alot of variety and also have fun. i do find fun in a tough

workout now and then, but it has to be followed by something easier

so that i can recover both mentally and physically. im thinking that

if i can do this and end up working out in some manner every day then

i wont have to do workouts that are really hard all of the time ...

all i really need to do is get a handle on my food intake.

:*carolyn.

[Guest guest]

hi donna, some of these tough workouts are about training smarter by hitting hard in less time. you could probably do a quick 20 min lower body workout and feel more fatigued then i could and you could get great results from it. me if i wasn't doing some of these longer workouts i would just be sitting on my tushie all day and there would be no point in my working out just to sit around all day. as much as a workout and try to eat right,i still don't look like a figure model LOL. i workout hard b/c i love to workout hard and when i know i have done to much i back off(look at the whole month of january). i think its a matter of being fit in mind and body and if you start dreading a workout b/c you feel you have to do 500 push ups or something then its not worth it. fun factor or results?? well you can get results with both, its just matter of finding what works for you. but alot of it

is diet and some of us,including me, are just not ready to give up things we love to go for the "look". i wouldn't give my chocolate even though i know if i did i could have more of a six pack. but your idea of one hard workout a week would not be a bad idea. maybe do a weekend of hard workouts then moderate to light during the week. we are rooting for you and proud of you either way. just rest up first b/c i know you haven't been feeling well, have a great day kassia Donna M-P <donna112520@...> wrote: I think of you guys who do really tough workoutsalmost every time - and I'm just not "there" mentally.I know that I probably could and should (if I reallywant the spectacular physical results that many of youhave achieved) do more difficult

workouts on a regularbasis - afterall, I guess it is a question of priorities. Sometimes Ireally want to have the awesome physical results oflooking really cut and lean - but in order to getthere I would have to up the level of my workouts andfocus on my diet in a more stringent and scientificmanner than I do now. I think perhaps I'd be more mentally and physicallyable to do harder workouts if I could workout in theafternoons or during evenings again - but right now,my schedule really doesn't permit this. There issomething so unappealing to me of having to face ahard workout early in the morning, first thing. Iguess I just need to decide what is more important tome - the fun factor or the results. I'm in decentshape now - both physically and appearance-wise but Iknow I could do better if I were more focused....but Idon't

think I want to be more focused....sort ofcircular here. Maybe I can try to just do one hardworkout a week or something......Anyway, I'm just rambling here today.....Anyone else feel this way?Donna__________________________________________________