Thoughtful Thursday
I embrace the rhythm of life and let it unfold.
Tag Archive for: stay positive
Thoughtful Thursday
I accept myself fully.
Transformation Tuesday
I choose to see positivity in all areas of my life.
You Get Less Competent the More You Run Away from Challenges
Believe it or not, personal competence is actually like a muscle. If you haven’t been to a gym before and you start lifting weights, what do you think will happen?
Well, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that in the morning, you’re not going to feel all that well. It seems like your muscles are aching all over the place. It’s like they’re screaming at you to stop working out.
You put a tremendous amount of pressure on muscles that are not used to that stress and pressure. What do you think will happen? That’s right, a lot of pain. The secret here is that you must work through the pain.
A lot of people are under the impression that if their body is telling them that it’s in pain that this is their signal to stop. This is the most common mistake rookies make. When you listen to your body, you’re basically listening to that part of yourself that is telling you to take it easy. You’re listening to that part of yourself that does not want to be stressed, confronted and challenged.
What do you think it will ask for? That’s right. It will ask for you to take it easy. It will ask you to do something else that is more pleasurable. It’s going to ask you to just lay off anything that may involve discomfort, inconvenience or sacrifice.
But it turns out that if you want to make the pain go away, you go to the gym and lift more weights. Sure, it feels like murder the next day, but if you keep going, the pain evaporates. It turns out that the pain is temporary. It’s the small price you pay to achieve higher levels of muscle discipline and strength.
The same applies to your competence. If you want to just focus on your current level of expertise and knowledge, you’re not going to improve. You’re not going to be curious about what else is out there. You’re not going to challenge what you think you know. You’re not going to break things apart and try to put them back together and figure out how to connect the dots and see the big patterns.
You’re not going to achieve any of that. Those are the things that will take your knowledge to the next level. Those are the things that will enable you to become a greater expert and authority in whatever field you’re in.
Unfortunately, a lot of people think that they can coast or take it easy based on their current level of expertise. They end up running away from challenges. They focus on the things they know. They focus on the “tried and proven.”
Unfortunately, the more they do this, the less competent they become because the value of their knowledge erodes over time. Also, if you don’t want to challenge yourself, chances are you’re not going to figure out better ways to articulate what you already know.
Is Surgery Right For You? (Diet Vs Surgery)
Choosing to get weight loss surgery is a life-changing decision and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly, for people who are morbidly obese trying to lose weight without the help of surgery can feel like an almost impossible task and requires determination over a very long period of time.
Research has shown that obese individuals that undertake weight loss surgery are less likely to regain the weight compared to people who lose weight by dieting and exercise. It does seem like a quick fix but overeating and man-made foods are a hard habit to kick and almost anyone can fall into stages of weight gain very quickly.
The BMI or body mass index is a commonly used measurement to diagnose morbidly obese individuals as candidates for weight loss surgery. Unfortunately, this type of measurement is very biased and does not calculate how much muscle is on your body or your body weight in relation to your height.
There are three basic types of surgery’s these are
Restrictive procedures – restrict the amount of food that your body can eat at one time, with some self-control you can do the exact same thing on a healthy diet
Malabsorptive procedure – alters your normal digestive process which causes foods to be poorly digested. This method is unpopular due to the body not absorbing nutrients needed from food and its quite similar to starving yourself.
The third type for especially severe cases is a combination of the two.
There are many factors that affect your body and how much fat you can lose with the most common reasons being
Age – as you get older your metabolism slows and you have to be more conscious of your diet and to eat healthily. Will be harder to lose weight
Sex – Men are able to burn fat faster than women, so if you are not seeing the same results as your husband on the same diet, it’s natural. They can both build muscle and burn fat and more muscle usually means more fat loss.
Ethnicity – some studies suggest that African American women do not lose as much weight as Caucasian women. This may or may not be true for everyone but its something to think about when choosing between diet and surgery we are all built differently and genetically prone to store fat in certain places.
Weight at Surgery – The heavier you are when you go in for your weight loss surgery the more fat you will be able to lose, this is just common sense and you will notice obese individuals dropping amazing numbers each week.
8 Workout Motivation Techniques That Will Boost Your Fitness
Sometimes good workout motivation techniques can be difficult to come across. Some days you just can’t find enough reason to work out, and you let yourself slow down. The problem here is that if you aren’t motivated, you won’t get results. You have to want it. Really want it.
There are so many ways to keep yourself fully motivated and doing so will put you in better shape than you’ve ever been and fast. Not only that, but you’ll enjoy the ride there much, much more. Here are some great ways to start getting motivated, break those plateaus, and get on the fast track to insane health.
Workout Motivation Techniques:
1. Remember what you’re doing it for.
The best workout motivation you can give yourself is to remember why it is you’re working out. Maybe it’s the dream weight you’ve been striving for. Maybe it’s a pant size you haven’t fit into in years. Maybe you just want the satisfaction of knowing you’re in better shape. Whatever it is that got you in the gym on the first day, think about it, and don’t let it get away.
2. Track your success.
Write down every rep and weight for each workout, and how long you ran or held a plank that day. Keep a record so when you look back at the workout from three weeks ago, then the one from yesterday, you can see the improvement. Knowing that you’re improving and being able to read the proof can be a great form of workout motivation for anyone with any fitness goal.
3. Use your favorite activities to get in shape.
If you hate running, buy a jump rope for your cardio. If you love rock climbing, find a club nearby and use it to get in shape. Use the things you like to do, and you’ll get better results from them.
4. Set short term goals.
Before you start an exercise, tell yourself what you need to do. Get a number of reps or a length of time in mind, and achieve it at all costs. If you can’t make it on the first try, take a breath, and finish. Don’t ever let yourself give up halfway.
5. Set long term goals.
Much like the short term goals, you should give yourself a time or number to reach, but set it weeks in advance. If you can hold an abdominal bridge for 32 seconds now, make it your goal to hold it for a minute by next month. This will keep you pushing as hard as possible for every abdominal exercise up until the goal date. If you reach the goal, it can be incredibly motivating to see what you can achieve with effort. Continue to set more goals and keep reaching them.
6. Reward Yourself.
Give yourself something to look forward to if you reach a goal, or just for making it through each workout for the week. If you wanted to be benching 220 lbs by a certain day, and you end up hitting 235, then let yourself take a day off, or go get a celebratory meal. Workout motivation is as simple as wanting something, and doing what it takes to get it.
7. Keep it social. Try a group fitness class.
They tend to be very full of energy and motivation. If that’s not for you, get a friend or a group of friends to work out with to keep you motivated and give you some friendly competition.
8. Surround yourself with forms of workout motivation.
There are plenty of things that can remind you to work harder. Keep some motivational pictures on your phone. Subscribe to YouTube channels or to follow social media profiles related to workout motivation. Keep yourself subjected to a constant stream of motivating materials, and soon enough, you’ll never find yourself slacking off again.
Everyone has reasons for their fitness regimens, keep yours in full view and don’t let yourself slack off anymore. Use these tips to keep yourself fully motivated and get in great shape.
Workout Motivation
How do we find the motivation to exercise? At the end of the day when that big fluffy couch seems to be calling your name and nothing looks more appealing, what is it that keeps us on track and motivated?
What Motivates Me To Workout
The question came up today how do I motivate the individual and I started thinking about how do I motivate myself. Everyone is different and everyone needs motivation served to them on a different platter. What motivates one doesn’t necessarily motivate the next. Some people need constant encouragement, others need a kick in the ass while some need to be told specifically what to do.
There are literally hundreds of different ways to motivate yourself to exercise and I will give you a few examples of what has worked for me. Even I struggle sometimes to keep going but the most effective way to keep motivated for me is having a workout partner. Having that buddy on the same page as you challenging you to push hard and keep going always motivates me. I have had some great workout partners in the past and I miss training with them.
Writing down my program and keeping track of it is also a great method for me. I track my results and week by week I check to see my improvements, and hey what better motivation is there then seeing results.
Caloric expenditure is one that has worked for me in the past as well. I know that you read tons of weight loss articles and they say don’t count calories. Well, how are you going to get the proper amount of calories you need and burn the proper amount without keeping track? Knowing what I need to burn in the day pushes me that extra little bit or keeps me on track so I don’t expend too much.
Simple enjoyment out of exercise and having fun will keep anyone going. I wish I could workout with everyone I train all day every day. If it wasn’t for the fact that it takes away my concentration on the individual I would love to work out with them all. Having fun doing a group or boot camp class has always been motivating for me. Lately, I have been riding my new mountain bike and I love it. Doing something that keeps you moving while you are having fun can’t be bad for you.
Magazines and the models inside have been an inspiration in the past for me. Sure Photoshop works some wonders and they are usually a couple of days out from contest time but hey working hard to be that fit and having a goal is a great motivation.
Internet articles, blogs, books any type of information and reading material is interesting for me and gets me to try new things or methods and different exercises. Sometimes reading what others have done and their success stories are very inspirational.
Setting goals and when you reach them to reward yourself. It’s always nice to get to a goal and it’s even nicer to know that you are getting something for your hard work. I like to get some sort of little reward for every goal I achieve. Set your goals and set your rewards and get them often.
Keeping my “lean clothes” around makes me work hard to fit into them and want to look good. With looking good comes feeling good and having those outfits I feel stellar in keeps me on track.
Stress relief is a great motivator for me. Some days I need to blow off some steam and putting some old classic tunes on my iPod and just tearing it up in the gym really clears my mind and drains the stress from my body and mind.
Clearing my head while I have been riding my bike has worked great as well. Again it’s stress relief buy it really gives me time to think about other things and maybe just take in some scenery.
A couple of other motivators that may work for you could be signing up for a 5 or 10 km race, not feeling bad from missing workouts, extending your life expectancy and being able to run and play with your grandkids one day. Weighing yourself and keep measurements. Not every day but once a week, trust me as you see the numbers going down you will be motivated.
However, you chose to motivate yourself whether it be from taking those measurements, logging your workouts or reading motivational quotes, the feeling you get once you have reached a goal and people are noticing is priceless. Make and set your goals so they are achievable and realistic. You will reach them as long as you work at it and there is no better reward than feeling great and looking great and having others notice.
What Motivates you? I’d love to know…
Common Mistakes Most People Make When Working Out
If you want to learn about 3 major dumb mistakes people make when working out, then you’ll want to read this article. Specifically, I’ll discuss how people are wrongly expecting instant results, unproductive inconsistency, and erroneously missing the diet equation.
After reading this article, you should be able to see better workout results and more importantly, have increased workout motivation.
Most people who are starting to workout have an illusion of grandeur, wanting to look like supermodels in a week’s time. This is one of the mistakes people make, thinking that working out for a couple of hours for a few days should make them lose at least a third of their weight. This is too much of an expectation that not even God can perform a miracle. Dumb mistake number one, don’t expect instant results! Miracles do happen but not on weight issues, these you need to work hard for. Set attainable goals and work hard for each goal. Plan each step, each activity and make sure you follow your plans or this will lead you to mistake number two.
You have been sticking to your workout – getting in shape, doing more push-ups, gradually increasing running speed – until after one week you lose your workout motivation and decide to skip a day or two. Guess what? Unproductive inconsistency will pull you back in your workout and might cause it to fail. Another dumb mistake, stop being inconsistent! Stick to your routine no matter how heavy a rainy day it is or you will pay the price. Don’t expect good results when you know you have been skipping workouts.
The third dumb mistake people make when working out is missing the most important part – eating right. It is never enough to just exercise without eating healthy foods. Stick to what you know is right for your workout. Don’t tire yourself for 3 hours in the gym then eat a heavy and sinful dinner afterward. You may be working out consistently but at the same time consistently pigging out on pizzas and buckets of ice cream as well. Dumb mistake number three, don’t forget your diet!
Following a Dietician’s expert advice on what kind of diet to take coupled with good, consistent workouts will give out the best results. Remember, don’t make dumb mistakes such as expecting instant results, being inconsistent, and forgetting your diet. These will surely set you up for a failed workout. Avoid these mistakes and you’re sure to notice fewer pounds, fewer inches, and more workout motivation.
5 Critical Dieting Tips for Keeping Weight Off
Anyone can shed a few pounds here and there; however, how can you get to the point of keeping the weight off and living a healthy lifestyle? In this article, I will discuss what I have done to shed the weight and I feel wonderful. Many people who start diets will fuss because the weight program they are on is making them tired and they do not have enough energy to make it through the day.
Listed below are the 5 critical diet tips, if you follow them you should be able to fight the fat and keep it off:
10 Dieting Tips For a Successful Weight Loss Summer
If the thought of seeing yourself in a bathing suit or swimming trunks this summer is making your knees buckle then keep reading.
I am going to share 10 dieting tips you can use to lose weight and look your best all summer long.
