Rachel, my friend and personal trainer, shared this article recently about the importance of pushing women clients to work harder. It really got me thinking because I can be a major WHINER.
Face it, working out is hard. Some days I really have to drag myself to the gym or to Jazzercise when I'd really rather head home and crawl into bed with the TV remote. Exercise makes me sweat, wrecks havoc with my hair and turns limbs to jello.
And there are many times I've moaned and groaned, complained, kvetched and generally turned into a baby. It's too hard! I can't do that! Planks? Nooooooo.
Here's the deal.
Sometimes you just have to push yourself.
It certainly is important to move at your own pace and modify exercises to fit your needs. I change the way I do anything that involves deep knee bends to accommodate sore joints. Rachel and my Jazzercise instructors are good at showing alternate exercises or modifications.
But it's okay to push the limits of what you think you can do. Sometimes I surprise myself. And that builds confidence and gives me the courage to move to the next level.
Just give it a try.
- If you're used to doing modified pushups, try military style. I was so surprised to find out that, yes, I can do full-out, on my toes, military-style pushups and as I get stronger, I add to the count.
- The same goes for planks. Challenge yourself to hold it for 30 seconds and then a minute and then see how long you can go.
- If you've been using the same set of weights for awhile, kick it up a notch or grab a couple of sets of dumbbells that are different weights.
- Try something new. Train for a race, take tennis lessons. Try a different Jazzercise format. I have a couple of brand new experiences on the calendar. I'm nervous about them but eager to see what I can do.
Now get out there and ROAR.
I needed a kick in the pants like this as I start my May ramp up to summer. Thanks!
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