Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:22 — 8.3MB) | Embed
Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Mandy Wichert. Fall makes me thankful for Pumpkin Pie, and I believe if you aren’t learning you aren’t living. Today we’re talking about calling getting in the groove of new routines and the sacrifices and benefits that go along with starting something new.
Friday Forum
I want you to be a part of the Friday Forum! Friday Forum is your opportunity to Share what YOU’VE learned, so that other listeners and I can learn from YOU. It can be a message as short as 30 seconds or several minutes long. It really doesn’t matter just as long as it’s something that will benefit others. You can participate in Friday Forum by visiting our Feedback Page or calling our voice feedback line at 304-837-2278.
What I Learned Yesterday:
Over the past couple of weeks I have become diligent about re-entering the habit of getting healthy. Temperatures have plummeted here, just as I know they have taken a nosedive in the rest of the Midwest recently. Two days ago we were enjoying sunshine at the zoo with temperatures in the mid-70’s, and today when I asked Siri about the temperature outside, first she shivered, then she informed me that it’s 22 degrees Fahrenheit.
Due to this drastic, and sudden change, I was forced to go to my closet and open a box labeled “Mandy’s Winter Clothes.” Unfortunately, I went to put on one of my few pairs of pants and discovered that they no longer fit! I don’t mean that they were snug….that was last year at this time. My two options at this point were to buy new pants or lose some weight. Unfortunately, the first option is not possible at this time, so I was faced with the sad realization that I need to buck up and lose some weight. My situation was further propelled by my husband who pointed out that if I’d like to continue spending money on our gym membership at the Y, I would need to make it count by going regularly enough to justify the expense for our family.
The thing is – I love the YMCA and I love going to exercise. I am thankful for the excellent childcare my local Y provides and also the time I get to myself to exercise and engage with other adults when I go, but I have been so woefully lazy. I had been going very regularly during the summer and had developed some great habits working out with friends. Then, I broke my foot. That took 8-10 weeks to fully recover, and then school started. All of my friends and I were on different schedules. Planning workout times became work, and I became less and less motivated to go the more out of shape I became.
The gym was not as fun by myself and I felt clumsy and uncoordinated, like a fish out of water even doing basic things. It felt as if everyone else knew what they were doing and I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb. So, my routine fizzled. I lacked consistency and could easily be persuaded to do almost anything other than working out at the gym. My friends were persistent and continuously invited me to join them, but the times didn’t fit well with my schedule, so instead of going it alone…I didn’t go at all.
To be fair, I was not “exactly” a stranger to the gym. I had used it a great deal during high school and college, but I had never really been instructed about how to utilize the equipment well. I had a basic routine that I was comfortable with – 20-30 minutes of cardio consisting of either the bike, elliptical, track or treadmill followed by 20-30 minutes of stretching and basic weight lifting on the free weights, primarily dumbbells and in some random assortment, based on what basics I remembered from my past. I also used a few basic machines (never straying from what I knew) and enjoyed occasional Zumba and yoga classes.
My workout agenda was very disorganized and willy-nilly, but I always felt better after going. One day last year, I worked up the courage to use a new machine. I sat down pretending to know what I was doing and studied the diagram for the recommended movement. A short line started forming behind me as I proceeded to perform a few repetitions. Noticing the line I worked even harder, then quickly got up to move to another new machine. When I looked back, to my embarrassment, I saw that I had been sitting backwards at the machine the entire time.
I mentioned that embarrassing debacle to Clint. Knowing how much it would mean to me, last year for Christmas he bought me the best gift – a few sessions with a personal trainer to get me better acquainted with the machines and to develop a strategic workout routine. The sessions are set to expire at the end of the year, which served as just one more compelling reason to get myself back to the gym.
So, a couple of weeks ago…I started going back. I made a commitment to go at least four times per week, cashed in my trainer sessions and started tracking my nutritional and caloric intake on the MyFitnessPal app. A friend of mine recently joined the Y and asked if I’d like to work out in the wee small hours of the morning with her twice a week, allowing the other days for our husbands to go. My schedule has been very demanding with school event commitments for my kids and church activities, but I have managed to make it to the gym six of seven days for the past two weeks.
My trainer has helped to give me a routine that I feel comfortable completing on my own, and I discovered that despite how I felt performing many of the exercises on my own, my form was actually pretty good. Now that I am going to the gym again, I am really enjoying the extra movement. Some days it’s hard to get there, and I’ve only dropped one pound since beginning my routine despite my dedication and relentless calorie counting and nutrition tracking. That being said, I’m not discouraged. I know I can do this. I do wish progress was faster and that the reward for my hard work was more noticeable and immediate, but I WILL be able to fit into my clothes again soon, and I am determined to gain my health back so that I can keep up with my busy kids.
Working out makes me feel good and makes all the rest of my time more productive. Even waking up early in the morning has been beneficial, and the lost sleep has surprisingly not been missed, thanks to the extra boost of energy from working out.
Making room for a new routine has not been without sacrifices. I have less time throughout the day, and have not been getting as much done at home in a day, as I previously would have. My clean but unfolded laundry has piled up, as my schedule has been in a state of flux. The extra activities I do with the kids have been constrained to a very limited and tight schedule. We’ve missed nap times for my youngest at times and dinner has not been ready immediately when Clint arrived home, as I had previously been diligent about doing. But my family has been extremely gracious and forgiving.
They recognize the benefits of my getting healthy. They see and appreciate the extra energy and the decrease in my grumpy behavior. I feel better and I am acting like it. They also say that they notice a difference in how I look despite the lack of pounds lost so far. Clint feels that my new commitment to going to the Y regularly makes the investment worth it for our family. My going has even encouraged him to go again and to eat better as well. My hope is that as I adjust to my new routines, I will be able to find ways to re-incorporate my previous commitments into my day without disrupting our normal flow. I know this will take time, but I think I’m finally finding my groove in this new routine.
Here’s What I’ve Learned
Starting a new routine will always require some element of sacrifice. I realized that many of the insecurities I faced regarding people’s perceptions of me, while I was working out were flawed. They were probably worrying about their own form and technique and too busy with that to pay much attention to what I was doing. Also, no one is an expert when they begin a new thing. Beginning something new can be daunting and there will be a time commitment required to accommodate a new routine, but the hardest part will always be getting started and committing to a new venture.
Without the compelling arguments that propelled me forward, it may have taken even longer for me to finally get to the gym. Thankfully, my circumstances aligned in a way that I could not ignore the necessity of finally going. The proper equipment can assist in making a journey less difficult. I used “MyFitnessPal” to track my food intake and limited my caloric intake based on my level of daily activity and weight loss goals. I also utilized a free Nike Training app and the FitDeck app for structured weight lifting plans and ideas for focusing on specific target areas during my workouts, and a Couch to 5k or C25K plan for re-introducing myself to running.
My trainer has also increased my confidence and given me further motivation and encouragement to continue on this journey. My motivation has to be internal goal oriented. I have to make consequences for myself if I miss workouts or don’t follow my diet plan. If I am distracted or swayed from my goals, my pants will continue not to fit, and my gym membership will be revoked, and I will continue to feel grumpy and tired, which is pretty significant motivation to continue. Eventually I will see reward in my increased strength, stamina and endurance. I just have to keep going.
Finding a friend to go with and to be accountable to has been paramount to my success. Apps like MyFitnessPal allow you to share your goals, activity and successes with others that you allow, and even lets you message one another to encourage or motivate each other to stick with your program in tough times and to provide each other with kudos along the way. Knowing that my friend is waking up early in the morning to meet me at the gym helps motivate me to get myself out of bed and to the gym.
A structured workout plan and apps that provide pre-planned workout routines like the Nike Training app help me to feel less listless and uncoordinated. They can help me feel more confident in my movements and even give me something to focus on other than the mirror or gym floor. My friend and I actually watch a simulated exercise together then perform it together for the designated time set by the app. This has helped both of us feel purposeful in our workout routine. My coach or trainer has helped me to become more efficient during my workouts, and has been teaching me to learn how to push myself past the level that is comfortable for me to encourage me to recognize new gains in strength and coordination.
In summary, getting in the groove of a new routine is not easy. Working out is still work. The obstacles that kept me from it in the beginning will continue to be present. It’s not convenient. I have to make time for it and will eventually have to learn how to adjust to my new routine and schedule while maintaining my responsibilities to my family. In the same way, any routine any of us undertake whether working out, starting a new hobby, becoming newly self-employed, or just learning something new will cause disruption in life as we currently know it and will require adjustments and improvements in routine as we learn to live in the twenty four hour day, seven day week we are required to operate in.
That being said, there will be benefits as we grow, learn new skills, improve and stretch ourselves. We will learn lessons along the way; we will make mistakes and have great successes. This is all part of growing, part of living, part of experiencing our world and part of learning. How can you push yourself? What can you do to motivate yourself to take the first step in cultivating a new habit or beneficial routine? What needs to be shaken up in your life to make room for improvement? Find a friend that can help motivate you. Find the instruments that can give you an advantage or help you gain confidence, and get out there and try something new! You can do it! Then share what you’ve done in our Friday Forum! Can’t wait to hear what you are up to!
I’m Mandy Wichert and this has been stuff I learned yesterday.
Check out Lynda.com for over 3,000 video courses from expert teachers who are passionate about teaching. Learn from your computer, tablet, or mobile device. With courses covering technical skills, creative techniques, business strategies and more, you’ll never be at a loss of things to learn. Visit www.goldenspiralmedia.com/lynda and your first 7 days of learning are FREE!
Follow Golden Spiral Media on Twitter at GSMPodcasts and Facebook.com/GoldenSpiralMedia. To subscribe to Stuff I Learned yesterday, visit GoldenSpiralMedia.com/subscribe. If you’ve enjoyed this episode of Stuff I Learned Yesterday, I would be grateful if you’d leave a review in iTunes.
[sc:stuff]