Empower Yourself.
I cannot believe that we are already half way through the first week of the 80 Day Obsession. I have been doing a 9 AM ZOOM CREW Workout every day and it has been so cool to see everyone pushing themselves and showing up. I am beyond excited to see everyone’s results after the first 30 days and all the way through day 80. This is a program that takes a lot of mental fortitude. There is the timed nutrition part of it that requires a lot of planning and dedication but the workouts are also hard. We use strength slides and bands in a lot of the moves and this forces us to engage muscles we may not normally use and keeps the muscle under tension for longer. When I was doing Cardio Core this morning I started to think about focus and pushing past our perceived barriers in our workouts and how this is what will carry us to our goals. If there is one thing that helps me keep going when I feel like I cannot do another rep and I want to yell: PINEAPPLES! (for those of you doing the program with me this will make sense 😉 ) it is my ability to bring my focus back to what is happening right then and there in the present moment when things get a little crazy.
Your mind is not always your amigo.
Have you ever noticed when you are working out and you start to breathe heavy or your muscles get fatigued that suddenly you get a desire to sweep the floor or you start looking around the room like there is something external that has to be done right now and will save you from having to continue your workout? I definitely get scattered at times when I am really pushing myself and sometimes I just want to walk around gasping for air or put my hands on my knees and catch my breath. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with this, we have hit our max and we need a break, but sometimes this is the mind drawing our attention to everything but the task at hand. For me my heartbeat gets elevated and I get winded and then I focus on being winded and my breaths get shallower and faster and I am really out of breath. I have noticed that when I latch onto that fatigue or breathing my workout gets harder and my performance decreases. I begin to think about everything but what I am supposed to be doing in the moment. Then the voice in my head kicks in: just take a break, you have done enough, slow down, stop pushing so hard, it’s ok you are really sore, etc. I believe that this is my brain’s natural response to what is happening in my body, it is trying to keep me safe and keep me comfortable. I understand the need for this in an evolutionary sense but right now, in this comfortable stage of life where I do not have to worry about the threat of a grizzly bear or a saber tooth tiger I have found that I need to push past this mental search for comfort and safety and see what I am capable of. I need to expand my limits and remain focused on my goals and why I am pushing myself so hard. I need to stay focused on the task at hand, whether it is burpees, lunges, or squats.
Cultivate tunnel vision.
When things get tough in your workout force yourself to exhale forcefully then take a deep breath and get tunnel vision. There is nothing else going on except your workout and no matter what you are doing you can do more. Even if it is 1 or two reps or a bunch of mildly sloppy slow switch kicks, you can do it if you remain focused. Each rep you do beyond your comfort zone takes you further away from your old self and one step closer to the person you are working to become. Our minds will almost always give us an out. It will tell us it is ok and it will find a mostly rational reason why it is ok to take a break or even call it quits but it is up to us to recognize this for what it is: A LOAD OF B.S. When you recognize it as such you can not allow the thought to take hold and you can keep pushing yourself in your workout.
Maybe a bit of focus is all that is standing between you and the booty you want.
This is shaping up to be an amazing 80 days and I am so excited to be able to share in the accomplishments that all of the participants will feel as we go along. Each week of sticking to this program and nutrition plan is a win and I love seeing people conquer their minds and redesign their beliefs around what they are capable of because they are working hard and making progress. When we push ourselves and make progress we ultimately find more confidence, happiness, and a better quality of life which is the real point of pushing ourselves daily. I want everyone to feel this accomplishment and empowerment and I am here to help. If you did not enroll in time for the start of our test group for the 80 Day Obsession there is still time for you. I have another group starting in February so you can complete the 80 Day Obsession and have a lifted butt and toned abs in time for summer all while showing yourself the amazing things you are capable of.