I know. I know. I just shared a post on blogger responsibility last night and here I am posting “6 Steps for Getting Back in the Workout Groove”. Well…simply remember that I’m not a professional. This topic simply coincides with my life this week and I want to share about it and how I handled the challenge. Mmmmkay? Good.

So. Workout grooves. I have had some struggles finding mine again this week. I honestly missed my regular workout routine while away at Fitbloggin and felt excited to get back to it come Monday. However, once Monday rolled around I did not have the same motivation I previously felt. I knew I had to take some proactive steps to make sure I didn’t suddenly end up facing my race next Saturday without any training the prior weeks. And seriously? Next week is my race?! When? How?! But back to my post…

Step One: Find a workout that excites you.

I planned a spinning workout for Monday with my favorite instructor. Getting to see her again and have her kick my butt sounded good and all sorts of fun. Any other workout might not have gotten me out the door. Spinning can always motivate me to get moving!

Step Two: Plan ahead for a workout time that you will least likely skip.

I know that if I put my workout off until the evening I have a much harder time finding the energy to power through a session. Unfortunately, I could not get my gym time in on Monday morning. It almost deterred me from going to spin Monday night. Good thing I love spinning so much that it got my butt out the door. Needless to say, it reminded me why it is so important to choose a time that works for you! Don’t make getting back into a groove hard on yourself by choosing to workout at 5 am when you hate the morning or at 6 pm when you know you will want to die of exhaustion. 

Step Three: Find a Buddy.

this image doesn’t REALLY fit in this post but I LOVE it too much and had to slip it in - carriedphotography caught this one of Katy & I during the conference

I’ll be honest…one of the biggest things that motivated me to hit spin class on Monday night was you all. Blogging sure provides a heck of a lot of motivation sometimes! I know you all wouldn’t feel disappointed in me or anything ridiculous like that. Workouts are just my best blog brainstorming time! If blog brainstorming so you have something to discuss with blog buddies doesn’t motivate you, then find a “real life” pal to drag along and make things less miserable.

Step Four: Ease Back Into It.

Confession: I picked up this step in hindsight. After attending a conference that also focused on fitness I got a little gung-ho on my weights workouts of the week. I completed the following two workouts.

MONDAY: PLYO, CHEST, TRIS, & ABS WORKOUT (done as a circuit)

TUESDAY: HAMSTRINGS, BACK, SHOULDERS, & BIS WORKOUT (done as 3 different supersets)

Ahem. My body hurts. Ouch. Not the smartest move on my part to go back in so forcefully. Take note that easing back in would make things much easier to keep up with and more natural in getting that groove back.

Step Five: Be Realistic and Adapt As Necessary.

Along the same premise as step four, I quickly learned that I would have to openly adjust my workout plans so as not to sideline myself with intense soreness. Wednesday my training plan called for a 5 mile tempo run, with my tempo miles at an 8:43 pace. Ha! Hahahaha! My legs said no way and I had no problem adjusting that run’s goal to simply completing 4 miles, screw the pace. If I had tried to push it, my workout groove would have quickly turned into creating a nice groove in my couch cushions instead. You know…since I would not have a shot in the world of moving from said couch cushions.

Step Six: Just Do It.

Nike is onto something…

Remember all the reasons you love working your fitness. Then, get out there and go for it. Try not to make excuses because every bit of delay will make it that much harder to return later. Consider the goals you hope to accomplish, that approaching race (cough cough), the wonderful sense of accomplishment you feel after a workout, or the health you enjoy. Think about what got you to the gym or out pounding that pavement before your break. Use those same things to motivate you now and just do it. Getting started is 99% of the challenge for me! The other 1% is my sore legs. Dang you Fitbloggin trampoline workout and deadlifts!

• What ways do you get your workout groove back in action?
• Does blogging ever motivate you to do a workout?

Evening, friends! I received the following reader’s request and wanted to reach out to all of you fabulous ladies (and men – hi Evan & Matt!) to help with some ideas.

Tina,
I love my husband and lately I have become increasingly worried about his health. He enjoys food that isn’t always the healthiest and isn’t active. I want him to be healthy for our family. We have been finding balance with food, but he doesn’t have any desire to workout. I worry that if my husband continues with the same eating habits and activity level he will reach an unhealthy weight down the line. His doctor already recommends he lose some weight.  I have tried to help him see the benefits, but now I feel like I nag him all the time. How can I help motivate him to take better care of himself and get active?

I am not an expert by any means, but here are some things I thought might help.

• Speak openly about your concerns with him. Be sure he knows that its not just disappointment in his appearance or work ethic. Hopefully that will set the tone for him to not feel nagged, but encouraged instead.
• Do things together – activities like hikes & cooking healthy dinners. That will hopefully take the pressure off and make the experience more enjoyable as a couple or family effort.

• Find an activity that inspires him. What are his interests? Does he like watching UFC? Perhaps let him try out an MMA fitness gym. Does he like numbers? Invest in a gym membership for him to start doing weights. Then, let him get motivated with seeing the numbers increase as he gets stronger. Heck…even a Wii Fit could work well to get a guy moving. They do like their video games!

• Make it a “game” and set up a realistic reward system. Set a goal of say 3 workouts a week. If he completes those workouts for a month, then he can do something like buy those concert tickets he wanted.
• Use a plan. Things like Couch to 5K or a laid out plan like P90X may help. Sometimes trying to decide what to do any given day makes picking up exercise overwhelming. If it’s a straightforward plan to follow, it may be easier to keep with it. You can always include the reward system well with a plan too.
• Find a buddy. Do you know one of his friends that could partner up with him to either workout together or go through the same workout plan as a challenge?

• Keep it short term. Get him to commit to a month or two of regular activity (3-4x/week) and he very likely will end the time frame feeling better and enjoying working out at least a little bit more.
• Praise along the way. When he does make an effort to do something active, even a short walk, talk him up! Focus on what he has accomplished over what may be lacking. Encouragement goes a long way to motivate.

Do you have any extra tips or ideas for her? Share them in the comments section!