So I guess I've been musing as to "why" I feel so drawn to over-spend on DVDs and workout programs... Do I feel justified because working out is good for me? Am I just falling for the marketing hype and failing to see the real reason the programs I have don't change my body? (hint- can you say sweet tooth?) Do I really think there is something new or better? Do I feel I am missing out on something or not keeping up with "the Jonses"? Or I just have bright shiny object syndrome??
Tomorrow is New Rules of Lifting Supercharged - Basic I workout A (NROL SC B1A in my workout journal) for me. Full body workout - I'm looking to add a few pounds to last weeks squats, rows and step-ups. I'll then have one more week of Basic I before moving onto Basic II.
What I'm liking about this program so far:
1. I checked the book out from the library and downloaded the workout sheets online so it cost me a whopping $0.
2. It sets up a template for each workout "cycle" of about 4 weeks and I pick the exercises that fit into slots in the template. I'm planning to use it to work on some verify specific strength goals.... ie. unassisted chin up, squats, deadlifts, pistols and maybe even a handstand pushup (still thinking about that one)
3. Inside the templates the program calls for "metabolic" and "intervals" where I have been plugging in some of my favorite DVD premixes or other programs I have (In one metabolic section I use a 10 min from Lift Weights Faster, in one interval section I've done Ripped with Hitt Plyo or Low Impact Hitt) So I feel like its been a good usage of other stuff I already have.
4. Progression! Like STS it moves through phases, muscle endurance, hypertrophy, etc.
I think you're onto something here. I can't speak for anyone else, but investing more money into all things exercise-related than was financially advisable for me has been a serious problem I've battled in the past. I am far better about it in my thirties than in past decades, but I have to be very, very disciplined. I think that because exercise is such a good thing to do, and being on the heavy side means I need a lot of exercise, I can rationalize the spending on not only the new workouts, but on more equipment. This is in spite of the fact that at times, I've had workouts and equipment already on hand that have barely been touched! For one thing, the shopping in and of itself is thought to satisfy wonky levels of neurotransmitters in the brain that help us feel good or excited. It is only temporary satisfaction, but it is an EXTREMELY powerful urge in some of us. Again, fitness purchases can be very easy to justify because we hear endlessly about the good exercise does for us. There is also an added aspect of not realizing or thinking through the financial or storage consequences since in that moment of purchasing, I'm only thinking about the positives of having my new toy or "that workout which will finally give me the abs/glutes/thighs/whatever it is I need to change".
I have Inattentive ADD (no hyperactivity). Impulsivity, poor planning skills, difficulty with follow-through, and a low tolerance for boredom are hallmarks of this. In the study I've linked, it discusses why the ADHD brain (and I would add, those with Inattentive ADD who generally don't have the hyperactivity aspect) can cause people with it to compulsively shop.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2626918/
Obviously, I wouldn't apply this to everyone, but I would think even those without ADD might have a little bit of this issue running through their mind. In today's world, it is so easy to just go online and spend, spend, spend. People have more time alone and generally receive less fulfillment through community and real life than in past times. Shopping for fitness items that we will use and can afford is not a bad thing...it's not like smoking cigarettes or something that is just bad news from the jump. It can be hard to know where healthy spending on fitness ends, and a problem begins. "Retail therapy" is a concept for a reason. Immediate gratification can become a habit in and of itself.
Anyway, I've been guilty of this in the past and I hope it's under control now because I am aware of my triggers, and since I have long-term goals deeply planted in my mind by now. (I did not get my ADD diagnosis until my 30's, and it was the missing link to understanding a lot of "quirks" about my habits and issues.) This whole post of mine is not at all a judgment towards or about anyone else, it is just the story of my own journey that I feel inclined to talk about for whatever reason. I can actually stop and tell myself these days that whatever new set is not going anywhere (since I can buy it later if I still want it, assuming I truly have the funds free); I have other priorities right now financially; and I have PLENTY of workouts and their needed equipment in my possession today which will help me meet my fitness goals. I also have to remind myself of the negative consequences of overspending, and having more stuff than I reasonably have storage for. I know that I've gotten fit before without whatever new gadget or workout has just come out, wonderful as it might be. Nonetheless, I acknowledge sticking with this is sometimes very hard. I often want to be right there with everyone else doing the latest moves, be in on the fun chats about owning whatever is fresh out in the fitness world, and I always aim for body changes by switching things up or shocking the muscles consistently. I have to remind myself that I can also do that by doing more outdoor workouts, engaging in equipment-free stuff like Pilates matwork or Yoga, utilizing new bodyweight exercises, etc.
For myself, I am determined not to spend money on anything fitness-wise for the above reasons in the foreseeable future. I'm glad to type that out in this entry, and hope it holds me accountable. I'd only spend money now on fitness stuff if there are exercises I've progressed on weights-wise and truly need heavier weights than the dumbbell poundages I already own; if my DVD(s) I use frequently got damaged; or if a piece of much-used equipment broke and needed replacing ASAP (like my step). I've reached a maintenance point, and need to respect that enough is enough for now in my case. I have something like forty or fifty workouts, and that's just in my DVD collection. If I add in online workouts, the options for new routines becomes basically infinite, even with just the free options out there! I have more equipment now than some European gyms do, LOL. I can make do with what I have and get plenty fit JUST FINE.
