More Motivation

[nancy324]

Okay, maybe I was asking my earlier question in the wrong forum. So I'll ask here:

I've noticed that I need to SEE results to stay motivated for weight training. It doesn't matter what the results are. Maybe lasting a little longer or using a heavier weight, or just finishing all the exercises in a shorter period. Using PS once or twice a week for 4 months I had almost no further results and couldn't sustain my interest. Do the educated crowd think I will do better doing Power Hour 3X per week? Thanks.

-Nancy

 

[Sonja]

I, personally, would lose interest either way. I like to mix things up a lot. One week, I'll do two total body workouts and the following week, I'll do a two or three-day split with a total body workout. Four months sounds like a really long time to stick with PS. Do you have any other strength training tapes besides PS and Power Hour?

 

[getnfit@39]

Hi Nancy,

4 months is a very long time to stick to 1 workout. Your body may have become accustomed to it several months ago. I know my body adapts to any new workout in about 5-6 weeks and the only way I ever "see" any results is to change up my whole routine every 5-6 weeks.

Do you force yourself to increase the weight you use? If so, how often? Many times we get so use to doing an exercise with a certain weight that it becomes routine and we don't think to push ourselves to the next level. Yes it's tougher initially, but that's what we want, to challenge the muscles and make them work harder. So looking at your routine, when was the last time you went through and increased your weight for each body part? When was the last time you introduced a different form of cardio or mixed up your cardio between high intensity/lower intensity/intervals? Do you do just 1 or 2 forms of cardio and maybe need to introduce a 3rd form to "shake things up?"
Also, how does your eating fit in? Are you eating to fuel your workouts, or are you eating sort of "so-so?" I personally only see muscle/strength gains when I keep my protein intake high, otherwise, I just maintain what I have. If my carbs are "poor choice" carbs, everything suffers, cardio endurance and strength!
So there are many factors to consider when trying to figure out why results aren't happening like you want. Best thing to do is go over your routine (strength/cardio/daily diet) and see where you can make the improvements.

Donna
Fitness~It's a journey, not a race!

 

[Gettingfit]

Nancy,

I was going to ask you the same types of questions Donna does! You have to "push" yourself to the next level. If you don't add a little (a pound or 2) weight every couple of weeks you aren't ALLOWING yourself to progress.

For cardio, if you can't afford to buy new tapes, as is often the case for me, you should add intensity to the tapes you already own. By that I mean, push yourself into the air on some of the steps. If that's too much on your knees, get dynamic with your arm movement, or pick up some wrist weights--no more than 1 lbs.

Finally as Donna says, be careful with your carb choices. Go for leafy greens, fruits & vegis. You can eat as many of those as you can stuff into your face & not suffer nutritionally!

Good luck!

Deborah
I'm ready to take the next step! http://www.smilies-world.de/Smilies/Smilies_klein_1/a_smil09.gif

 

[nancy324]

What do you folks eat for lunch? I usually eat a Luna Bar or a Power Bar every 2 or 3 hours during the day. Too many carbs, right? I need to eat foods that are easy to digest during the day because I'm usually feeling a lot of stress. Any recommendations? Thanks.

 

[Gettingfit]

I eat a lot of tuna fish. I use real mayo because I think the fat free stuff just tastes weird. I add an egg white to the sandwich & cheese. I eat string cheese or those cute little baby bells for snacks. I also like chicken left over -- I always cook a little extra so I can have good lunches.

Because I feel like tuna gives me really bad breath, I used to keep a small bottle of scope in my drawer at work (I don't work anymore).

I tried protien bars & didn't particularly care for them. Not just for the carbs but for the taste.

I'm ready to take the next step! http://www.smilies-world.de/Smilies/Smilies_klein_1/a_smil09.gif

 

[Connie1]

I sometimes snack on a cup of cottage cheese (lowfat or non) with or without some Fiber One cereal in it. It's actually good. Other times, it's whole wheat (Breton) crackers with a thin schmear of peanut butter. 5-8 of those. Luna bars too, but the others are for variety and have much less sugar. Also, lots of protein in the cot. cheese.

At home a good snack is shrimp dipped in cocktail sauce. The sauce has sugar but not outrageously. An apple, cut up, w/ peanut butter on the slices.

 

[mogambo]

Try a small handful of almonds or some other nuts. Very satisfying and a fair amount of protein, good fat, vitamins, minerals and certainly low-carb. Sometimes I have sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. A piece of fruit. Some peanut butter on whole grain crackers. A hard-boiled egg.