Such a "duhh" moment for me!

[pjlippert]

Okay, so for whatever reason, I've been obsessed with beginning my workout right after taking my son to the bus-stop and walking the dog, them BAM gotta workout then and there!! Well, yesterday morning I was just dragging. So, I did a combo of work and chores that never seem to end. About an hour or so later, I felt perky enough to workout and had a GREAT workout instead of just a so-so workout had I forced myself!!

I work at home so I have flexibility. It's silly how sometimes we get stuck in a mindset and how we can get in our own way.

Anyone else had a 'duh' workout epiphany??

Pam

 

[bitmover]

Well, I'm not sure this was a "duhh" moment, but it certainly is a freeing epiphany for me. I know for quite a while we've all been reading about how it's mostly diet and not so much your workouts. Well, with the recent appearance of Jillian on Jay Leno, and people talking about what she said there (I didn't see it).... that she only works out three times a week and it's all about the diet aspect... well, more than focusing on food for me, that has freed me to realize I don't have to do every last thing exactly like a dvd does it, I don't have to follow a rotation completely correctly if part of it is not for me. It's really given me a newfound sense of freedom that feels good. I know I'm still getting a heck of a workout and I know that in the end it just doesn't matter quite so much.

 

[Stebby]

My recent epiphany is that I don't HAVE to work out in the morning! I suffer from insomnia and am quite regularly (2-4 days per week) awake from about 1:30 to 4:00 a.m., at which point I fall deeply asleep. I was forcing myself to get up at 5:30 after such nights and drag myself through a workout. Then I realized I could let myself sleep until 7:00, get up, go to work, then do my workout in the late afternoon after I pick up my daughter from school. I'm happier and I'm getting more sleep (even if my night is fragmented), and my workouts are better. And I'm finding, after 30 years of morning workouts, that I don't mind end-of-day workouts.

Stebby

 

[pjlippert]

Hi Stebby,

Bless your heart for having such broken sleep. How smart of you to switch your workout time, 5:30am is a painfully early hour! It's amazing how much better feel when we actually listen to our bodies, isn't it?

Pam

 

[NY25]

Stebby - I suffer from severe insomnia as well, and I have found that late afternoon workouts actually help me sleep better at night - significantly so, as a matter of fact!!
Keep with that schedule for a while - hopefully it will help you, as well.

 

[pjlippert]

Hi Bitmover,

I totally understand about modifying the moves!! Some days the feet and brain don't seem to be connected. I guess that's the beauty of working out at home. Over the Holidays, my six year old son would "workout" with me... After trying some of Cathe's workouts (with enormous modifications) he stopped saying "Mommy, you're not doing the moves right"!! HA! Now he gets it!

Pam

 

[amyleew]

I have never EVER stuck with any workout or exercise regime for more than a few days, a month, and probably the longest about a month and a half. I often never got to doing the first workout! That is when I was forcing myself to get up early before work to do it.

When I started Cathe about four or five months back I started in the afternoon. I had no idea that was all it was going to take. Now I find it fun and it doesn't cut into my sleep time so I enjoy it more. I think I used to resent exercising because it was time I could be sleeping. I'm on holiday at the moment from work (back next week *groan*) but I find myself doing things at all sorts of hours now. I did Step Blast at 10:30pm the other night... just because I felt like it. I don't know if it is good for you to workout that late but I slept like a log!

So, I have discovered just in the last month or so is not to push myself to do something I don't feel like doing. If I don't want to workout straight after work, swing by the Cathe forum and the downloads shop and watch some videos... after a half an hour of that I am pumped and actually WANT to go workout!

I think my partner is considering an intervention after walking past and seeing how often I am watching the videos but they are fun to watch! If they work for motivation then why not!

All the best girls! It's great to read about stories like yours.

 

[caseysmomgo]

well, more than focusing on food for me, that has freed me to realize I don't have to do every last thing exactly like a dvd does it, I don't have to follow a rotation completely correctly if part of it is not for me. It's really given me a newfound sense of freedom that feels good. I know I'm still getting a heck of a workout and I know that in the end it just doesn't matter quite so much.

I have just recently started feeling this way as well. Trying to be the eternal perfectionist, I used to always do every exercise of every DVD...I did the 6-month STS rotation last year and followed it to the letter.

Someone either here or on the VF forum a couple wks ago said that in order to shorten-up some STS workouts to 30-40 minutes, she didn't do every exercise and she still had great results with STS. That got me thinking...I'm doing another 3-month STS rotation and last night I skipped a set of pushups and a couple other things on disc #4 and I felt liberated!!!

I agree that "in the end it just doesn't matter quite so much".

 

[Stebby]

Pam - thank you, and you are so right! I wonder why it took me until age 48 to figure out what "listen to your body" really means? (There's probably another epiphany in there somewhere.)

NY25 - I am so glad to hear that late afternoon workouts are giving you relief. I wonder if I should switch all my workouts to the afternoon? Maybe I'll try that for awhile and see what happens. I worked out this afternoon and I'm feeling pretty mellow right now.

Stebby

 

[bitmover]

Hi Bitmover,

I totally understand about modifying the moves!! Some days the feet and brain don't seem to be connected. I guess that's the beauty of working out at home. Over the Holidays, my six year old son would "workout" with me... After trying some of Cathe's workouts (with enormous modifications) he stopped saying "Mommy, you're not doing the moves right"!! HA! Now he gets it!

Pam

It's amazing how we think we are our worst critics and then we have children and find out it can get even tougher, eh?

 

[worseenemy]

It's amazing how we think we are our worst critics and then we have children and find out it can get even tougher, eh?

That's right! When I was doing 40/20 I had to modify a new move and my 5 year old D said "Mom, you're not copying Cathe" That was so funny I was trying to catch up my breath and laughing at the same time!