Welcome back! I hope everyone had a great weekend, and if you are a mother, a blessed Mother's Day!
Over the weekend some information came across the radar that was completely unrelated to fitness (the topic), and yet I immediately thought of how it was perfectly related! Did you ever think that at one time, brushing your teeth was a habit that had to be learned? Well trust me, it did. Do you remember your mother asking you every night "Did you brush your teeth?" How many times did you wet your tooth brush and call out "Yes Moooom!", rolling your eyes? Think about all the little "habits" that comprise your day. Get dressed, brush hair, brush teeth, eat, get the mail, pay bills, get gas, change the oil (OK, that might not happen as often as it should!) on and on. Things that don't take any thought. Things that, if go undone, could cause trouble!
Now there are some other habits that are helpful if they are just second nature, but for many, they are not. Laundry? Can I get ONE more wear out of that? Mopping the floor. I'll just wipe up that obvious stain... We have feelings about it because it takes more time and effort. But think about how it feels to get into a bed after ALL the linen has been washed. How do you feel when the kitchen/dining area are cleared and clean and you sit at the table with a cup of coffee and a magazine? Motivating, isn't it?
But we can't tackle those kinds of habits all at once either. I felt immediately confident that ONE THING had been the right place to start. Because that is all you can do to successfully train yourself into a habit. No more mom in your ear, "Did you do that?". It's all you. But hear this. I had a list of "to do's" and walked away with a lot of negative self talk, that sounded like a pep talk. Thankfully after talking to a friend, I realized that this morning I might have come to you with the same approach! So glad I got straightened out! Don't try to pep talk yourself, it only leads to self condemnation. Be gentle, but be consistent. Those little pep talks work for getting through the next set of reps, but for long term, accountability is key!
So let's go back to the the ONE THING. I don't know what it is for you. But feel free to let me know!!!!!
The next step is to set a "frame". It could be time for exercise, it could be time for meal preparation, it could be time to yourself! Set a realistic goal of time to spend and give it all you've got, and when time is up, let it go! No negative self talk about how much got done or you should have done this instead. Do not deviate from this ONE THING for the next 6 to 8 weeks. At that time, evaluate. But I will remind you of that in a few weeks!
Often I will post a workout of the day that can usually be done in 20 minutes. You may want to start with one of those. You can also look through the fitness link for a routine. Tailor to your time frame. Four sets may be out of the question depending on how many exercises you choose. Use this as a guideline:
Aerobic warm up - 3-5 minutes
This can be jogging in place, a few laps around the block, jumping rope, butt kicks, high knees or alternating any of these.
Abdominal - 5-6 minutes
These are core exercises and 5-6 minutes is enough. You can do planks, sit ups, leg lifts, reverse crunches, laying side raises, again, alternating
Strength - 15+ minutes
Try to alternate muscle groups and shoot for 3 days a week.
EXAMPLE:
Day ONE Tricep, bicep, calves
Day TWO Shoulder, Back, quads
Day THREE Chest, glutes, forearm
If you are taking a day break in between, you can come back to muscle groups, alternating that way as well. Later this week we will talk...guess you'll have to wait and see!
If you are not a beginner, and your ONE THING is something more specific, post it please. I want to encourage on every level! And I can DO IT!
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