STORY TIME
Create Your Own Change
Don’t get me wrong, you might push yourself for like a month, but then the excuses will start getting the best of you, and you’ll fall off of your own priority list.
Muscles in action leads to change.
It really is that simple and yet it is that hard.
If you want your workouts to change YOU, then it’s up to YOU to take action and make it happen.
At the end of the day, no one can do this work for you. No one is going to create the change you want to see except you, and it’s up to you to prioritize creating change.
Basically, it’s up to you to prioritize yourself.
That’s where we ultimately fail.
Don’t get me wrong, you might push yourself for like a month, but then the excuses will start getting the best of you, and you’ll fall off of your own priority list.
When you feel yourself falling lower and lower on your own To Do List, instead of just giving up, get creative with your workouts. Plan shorter, more efficient workouts so you know you’re still moving and still making yourself a priority.
Grab the workout below to get you started!
Save this Tabata Set
12 rounds
Alternate exercises on each round
Crunches
Russian twists
Plank hold
Set Standards
Goals also give you an end point. As soon as you reach your goal, what else is there to work for?
Set standards, not goals.
Goals are like wishes. Things that always feel just a little outside of our reach.
Goals also give you an end point. As soon as you reach your goal, what else is there to work for?
You either have to set a new goal and keep going, or you’re just going to give up completely.
I’ve been training for over 10 years and most of the time, giving up is what happens. You hit that goal in like 30 or 90 days, and you don’t know what to do with yourself as soon as it’s done. It’s like “ok I did the thing and now I’m done” mindset kicks in and before you know it, 6 months go by and you have to start all over again.
Set standards.
Standards set the expectation. Standards determine how you’ll show up for your workout, how hard you’ll try in it, and what you’ll get out of it as a result.
Standards are also expectations you can set for every single workout before you step into that workout and can be different with every workout.
Maybe your standard is going heavier with your weights or going faster on the interval. Maybe your standard is to just show up and move today.
At the end of the day, no one can do that work except you.
Set the standard you can meet today. Raise the standard tomorrow and continue to raise it until you’ve hit your ultimate goal.
How to Build Consistency
Not by focusing on the end. Not by focusing on the big picture. By focusing on the small steps you’re taking every single day to establish a habit that will get you the results you want.
That is how you build a consistent workout routine:
One at a time.
One set at a time one interval at a time.
One workout at a time.
One day at a time.
Not by focusing on the end. Not by focusing on the big picture. By focusing on the small steps you’re taking every single day to establish a habit that will get you the results you want.
We can’t get caught up in the end goal.
When you get caught up in what you want to have happen, you’ll ultimately end up disappointed in however the work goes which makes you less likely to show up the next day.
This is the biggest struggle I see with my clients: consistency.
We focus so much on this end goal that we’ve created for ourselves that we don’t focus on the present work.
We have to focus on the work we’re stepping into instead of what we want the work to lead to at the end.
Because that end goal is ultimately only as good as we can hold on to it after we reach it.
You Can Do Hard Sh!t
We don’t do that for ourselves. We immediately think “nope that’s crazy” or “there’s NO way I could do that”.
Have the audacity to imagine yourself doing it.
I told my class today that as soon as you say “I can’t”, your body won’t let you.
It’ll become too hard, too much, and you’ll quit.
Think about it: we are the first ones who doubt our capabilities. If you told your best friend about what you were trying to do, they would NEVER say you couldn’t do it. They would say “Hell ya girl! Get it” and be right there cheering you on.
We don’t do that for ourselves. We immediately think “nope that’s crazy” or “there’s NO way I could do that”.
Instead of automatically doubting yourself, switch your approach.
Here’s my Top 3 Tips to Executing a Hard Exercise:
Break it down. Most complicated and complex exercises have foundational movements that build into something more difficult. Take it back a notch and practice those foundational movements.
Check your form. If you’re feeling the work in the incorrect muscles, it’s going to feel harder than necessary. Listen to your body to make sure the work is in the correct muscle groups.
Be patient. Learning something new takes time. It takes practice. Cut yourself some slack, you’ll get there. Just keep showing up.
Get to Work
We’re not in the game of being able to attempt to “wing” our workouts and expect results. Our days are too busy and there’s too many things demanding of our time.
If you half ass your fitness routine, you can’t expect spectacular results.
You can expect half assed results.
We’re not in the game of being able to attempt to “wing” our workouts and expect results. Our days are too busy and there’s too many things demanding of our time.
This doesn’t mean that every workout needs to be your best. It also doesn’t mean you have to push yourself to the point of breaking during every workout either.
It does mean that you have to consistently show up for yourself. You have to be intentional with your workouts so you know you can get the results you’re working so hard to see.
But how can you realistically fit a workout into days that are already jam packed?
Here’s my Top 3 Tips for Crushing Your Workouts When You’re Busy AF:
Plan. Take time on a Sunday night to plan out your week, including when your workouts can fit into your schedule. Then book mark that time in your calendar like you would an appointment to the doctor. You won’t cancel an important appointment, so don’t cancel on yourself.
Be realistic. How many days a week are you working out RN? How many days do you WANT to workout? Don’t jump to your most ideal goal, make incremental changes so you can adjust to the new normal without losing your sanity.
Have a back up. When you do Step 1, include what workouts you WANT to do during those times. It makes transitioning into the workout faster because it takes out the thinking. And then have a back up workout in case shit hits the fan and you don’t have as much time as you intended.
Don't Forget to Warm Up
Regardless of how long you have to workout, you NEED to take part of that time to warm up.
Regardless of how long you have to workout, you NEED to take part of that time to warm up.
One of my first fitness mentors did NOT believe in the power of the warm up. He thought we should be able to jump into the hard part of the workout completely cold.
I used to adhere to this line of thinking.
But then my check knees light turned on hard and I learned that for my body, warming up was a non-negotiable aspect of the workout itself.
Not only does it make the workout more effective, it also helps you prevent injury.
My go to warm up is anything involving core.
In a class it’s a good way to get people started so people can run in late and not miss other work.
But because of the anatomy of your core, you’ll feel the work almost instantaneously which helps focus your brain into the work you’re about to do.
Not to mention the fact that your core is an integral part of the success of basically every exercise you do.
Here’s my fave warm up:
4 rounds
8 reps each exercise
Crunches
Weighted clam
Hip bridges
Don't Disrespect Day One
To do that first workout that propelled you on this whole fitness journey thing. It’s the day you decided your goals were worth your action.
When we give less than our best, we disrespect our day one.
Regardless of where you are in your workout journey, we all have a day one. We all had a starting point.
That day 1 is HUGE. It’s the most influential day with your workouts.
It’s the day you decided was THE DAY to take action.
To do that first workout that propelled you on this whole fitness journey thing. It’s the day you decided your goals were worth your action.
Your day 1 is the day you decided YOU were worth your own effort. You decided that you were not going to let yourself fall down on your list of priorities. That what you wanted mattered just as much as all the other things in your life that matter.
When you get into your workout NOW, and you half a$$ it, you’re telling yourself that your first day doesn’t matter. That all those reasons why you decided to show up in the first place don’t matter.
Grab the Workout Below
4 Rounds
10 reps each exercise
Staggered deadlift
Lateral lunge
Windmill
Don't Wait
Without a doubt, in all the interviews I’ve given, I’m always asked what my top piece of advice is for someone who wants to start working out but is hesitant.
You can’t wait for life to feel easy to start taking care of yourself.
I get to do this cool thing as a trainer…I get to be a guest on podcasts fairly regularly. It was weird at first, talking about myself and my journey with working out. It was an adjustment to being interviewed and coming up with answers on the fly.
Without a doubt, in all the interviews I’ve given, I’m always asked what my top piece of advice is for someone who wants to start working out but is hesitant.
My answer every single time is: start now.
You can’t wait for the planets to align or for the perfect time. Those things don’t exist.
You’re not too old, you’re not too young, and however you think your body looks doesn’t matter.
You’re also never going to be less busy.
The reality is you’re going to have to figure out HOW to take care of yourself in the midst of the chaos.
But you know that…
The hard part is putting it into practice. The even harder part is NOT letting that practice fall off.
My 3 Trainer Tips for Prioritizing Your Self-Care:
Listen to your body. Sometimes self-care means hulk smashing through an intense HIIT workout. Sometimes it means a bubble bath. Give your body what it needs, NOT what you want.
Schedule the time. You know if you don’t block it out in your calendar, it won’t happen.
Find the joy in the process. Even if it’s the stretch at the end of class, find the part you love. It’ll give you motivation to show up.
Reframe Your Workouts
Working out can’t be a punishment or something we HAVE to do. It can’t even be that check in the box on our To Do List.
Let’s rethink how we think about working out.
I tease my clients a lot that they always act like they’re getting tortured and yet they come back ALL. THE. TIME.
Not because they necessarily love the hard work, but because they know that finish line isn’t something anyone can take from them.
Working out can’t be a punishment or something we HAVE to do. It can’t even be that check in the box on our To Do List.
It doesn’t have to be something you love either.
Maybe it’s your moment of sanity in an insane schedule, maybe it’s your moment of peace when the kiddos are pulling on every last thread of patience you have. Maybe it’s your reminder that you’re a bada$$.
Time to find that reason.
Start with the workout below!
Tabata
Switch exercises each round
12 rounds
Swings
Bent over row
Bridge hip taps
Crunches
Don't Rewrite Your Story
When you finish your workout today and you start berating yourself for how it could’ve gone or what you should’ve done, just stop.
Don’t allow yourself to rewrite the story.
The fact is:
✔️ you showed up for yourself today.
✔️ you did something for yourself today.
✔️ you’re better off for it.
When you finish your workout today and you start berating yourself for how it could’ve gone or what you should’ve done, just stop.
Regardless of how your workout goes, you will always walk away stronger than when you started.
That effort is not something that should be discounted.
Give yourself credit for what you did do instead of beating yourself up for how you think it should’ve gone.
4 Rounds
10 reps each exercise
Single leg deadlift right
Single leg deadlift left
Bench press
Russian twists
