Six weeks in, six weeks out.
Cue the nausea
Can you believe we’re already half way through our training?
For the Cap-cap city? Tyga can’t either. Really. [We talk on the regular].
Instead of giving you a summary of one of my work-outs this week (which all went surprisingly well…in part because I’ve saved most of them for the weekend), I thought I’d share a list of what has worked for me this training season, what I’ve picked up, put in my pocket, and carried with me.
1). Text someone the day before your workout.
And not just anyone. Preferably a friend that attends the same class with you. Who’s particularly ruthless if you flake. OR, even better. Text the trainer. Yeah, I’m being serious. Text them and tell them you’re coming. They won’t think you’re weird. I promise. Unless they think I’m weird…and then you shouldn’t take my advice.
My point is, I received a text like that this past week from another trainer.
“I’m coming to your Ebb tomorrow. Telling you this so you will pick on me if I don’t show up.”
GENIUS.
I thought, I’m going to use this when I go to her ‘In The Mix…!’ Why didn’t I think of this before?
Well, I likely had. But I didn’t want to text the trainer…because then they’d pick on me when I didn’t show up.
But the really great thing? That trainer wasn’t a yogi—at all. It is painful for her to show up, in the same way it is for me to show up for The Course. My burpee is her Warrior 3.
And her vulnerability and openness made me want to do more of “my” hard. Because everyone’s hard is different. But that doesn’t stop them.
Don’t let it stop you! Text and show up.
2). Just get it done in the morning. Really.
I know. I know. Mornings. They’re just the worst….until you get out of bed, accomplish a kick ass workout, and have the ENTIRE day ahead of you to do anything and everything you want. There is no better feeling than driving out of that SOS parking lot at 6:30-ish and knowing you started your day right.
And, no matter what happens during the day, it won’t affect your workout.
I can’t tell you how many times—even just in this training season—I’ve had to miss workouts because of work emergencies, last minute writing deadlines, that dinner I had forgotten about, blah, blah, blah.
Have trouble getting out of bed?
I’ve been going by this mantra……
Cliffhanger…..
Just tell me already!
3). Act how you want to feel.
I’ve been telling this to myself……before I try and talk myself out of a workout.
Act how you want to feel.
Act how you want to feel, Em.
What does that mean? No one knows what it means. But it’s provocative, it gets the people going.
No, actually it does mean something, Kanye.
You may not FEEL like working out. But you do want to ACT like the person who FEELS like working out.
Fake it till you make it.
How?
Envision yourself going to class and (this is the most important part), how you feel afterwards.
That sense of accomplishment and badassery only an SOS class can provide.
You leave knowing you made the right choice. And you have the rest of the day…to continue to kick ass and take names.
Now think of how you’d feel if you didn’t go, and what 11 a.m.-Saturday Emily would think and how she would feel.
Geez, Em. You could have been done with your work-out by now. Went to class, maybe even drove through the car wash, picked up a smoothie, a nice little Saturday. You could be all endorphin-y and post-workout glow. You may have even added protein to that smoothie!
You are so freaking annoying.
You wouldn’t be annoyed if you had worked out. Because, endorphins.
Dude. I get it. SHUT up.
I’m just saying, like, working out in the morning is the ticket.
4). Remember why you started.
Visualize. Montage-ize. R-I-P the all-excuses you. Embrace the person you know you can be. Whether that is taking an extra class each week, running that extra mile, or simply moving your body every single morning.
When I was pulling myself out of a pit, I never set the large exhaustive goal of SEVEN CLASSES OR ELSE or SIX MILES EVERY AM OR YOU’RE NOT A RUNNER. (Well, at first I did, and failed miserably, and then tried this).
Baby steps. Relentless forward progress. A little each day is better than a lot one day…and then nothing for weeks.
Believe you can. Watch the YouTube clips, put on your favorite movie-soundtrack music and just get out that door.
If you have any tips or tricks up your sleeve—how to stay motivated and keep moving—e-mail me: emily@systemofstrength.com Would love to hear from you BAs.