A much needed kick in the butt!

3-21-13

One of the things I have learned about myself while completing this blog is that I have a serious lack of motivation with working out.  Back in the day (which was a Wednesday, by the way...just a little fun fact for you...) I would, religiously, go to the gym 4-5 days a week, complete a split body building-type workout and always end with 30 mins of some type of cardio.  Of course, this was back in high school and during my undergrad years, when I had no "real" commitments, except for classes and some homework.  As I edged closer to the "real world", "life" got in the way.

My big knee injury (torn ACL and lateral meniscus) was the tipping point, and when the lack of motivation started.  After my first 2 surgeries, I was motivated with the hope that I could come back stronger and better than before.  That quickly faded when each attempt I made to come back resulted in another injury and subsequent surgeries.  After the 6th or 7th one (and yes, all on the same knee), I was at a loss.  It hurt to move, it hurt to not move...I couldn't win (pardon the bird in the picture, I was angry...).

During this time,  I was working as a personal trainer; working 8-plus hours a day helping other people reach their goals.  Not many people know this, but at this time, I was, oddly enough, at my heaviest.  I gained a good 25 pounds by working too much, not working out, and eating horribly.  My saving grace was deciding to go back to grad school.  This gave my life a different, more normal, structure to live by and cut back the amount of time training at the gym.

While I was able to drop the weight I packed on over those years (thank you grad school stress, and no time to each between classes), the motivation of working out didn't returned with the same zealous energy it had when I was an undergrad.  With the glimpse of my 30th birthday this summer taunting me, I am worried if I'll ever regain this motivation again.

The whole point of my running adventure this year is to rekindle this motivation bonfire inside me so that I keep up with a healthy and active lifestyle.  While I don't think following a body building routine again is right for my goals, I can try to find a good blend of weight lifting, cardio, and yoga to keep me active 4-5 times a week.

This leads me to my much needed kick in the butt.  Today, I tried a boot camp style fitness class at a local gym in Glastonbury called missionFITNESS.  It was 60 mins of non-stop exercise, combining some weight training, lots of jumping, and body weighted exercise that had me burning close to 600 kcals. I loved it.  I didn't have to think about what exercises to do: it was chosen for me; I didn't have to count reps or check the time: the trainer did that instead; all I had to do was push myself to complete the workout and have fun.

I left the class feeling great and like I accomplished something.  It was just what I needed to motivate myself for my next race (Saturday) and start adding mileage within the coming weeks.  

Here's to creating a habit of fitness!