challenge yourself – Burpees to Bubbly

Hi there! Remember how I talked about getting out of my comfort zone a few weeks ago when I went to Foster Fitness? It wasn’t comfortable. In fact, it made me feel quite uncomfortable. The gym and working out is usually a place and time where I feel comfortable, but I realized that’s only because I tend to stick to the same things: teaching, running, UXF area, KB’s, TRX, etc. Take me out of my “comfort zone” area? I felt humbled, and, well, “new” to working out. While it was hard, it was also exciting because it ignited a spark that hadn’t been ignited for a while; Fitness instructors get in ruts, too!

You see, I’ve gotten SO comfortable with the gyms I frequent, exercises I do and classes I teach that I had almost forgotten what it was like to be “new”. I wasn’t used to not knowing exactly how to brace my body for the exercises and heavier weights, I had to take multiple breaks on the last set, and I had to make multiple self-corrections throughout the various exercises. But, I didn’t let that get me down. In fact, I’ve visited the heavier weights section at the gym since that one on one session and have done barbell back squats, front squats and deadlifts multiple times now… on my own! I’m getting comfortable being uncomfortable.

And you know what? It’s not so bad!

I’ve been back to Foster Fitness for group ex classes two times now (maybe a third after work today) and I have to admit, I was faced with that same “uncomfortable” feeling. Most of her members have been going to her religiously since she opened her studio, so to say they all knew her and each other very well is an understatement. On top of that, they were familiar with the particular class, what weights they should use to execute the moves in a challenging, but safe, way and where everything was. And, they were SO STRONG! In other words, I felt like a total newbie/outsider. But, I tried to put those feelings aside and do my best in the class. I asked questions and followed the lead of the other members.

And you know what? It wasn’t so bad!

After the initial uncomfortableness went away, I was able to focus on my workout and not about being the newbie. I realized that while my strength isn’t with the barbell- yet!-, I was able to fly through the second half of the workout which relied more on speed and lighter weights. I even did 150 consecutive jump ropes…. on very tired legs! So, even though I experienced discomfort with certain parts of the workout and experience, I left there feeling proud of myself for powering through the hard stuff and for crushing part of the workout.

Here’s the thing, though, I could’ve easily let the first part of class and feeling like a “newbie” get me down and discourage me from going back, but I decided to get comfortable being uncomfortable and go back for a second class. While I still felt new, challenged and uncomfortable at times, I felt more confident than I had the two previous times I worked out there.

When we are in the midst of discomfort, I think it’s easy to feel like it’s never going to get easier. We like consistency, comfort and feeling like we know what’s going on and what to expect. We don’t like feeling uncomfortable, but the thing is- that’s where the change happens. It means we are doing something new and different and the natural result of that is change and growth, which is pretty awesome. Like the old saying goes, if we keep doing the same thing we can only expect the same results, so even though it’s hard to get out of our comfort zone, it’s so important to give it a try. I promise, although it’s hard and maybe a little scary in the beginning, it WILL get easier and better the more you practice and stick with it. And once you feel comfortable, you’ll know it’s time to change it up and get uncomfortable again- it’s a lovely little cycle 😉

On that note, get out there and make some changes- they don’t have to be big and they don’t have to be super scary, but I promise that if you give something new a try you’ll feel pretty awesome!

Questions for you: Have you ever felt like you needed a spark with something in your life? What changes did you make to ignite the spark? What’s the last scary thing you’ve tried at the gym or with a workout?

Hi there! I don’t have a workout for you today… I just wasn’t feeling it this week. It’s not that I haven’t been doing and teaching share-worthy workouts, it’s just that I’m a little bored with sharing them. I feel like they are usually fairly similar and although I am not going to stop doing my Wednesday Workout posts all together, I just feel like I needed a little break from the endless Pic Monkey graphics and posts. Mmmmkay?

With that said, I wanted to talk about something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately.

Steady-State Cardio.

A few weeks ago, a member came to my class for the first time. When I ask if anyone is new, I always go over and introduce myself and do a quick check of their physical status/ability: do you go to group ex. classes? What’s your usual workout consist of? How many days/week do you strength train? I do this so I can help them with what weights they should grab, as well as mentally know whether or not I’ll need to offer any modifications other than what I normally offer. I also tell them not to get intimidated by the moves or me yelling- I want them to be motivated and to push themselves, but I don’t want them to feel scared or like they can’t do my workouts. No such thing in my mind- there are always modifications that can be offered to bring a workout to your level.

This particular member did great throughout the class and after, when I asked her how she did and what she thought of the class, she gave me the following response:

“That class is no joke! I can’t believe how hard I worked. I’ve been coming to the gym and just doing the elliptical and walking on the treadmill for a few weeks now and haven’t worked as hard as I just did. I feel cheated!!”

Her words really stuck with me and got me thinking about all the others who are still doing what she was doing, day in and day out… pedaling along on whatever cardio machine they choose, without really pushing themselves out of their comfort zone or even into an area that leaves you feeling like “wow. that was a really great workout! I feel beat!”. If you’re taking time out of your day to workout, don’t you want to reap the benefits of it and maximize your time there? Don’t you want to notice how you’re getting stronger and/or faster or even that you can finish a cardio set without taking breaks? Don’t you want to feel like it’s worth your time?

I’m not saying you can’t get there with steady-state cardio- there are plenty of times where steady-state cardio is EXACTLY what I need- I just think you need to incorporate other workouts into your routine in addition to stead-state cardio. If you keep doing the same thing, you can keep expecting the same results. I know, I know… sometimes you just want to go to the gym and veg. out on a machine. Or you don’t really want to sweat a lot because you have such and such plans after your workout. I get it- I’ve been there more than just a handful of times and it’s totally fine! What I’m suggesting, though, is if you’re finding yourself bored with your workouts or you feel like you’ve plateaued or the gym just isn’t worth your time, TRY SOMETHING NEW! Try a new class or a new running route or a new program on the elliptical. It doesn’t have to be a big change for your body to react to it; something small is a great place to start. And, you know what? You’ll probably love how you feel after that change and want to keep trying new things… trust me, this happens to me all the time!

So, the point of this post is to get you to do a self-check of your workouts: What’s your current workout regime consist of? When’s the last time you changed things up? What’s something you want to try? What’s a fitness goal you want to achieve? I want to hear from you, so let me know what you’re thinking! And then, I CHALLENGE YOU to try something new. I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone.

Also, if you’re looking for a great article related to this topic to read, I stumbled upon this on Facebook after I drafted this post: 6 Reasons You’re Not Seeing Results from Your Workouts.