Finding Your Motivation (at the end of the workday)

This post comes as a special response to a special request. My baby sister, who is not so much a baby anymore, finally landed a position, in her field, doing what she loves: writing. I myself recently started a position in health education (part of my field), so I feel her on this one. How, after a 9 hour day of work, do you find the motivation to go to the gym.

I think of my friend Michelle, who somehow juggles a professional position, a family that includes a husband, and three children (two of which are fairly recent additions….meaning TWINS!!!) and still finds the motivation and manages to workout.

So with that said, if she can do it, I think anyone can. However, I will press on and provide some practical (and perhaps not so practical) tips for keeping your motivation high.

First, I suggest considering other alternatives. What do I mean? Well, I am lucky to have landed a position that has, as a job responsibility, “to be a model of health and wellness.” My job therefore has three hours built in a week for “PT” (military speak for physical training). Great – I love it, and it helps, but typically my workouts include five days/week for about an hour and a half. So…I am also trying to squeeze in my workouts in other places (besides 7-8am…which then if you subtract a super fast shower, get dressed and look half-way decent…it’s becomes more like 45 minutes). Yes, I show up at work with slightly damp, curly/frizzy hair, no makeup and still sweating.  But I am ready for my day.

Other alternatives:

Can you get your workout done in the a.m.? Get up earlier, knock it out, and be done for the day? I highly suggest this route, because it takes away the temptation of not doing it or making excuses. I wake up at 5am and roll out of our parking garage by 5:15am, coffee in hand. I do part of my work out prior to spin class on Tuesday and Thursday, and then hit the rest afterwards. On MWF, I lift first and then run. If something comes up….I squeeze the workout in at lunchtime and do my run early, to avoid the extreme heat at mid-day.

That leads me to my next suggestion….

Break it up? Perhaps you can’t fathom the idea of giving up part of the sacred lunch hour (I hate an hour lunch anyhow). What about doing your “metabolic training” (aka cardio) in the a.m. and then hitting just the workout in the afternoon? Pack so you can be prepared. Cltothes? Toiletries? Always keep what you need on hand.

Or mixing it up…lunchtime run? No shower? Baby wipes are fantastic alternatives (for the hardcore). I love working on a military base, because there are showers everywhere.

If this still isn’t working for you…saving it for the end of the day is the least preferred, but often only resort for most people.

Here are some tips to make it happen: 

• Pack you stuff: work out clothes, shoes, and whatever else you might need. Pack it the night before and load it into your car, so it is there.
• Pack your food. Working out at the end of the day is great for your muscles…your body is warm from moving all day, so your risk for injury is decreased. However, you have to eat carefully, so your stomach isn’t full at the end of the day and you have fueled your body appropriately. Small meals/snacks every two-three hours that include carbs and protein are a good idea. Trying to hold off on eating about 2-3 hours before you hit the gym, except for a light snack (apple? Granola bar?)
• Change your clothes at work, before you get in your car to leave. This increases the guilt factor if you start to head home instead.
• Sign up your accountability buddy…someone who will hold you to that afternoon/evening workout. Or at least remind you on the way out the door.
• Have an awesome, kick ass play-list preloaded on the ipod/mp3 ready to go. Listen to it on the way to the gym to get psyched up about working out.
• Know what your workout is, and stick to it. Don’t wonder around wondering what you should do next. Plan it out and hit it hard. All those little breaks throughout your work day offer a great time to jot down your workout plan for that night. Ahem…you know, when you check your email (Facebook) or check up on the latest world news (change your status, tweet, or read my blog). Keep a notepad handy and jot down your moves.

Remember to fuel up within 30-60 minutes post workout. Otherwise, you are cheating your workout and your muscles out of the best recovery possible. When in doubt, grab a glass of ice-cold fat-free chocolate milk.

 A few other things that make it easier…

• An awesome, organized gym bag. I love Lesportsac, so that is my choice (medium duffel).
• I always hang my towel up to dry in my truck. This cuts down on having to use new towels everyday. Yes, people. I reuse the same towel for a week. I dry off AFTER I shower (which means I am clean). I either hang it in my truck or in my office, so it is one less thing I have to remember to re-pack all week (and less laundry – bonus!).
• I have the best toiletries bag EVER!  See photo below…costs anywhere from $11-14 online. Keyword search “shower tote”

Now get your asses to the gym!

Anna Marie

Finding Your Anti-Drug (and Loving It)

You've either heard or seen the public service announcements asking teens "What's Your Anti-Drug?" Sponsored by the Above the Influence campaign, these powerful ads show teenagers who have chosen something else besides drugs. Something more powerful. An activity, an idea, a concept that gives them confidence, self-respect and an alternative.

Sounds like I am describing the way exercise makes some of us feel. Confident. Full of energy. Alive.

Physical activity. It's my anti-drug.

Very few people know my whole story. I was a quiet, shy bookworm (imagine!) with thick glasses and teeth that needed braces that went to a big, scary junior high, where I was tagged as the "it"girl to bully. It was a rough year. Not many people know that I went to doctors, psychologists, and was on a drug regimen (anti-anxiety meds so I would stay calm enough to make it into the front gates of school). There were countless days that my mother/father had to stop on the way to school, so I could use the bathroom repeatedly because I was terrified of arriving at school. How I switched schools to see if it got better, but my fears remained the same. The girls who terrified me didn't even know (or care) that I existed anymore (and probably had no idea how they had affected my life). Yet, the doors to anxiety where forever opened within me, and from this point forward, I was a mess when it came to change or anything new.

But how? How did I make it though college? Grad school? Dissertation defense? Divorce? A new start to life? A marriage? A baby? Moving less than every two years? Presentations? International travel? Teaching? Running fitness classes where I yell at people to get their asses in gear?

I found my anti-drug. It's moving. It keeps my anxiety not just "in-check" but out of sight.

Everyone wants to look good. People sign up en masse to gyms every year to jump on their new year's resolution to lose weight, drop a size, get a six pack, "tone" up, build muscle, etc.. However, I never hear of anyone signing up because they want to feel more satisfied with their life, or they want to feel less stressed.

The World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Yet despite such an all-encompassing definition, we rarely hear anyone talk about the emotional, mental and social benefits of this particular anti-drug (unless it's mentioned in the study of the day on Yahoo/Google/MSN/CNN/blah blah blah).

Yet, it's there in a very big way. Being fit is not just physical. And while I don't hear people giving these types of goals, they are in there somewhere. You just need to dig a little deeper to find them.

Regular physical activity has been shown to decrease depression, anxiety and stress. It helps regulate sleep patterns. It increases endorphins. It increases self-esteem, self-efficacy and confidence. It makes you feel good about yourself. It makes you want to come back for more.

The trick is finding how to make this, being fit and active, your anti-drug. Embracing fitness at some level, so that you not only achieve the "I feel guilty if I don't go today" status...but move past it to where being active is such a priority in your day, that you need it and want it like that first cup of coffee.

Finding a way to make physical activity more than about physical activity requires regular, frequent, and consistent attempts to be active so that you can "feel" the difference on a mental and emotional level. Don't give up. Keep going back. You've got to live it in order to love it.

I live a fit life. It's my anti-drug.

How can I help you live your fit life?

Anna Marie