how to get motivated to exercise

I often get asked - how do you do it.

You must be very motivated!

sorry to dispell the myth but - I am no more motivated than anyone else out there.

 I would call myself "Event Motivated". I only get up to exercise if I am training for a big event. If I don't have a reason to train I can be a couch potato like everyone else. I have just found my mojo thats all. the most common thing I hear people say is I'm too tired to exercise or I don't have time. I have to get up early to exercise. I figure I am going to be tired at about 2-3pm in the afternoon it may was well be for a good reason rather than no reason at all. But here is the kicker.... once I got used it I found I actually had MORE energy not less. Things got easier. I remember thinking back about my first Ironman Campaign in 2010. I had never got up before 5:30am to train in the morning but found myself getting up and on the bike by 4:30am doin 2 & 1/2 hours of riding then having a quick breakfast, shower and off to work. I would then work a full day without feeling the need for a sleep. Sure when I got home I was exhausted and was often in bed early but seriously what was I missing.... some bad tv! How many of us just sit there and what something cause nothing else is on!
I know I am guilty of this one.

I also find that the fresh air in the morning is fantastic for my mood. I live in a beautiful part of the world which is nice and quiet. Fortunately we are too far away from anywhere for many people as a result I can often ride for 40km in the morning and only see 1-2 cars. Makes sharing the road easy. It is great doing hill repeats at the top of mount Clarence watching the sun rise over the harbour or running on the boardwalk with whales playing in the waters below. How can that not make you smile just a little.


So next time you think .... I am too tired to exercise remember ... you are going to feel tired anyway it may as well be for a good reason! Get out there and do it.

Fitness test and scores

It's that time of the round again - Last fitness test of 2013 and first fitness test of 2014.

This last round has not been kind - the now to get fast hasn't gone so well for lots of reasons including injury. So it's time for a new start.

Run

For then 1km time trial I have started using a new course so it is hard to compare but I am now down to 4:10. Happy with this but a "perfect" score is 4 flat - I would be stoked if I could get to that.

My 12 minute run test (something we get to do on the 1/2 marathon program and perhaps other run programs too) I got slower over the round but have finished off with a solid 2.47km.

Ab Strength and push ups

During the last round I did a 30 day plank challenge. As a result mid round I managed a 5 minute plank - yep that is a whole 5 minutes on the toes! Not up to that quite at the moment and especially after the run - but pretty happy with my 2:29 effort today. There is definitely room to improve here.

For the fitness test at the start of the round I did the push ups on my knees. Still not my strong point but I managed to get 48 out in the minute. Happy with this but I think I might also record a toes record for the start of the round.

Wall sit

this has been my nemesis. I struggle with this one - who would have thought sitting could be so hard. I have definitely improved in this area - I can now wall sit for 2:49 but still plenty of room for improvement.

Flexibility

How to cheat on a flexibility test? Do it after body balance. This is what I did today but I will continue to do this each time. Also in my case it is the easiest way to get an accurate reading as they gym has a sit and reach box. Much easier than doing this myself - especially as I can't even find a ruler in the house :) So my score was a fantastic 22cm! Almost a foot (OK about 2/3 of a foot)

Other tests

So I am also going to record my body fat % for this round and on the weekend I am going to so a power test on my computer training. This is going to be a tough 20 minute ride at a 2% gradient. From this the computer will enable me to track any improvements in my power on the bike.

Overall score:

So this all adds up to a great score of 81/100 for me. Really happy with this and not surprising it puts me at the advanced program level. I would expect nothing less.

Tomorrow is measure up - already taken the readings today for the check in - but I am going to do them again tomorrow.

Let the fun begin.

Wins Planning and Time for a new year and a new start

Everything is linked.....

Wins for the last year include
1. Completing another ironman (NZ in a slow time but done)
2. Moved the pharmacy department to a new hospital (it is the thing myself and my fellow colleagues were most proud of this year - its what made us shine)
3. Managed a PB for both Busselton and Mandurah half ironman.
4. Finally ditched the weight (not calling it lost as I don't want to find it again)

So this year I have gone from 82kg down to 72kg and am finally a healthy body weight.

Planning for a new year

So after such a great year the question is - where to now??

1. Keep the weight off. I don't mind if I don't lose any more but I do want to hold the weight
2. Catch up with friends more often. I can be such a hermit.
3. Don't over commit myself. I like to help but it is not worth exhausting myself over it all.

This round has not been kind to me so now I am going to focus on the next round. Red flags are mostly when I am away and I have some longer trips planned for travel. These are the hard bit for me.

Time to get moving again. Training hard for the half and eating well. Drink more water. Its all very simple really.

Health Weight - My opinion!

So this will probably be my first really controversial blog. It worries me the number of people who seem to be aiming for a low body weight. I wonder what the height of some of these people are??

I am never going to be a small person but I know that fit and fat is definitely better that skinny and unfit. Body image is such a big concern these days. People seem to want to look really skinny. I laugh at people who are clearly not overweight who still comment on wanting to lose a few kg.

I laugh when my friends call me skinny - I know I have lost quite a bit of weight from my heaviest (92kg) but interestingly I am still not under the 25 BMI regularly - however I think I know look really healthy.

Christmas morning swim - yes it was cold.

So this is me only 1kg off a BMI of 25 but I am a ball of muscle. So hence I think I look healthy. Interestingly I would still be in  a healthy body weight range at 55kg a whole 18kg less than I am in this picture! I have to say I think I would look sick at that weight! I would have no curves!

 

 

So it worries me a little when I see people who want to be a very light weight - I just hope that they are short and are actually aiming for a healthy weight range not some light weight range just because they think they should be. At this weight I am now a comfortable size 12 which I think is a great size for me and it looks like it is the best looking size too.....

 



 

It makes me positively average!

 

I know for the Lean and Strong crew this is a really important thing. Weight is less of a problem and often people on this program GAIN weight but LOSE cm.

 

So I hope people are setting SMART goals this round and are realistic about the weight they should be rather than a difficult unhealthy weight that they want to be...

 



Travelling Deamons

I have a real problem when I travel... I get Bored.... and I eat.

I failed miserably of late after a few trips to Perth and Back (400km each way) where I have eaten and drunk all the wrong things!

Tomorrow is another test....

Travelling back from Perth......

So the key is going to be to plan and drink lots of water. I do not need snacks as I will have eaten breakfast BEFORE I go and when I arrive home I will shop for healthy food to fill my fridge for the week.

I am planning as I said before to change my patterns and bad habits this round and the best time to start is NOW.

Going around again - What I love about 12WBT and what I still need to learn

So if you haven't worked it out yet... I love the 12WBT program.

Firstly what is great about this program

I was very sceptical at first - I need to eat when I am training hard hence I delayed starting my first 12WBT program until mid 2013. This was after my latest Ironman campaign and I was pretty pleased when I realised the first week was after my half ironman.

I liked the look of the program - it is calorie controlled - portion size - but from what I had heard really tasty food. What success I had had in the past had been when I controlled my calories. I was pretty excited to be starting.

I decided as I was very fit and looking for a change so I enrolled in Lean and Strong. With watching my calories I had achieved my initial weight target BEFORE I even started. Got to be happy with that.

However like many others I have found sticking to calorie counting long term just is too hard and it is also too hard to. What I found great in this program was that if I stuck to the recipes I kept the weight off. EASY and SWEET.

I also found the support in the forums was fantastic. I realize now that the lean and strong group is a little different and definitely more active... I really miss that part now - but I want to get back to my sport ... maybe I'll be back again in the off season. Initially I felt out of water.... I didn't know what I was doing and had lots of questions about what to do if I didn't have some equipment. The I realised it wasn't the 12WBT support crew who were the best support but all the 12WBT family. Others going through the same thing you are.

The other big key to the 12WBT system is the mindset lessons. I haven't been as diligent at watching and listening to these but these are the key. This is the how to get your life on a new track (a healthier track). The mindset lessons aren't just about your diet.... it is about general accountability for your life .. paying it forward.

More and more researchers are finding what we probably will all realise at some point. It is not what you have that will make your life rich but what you give to other. Happiness is not what we should all be seeking - we won't always be happy in our lives. What gives our life purpose and ultimately fulfilment is what we give to others. It is time for us all to start being adults and just do what we need to do with the understanding that it what we achieve that will make our lives great and ultimately better. It may be weight loss and health or being proud of your children or making your own dreams come true. In my case it is what I can do for others that ultimately is linked to my happiness. I love to help others (although I am not as amazing as my parents who help others and thrive on no recognition at all!)

So what is my Shout IT OUT moment for this round.

I am sure this is going to sound like my last round. Again I am going to try to qualify for the 70.3 (half ironman triathlon) world championships in Canada. But if I don't do this then that will be OK. If I train well there is no reason why I can't get a PB at Busselton which is at the end of this next round.

So how am I going to do this:
1. Get up - remind myself I am going to probably feel tired whether I train or not so I may as well train and feel good about why I feel tired.
2. Blog weekly - keep sharing my journey and it is a journey for all of us. Mine may be different to some but I am sure I should be able to share some wisdom.
3. Watch the mindset videos !
4. Eat well but don't sweat the small stuff. Plan and plan well. For me I am going to try using the weekly plan as the Saturday to Friday plan rather than a Monday to Sunday plan. I find it frustration to purchase food for the week a few days BEFORE I need it. being in the country there are less shopping hours available...
5. Get a training diary and plan plan plan....
6. Check in with the forum and help others in the way I have been guided in the past.

Hopefully that will do it.

This round is not about weight loss for me - I am on the upper range of a healthy body weight for my height but I know I have lots of muscle. My body fat % sits around the 22-24% mark on my scales which is healthy and healthy is a great way to be. I am not a skinny person and I never will be (unless I get really sick). I am sure it won't always go the way I want this round but I just need to keep getting back on that wagon.