Day 21 - Gym > Stress
It's Sunday, which means I have food prepping in the kitchen, my butt on the couch (it is rest day after all), and I've done my weekly check-in with my coach, Melanie. By the way, you can find my coach on Instagram, @melaniemerciless. If you need a fitness trainer in your corner, head her way. She is a true inspiration and go-getter. She upped my cardio a little this last week. If you've been reading, you know I prefer lifting to cardio. BUT, I am getting so much better with cardio. I'd say the first 8 minutes are the worst, whether its on a stair master or treadmill. If I can make it through those 8 minutes, I can make it through the rest. When I lift, I've found that the right music with the right beat is key. Oddly though with cardio, I've discovered a podcast is what will get me through. I tried listening to fitness podcasts (John Abel and others), but what really keeps me on the stair master is Serial. I know it's an odd thing to workout to, but the story keeps my focus without distracting me enough to not push the buttons for my intervals. Plus, instead of "ugh, I probably have 3 more songs to go," it's "I need to hear what happens next, I can't leave!" Anyway, that's my shout out to Serial and what works for me.
I took my progress pictures this morning and I am really excited with what I'm seeing. This may sound vain, but it gives me the motivation to keep pushing more and more everyday. I'm looking and feeling better - what more could I ask for? I've realized that eating clean is what works best for me, my body desperately needed to get away from all of the processed garbage I was putting in it. In addition to my body feeling better, the gym has been amazing for my stress. To be honest, it has been a rough week. Weeks ago, after a bad day, I'd normally want to go home and veg out. Instead, I'll sit at my desk day dreaming about when I can get to the gym and get my blood pumping. I swear after a good workout, its impossible to still be upset or stressed out. The thought itself may still be there, but it gets put in perspective and diminished. So, if you find yourself stressed and wishing you had time for the gym, promise yourself to make time just once. After you see what it can do for you (body and mind) it will be far easier to make the time!
My oven is beeping, so I'm off to finish up my meal prep for the week. As always, please feel free to shoot me a message from the Contact section. I'd love to hear from someone who going to commit to making time for the gym just once to see how it helps with stress this week.