Alignment is so important in out life. Just as we make certain our vehicles, portraits, wall decorations, furniture is aligned so must our life. I didn’t realize until my recent muscle injury our was off alignment. In my fitness life & journey I must realize it has to be aligned with my life.
Alignment doesn’t mean just yoga, meditation, essential oils, reading or and listening to motivational books, podcasts, following motivational individuals on SM, being a part of groups also of positive reflection & motivation, journaling. Although it is all great and needed but applying what we hear or learn is utmost important . I was in need of realignment. I had become complacent and was unaware. That injury down time. To assist me I returned to the use of my Panda planner which has so many areas to write down focus. It aides me to focus on all ares become aligned with my several goals/intentions.
I know we all have different methods to stay aligned and to eradicate the complacent slope. How are you staying aligned?
It doesn’t always matter but then again it can. What doesn’t matter, “age”. Again there are circumstances and I’m not going there age is a factor but the list of mindset, believing in yourself, perseverance is much longer.
My recent muscle injury has help me with growth, healing the muscle and strengthening the mindset. My workouts are really a part of my life now, so with my injury I was limited and felt a small snatch. No cardio workouts, limited weight lifting because I had to remove and re-rack which meant a few choice weights. I did have a choice do a little something or keep the pity poor me face.
It’s so easy to accept the pity poor me because I was temporary defeated. Defeated, honestly the third day I cried like a 2 year old because I needed two crutches or the knee roller to move about and I was moving so dang slow with the pain. I really could’ve just “RICE”, rest, ice, compress, elevate and I did. I really did for a short time but I was uncomfortable 🥵 restless. After the cry, puffy eyes and pitying myself I had to push past myself and others.
Others because I was encouraged to rest and take care of me, told this was a sign of age need to slow down in my workouts, laughed at because “someone said you knew it would come”. No and no I didn’t know. Told you can’t do hard cardio, weight lifting or boxing. Yeah I call BS on that absolutely BS.
Sounds angry no, but if I allow others push my reset button in a negative direction, yeah well I called it. I knew I could pace myself and still follow orders without further injury. I also knew I have a greater love of being me than the person a few wanted me to become. Yes if you allow yourself to back pedal you can easily become what others want you to become. I’ve learned take the advice that supports and motivate you, the rest toss it out(there’s someone that will catch it).
I definitely believe we must sometimes push past the old limitations and believe placed by others because of gender or age. We must become the best we’re destined to become and set our own limitations (because there are only a few) and they are only temporary. Remember it’s the positive mindset, believing you can and will achieve, you can endure just persevere. I had to remind myself of all this, and soon I’ll be back to my cardio workouts, boxing and just all after all I’m using one crutch 20% of the time and this is ahead of my 2 weeks suppose to be on crutches with probability of being able to walk independently in 4-6 weeks.
indeed it is. On Friday, I begin my day as usual, pet duties or responsibilities because they are the ruler of the house. Outside with the canines then back in. Now doing my duties I need noise so it’s either Pandora on blast or I’m listening to a podcast. Since it’s a few days later I’m not sure of my choice on Friday.
I have the most power boosting drink about 20 minutes prior to my workout. It also doubles as my coffee, no longer an addictive coffee drinker. So I begin my workout with a warm up. Now I was doing a ShaunT workout. If you’ve never did a ShaunT workout you’re missing awesome, sweat dripping, heart pounding, challenging, cardio workouts. The workouts uses your own body weight in most but sometimes there are weights. Okay back to the workout, warming up going high knees, jumping jacks and then a loud POP. What the heck, I sat down, took a few breathes and thought I was going to resume my workout. It didn’t happen. A trip to urgent care, injury to a calf muscle. What did that mean , minimum weight bearing, icing the muscle, elevation, crutches and due to me failing my training (crutches 101), but still in training my daughter purchased a knee roller to alternate and prevent possible injury. I’m a bit too independent and high level for pain so I’m moving a bit more than normal. I did pity myself for a few hours but as soon as I did I came up with a plan. What plan, nope I will not defy orders but I will pivot. Pivot to upper body. I can sit and lift weights, there is no limitation on my upper body. Sometimes a pivot can be small or large but it should always be one that benefits our own goals in a positive way, without harm to self or others. To whatever “PIVOT” is necessary for you.
Really I didn’t. I thought dig deeper meant to push through the workouts, but that is only a part of it. Dig Deeper means to push through, keep the correct form and really feel the move or rep. What does this mean, well don’t just go through the motion, extend those arms in jumping Jack, lunges lower the knees you feel the muscles working. Feel the muscle work BUT not injury. Raise the knees as high as possible not just a lift without control. Dig Deep for the benefits of a workout. Going through the motion without effort is useless. One to two strong moves has so much more benefit that 10 moves of no effort. With this said, how about you and I dig even deeper I think 🤔 yeah we can make change happen . To weeks of digging deeper.
Oh I’ve got to say the “dig deeper” is not an original of mine, nope it’s from an awesome, motivating trainer ShaunT.
Being balance is so important is many phases of our life especially when it come to change. First change just don’t happen rapidly when moving toward a goal or for many an intention for me I’m good with “goal” but whatever works for you to stay committed and focus I’m with you.
WANT IT – You must want it as I’ve learned you have to yourself want the change. If you’re wanting change to appease another well the joy and commitment may not survive. What are your actual, true feelings in this goal/intention? You really need to break it down and be honest with yourself.
COMMIT – Are you in it for the long haul and for some it maybe a short haul, either way are you in? Being committed and know sometimes there are a few hiccups, curves but being committed to your goal/intention you will work through these obstacles. It is necessary to put a plan to action, actually writing it down in the beginning is such a help until every thing just becomes habit.
DO – You want it, you’re committed and now you have to do it. Yes take action. Taking action means to apply yourself, listen to others on the same page as you which does not mean you have to appy everything but only what applies to you. Get an accountability partner. An accountability partner helps, oh my in so many ways. Read books only those that apply to you, listen to podcasts angain only that apply you.
Reading and listening is not to say blah blah blah I’ve heard that but it is to motivate you and keep you and me “us” on our route to let us know we are not standing solo, with challenges and goals/intentions. Most of all to assist us in deep breathing and say well done because it’s easy to stop than it is to keep moving.
Simple but no, it’s not. How often I crave for another change and it’s a challenge. Well for change to happen in workouts, life there has to be some type of application to make the change happen, for me it’s workouts and my career. For that to happen I must be consistent. Always consistent, now what is consistent.
Oh you think you know steady, keep up the tasks as laid out for you. Hahaha, you’re wrong. Consistency means to apply the level of commitment YOU can do. Yep you must make it about you. So make the change with your WHY set the rate of consistency you know you can handle. Too much can cause a lot of fumbles, too little, really, let’s not even think of it.
Your WHY will assist every time you think or rethink the change, also when you want to slack off or give up. The Why will make the challenge worthwhile, the consistency will satisfy the why and the challenge.
“The Pivot”, it’s like a dance step yeah a slight turn and a step but not too fast. Should or do you pivot maybe not but perhaps it’s time as I’ve recently understood the short phrase in a podcast. It’s just a slight adjustment in our goals or intentions which ever works best for you. The purpose is to side step complacent when you want change.
That change you want because you are not really satisfied where you are be it life, workouts or whatever, and you know you can achieve more, do more be more. BUTyou are okay for now and those second, third and sometimes fourth thoughts of “what if” is running through your head. Well it’s time to PIVOT.
Pivot with small changes then evaluate, (make sure it’s greater than a day, week) be real on that evaluation time then make a bigger pivot. Now what I learned also is that the pivot may not be complete for once so I’m suggesting and applying a 45 degree pivot instead of a full 360 but it’s your PIVOT.
No matter how I try, I am finding it so difficult to consume extra vegetables in my diet. First let me explain, I eat loads of vegetables or what I’d like to think of as loads of vegetables. However if I drink the water and the vegetables I am full beyond not the lazy full but full to satisfaction and long lasting.
I am so aware of my need to consume more vegetables just as I am on water but unless you are living next to the potty or traveling short distance that water thing well I get enough in. Can someone, anyone help me only those that are busy and not able to run to the bathroom when the signal comes, how the heck to consume enough water on busy days. Yeah, I’ll be listening now back to the vegetables.
Because the fiber loads you up in vegetables, well me, I now add extra greens in my shakes and I must say it’s a good choice. Thanks to power greens. Please share how do you consume extra vegetables.
Increasing my weights and keeping a record of the increase is so important to me. It’s a good habit regardless but if you want to see change I know you (I) must increase those weights and also for all the females, weight lifting helps increase our metabolism, aide in that lean muscle and NOPE you won’t bulk up unless that’s your goal.
The drop set which I am so good at is increasing my weights for several reps then I will decrease. Why? For several reasons.
1.Form, I want to maintain the correct form to benefit from the lift. I don’t want to just go through the motion
2. To prevent strain or possible injury to a muscle or myself in any way.
I’d rather do 20 safe reps than 4 poor reps any day.
I had to remind myself of the ” not a failure” sometimes when I set my mind to do a workout and it’s usually two and I have the time slot set as well. Here lately I’m only able to complete one and as the day extends out the second one atleast the time for the second one just dissipate. I was feeling I’d failed myself because I have a set goal date for the metamorphous of some of my body. Don’t look like that is going to happen in my time line.
It’s okay I remind myself because my goal is outside of my time line and its’s not a failure. As long as I don’t stop working toward my goal, recognize life throws us a ball sometimes and it’s our choice, (my choice) to slam that son of a gun out the park. Instead of Failure it’s a Delay.
To anyone that shares the experience as I just keep it moving and remember “It’s Not A Failure, But A Delay”.
