Bodyweight Home Exercises – Best Upper Body Moves
Recently I’ve heard too many complaints about people not being able to fit in their workouts.
And when I tell them, “Well just set a timer and do a 15 minute workout AT HOME.” (Because, let’s face it, all of us have 15 minutes we can spend working out especially if we don’t have to waste any time on travel!)
They tell me, “But I don’t have any equipment at home!”
Well that is no excuse! While I’ve written numerous articles with bodyweight exercises you can do at home, today I would like to focus on some of the best UPPER BODY moves you can do.
Many people can think of a ton of lower body moves to do (squats, squat jumps, lunges, chair step ups), they often can’t think of a variety of upper body moves to do.
So here are some great Bodyweight Upper Body Moves that you can easily do at home that will challenge everyone from the beginner to even the most advanced lifter.
There are honestly more than 10 listed here since I think we often forget about all the options out there and skip our workouts because we are bored doing the same 3 moves over and over again.
1. Handstands – Whether you are new to handstands and need to start with a modified downward dog or you can hold a handstand without any support, handstands are a GREAT upper body move. They work your shoulders, triceps upper back and core. They are also FUN and can easily be made to challenge any level. Go to Redefining Strength and download the bodyweight guide for more handstand variations!
2. Scapular Hold – If you’ve read more than one article on this blog, you know by now that I LOVE scapular holds or Batwings. These are a great way to work your back and improve your posture (and lessen neck and shoulder pain!). The basic variation of scapular holds is done against the wall. You can also do this against the ground if you are really up for a challenge; HOWEVER, progressing down to the ground isn’t really necessary if you really focus on activating the correct muscles while against the wall. The scapular hold can also be made into a dynamic move called the Corner Row. The corner row works the same muscles although I do find it challenges the core a bit more since you must hold your body in a straight line while moving. Both are essential for less pain and better posture!
3. Push Up variations (T-push ups, incline, close grip, wide grip, push up to fly, push up to dip, divebombers…) – Push ups can be made easier for the beginner (incline) or more advanced for the experienced exerciser (decline). They can also be made to focus more on the shoulders, chest or triceps. They are a great move to work your chest, shoulders and triceps as well as your core. Here are even more push up variations if you are bored with the ones you’ve been doing.
Remember the push up to fly!?!
4. Scapular Push Ups – A great push up variation to work your upper back. While you may only perform an inch or two of movement, this is a hard move that really works the lower traps. Great to improve posture and alleviate neck and shoulder pain! You can make this easier by doing it from your knees. You can also change it up by doing this move from your forearms instead of your hands.
5. Crawls – Forward, backward, sideways, circles… Bear crawls, alligator crawls, crab crawls, gorilla crawls…All these crawls work your shoulders, triceps, core and even your quads. PLUS they are a great way to get in some cardio! With crawls I often hear the excuse that people don’t have enough room to do them, but all you need to be able to do is take a step or two forward and a step or two backward. And you can keep things interesting by mixing up the type of crawl you do. Shoot, sometimes simply doing crawls for your workout is enough!
6. Plank variations (plank with reach through, plank with reach out, plank holds, climbers) – Planks don’t just work your core. They are a great way to develop shoulder stability and work your upper body as well as your abs. Planks are more than the basic isometric hold we see done so often. They can also be a dynamic movement like climbers or plank with reach out.
7. Posterior Plank – A great move for your entire backside, the posterior plank works everything from the back of your shoulders down to your ankles. You can advance this move by doing a single leg variation or you can make it easier by bending your knees a bit instead of having them out straight. Every time I do this move, I can’t help but think of Flash Dance.
8. Towel Lat Pulldown – A great way to work on those pull ups even when at home without a pull up bar (although I do think a doorway pull up bar is a great investment!). This move helps work on scapular retraction and lat activation. It is also great if you have overactive upper traps and suffer from shoulder and neck pain!
9. Towel Taz – One of my favorite cardio moves that also works the shoulders and can be done at home, or in your hotel room, with something we all have…A TOWEL. While you want to make sure you aren’t in a place where you can knock things over, you don’t actually need much room to do the Towel Taz. Flap the towel up and towel or press your arms in and out. Both will work your upper back, shoulders, triceps and core. (Plus if you move around quickly, your legs and cardiovascular system are going to get some great exercise as well!)
Cardio in your home!
10. Glute Bridge with Reach – This move is a great way to work your back, butt and core as well as get a nice stretch in. It can be a great dynamic warm up and activation move as well as a challenging move to add to your workouts. Since I haven’t really ever mentioned this move before….To do this move, set up in a glute bridge. Drive through your heels and get your hips up as high as you can. Keeping your core and glutes tight, reach one arm across your body and overhead as if you are reaching for something over your shoulder and behind you. You will bridge up onto one shoulder, keeping your hips up. Come back to center, lower the hips down and then bridge back up and reach across and back over the other shoulder. Repeat alternating sides and rotating the core while in the glute bridge.
I will extend my arm a bit more and really bridge up on the one shoulder while keeping the other arm down by my side, but this gives you a basic variation.
So there are at least 10 Upper Body moves you can do at home….Maybe you can even use them today to help you stay on track this weekend….
How many of these had you forgotten about?
How to relax when STRESSED OUT
A week or so ago, I posted about how your brain is actually kind of stupid and can be tricked into having confidence in yourself.
Well…it is also possible to trick your brain into feeling relaxed even when you are completely and utterly stressed out.
And the best part is…
All you need to do is BREATHE!
When we get stressed or anxious or panicked, we breathe shallow and quickly, which makes our brain feel even more stressed out and makes our body tighten up.
When we are relaxed, our breathing is deep and slow and our body is loose.
If we control our breathing by slowing it down and breathing deeply, we can force our body and mind to believe we are actually relaxed – we can get ourselves to CALM DOWN.
It can be done before an important competition or in the heat of a match. It can be done before going to bed or when you are simply stressed out sitting at your desk.
It can be done anywhere, at any time and it will help you refocus and relax.
And trust me…It works…especially if you are stress thinking in bed and can’t fall asleep. Like ten focused breaths (if you even make it that far) and you will be out like a light!
So how do you do this deep relaxing breathing?
- It can be done standing, seated, lying down. It can be done with eyes open or closed. Obviously the more relaxing a position you can put yourself in physically (aka the closer to eyes closed and lying down you can get) the quicker and easier it will be to relax. That being said though, I’ve made this work while bouncing a ball before serving in a match.
- The most important part is to breathe deeply. Don’t just fill your lungs with air – breathe deep into your belly. When first starting out, it can even help to place your hand on your belly to FEEL your deep breaths.
- SLOW breathing is also very important. You want to slowly breathe in deeply, hold that breath for a count or two and then very very slowly exhale. There are many different counts you can use. I’ve found ones that have you inhale for a 4 count, hold for a 7 count and exhale for an 8 count; HOWEVER, it doesn’t even need to be that slow to help you relax. I’ve found that even freaking inhaling for a 3 count, holding for a 3 count and exhaling for a 3 count can help. The most important part is to SLOW down your breathing!
To sum up the most important parts – Pick as relaxed a pose as possible to start loosening up the body. Breathe deeply into your belly. AND breath as slowly as possible.
Next time you get stressed or feel anxious or panicked, try taking a deep breath (or two). It may just be what you need to calm down and refocus!
Trick but no treat….
On the radio today I heard a story about a woman who is refusing to give out candy to overweight children. She is instead giving these children notes to take home to their parents about how they need to lose weight.
These kids who may already feel self-conscious or be made fun of for their weight are going to be handed a note while their skinnier friends around them get candy….
Sounds like a great way to stop bullying and build children’s self-esteems!
NOT!
While teaching moderation is important it shouldn’t be done on Halloween OR in this way!
Ok I’m all for teaching our kids about healthy eating, but this simply is not the way.
Yes, childhood obesity is a problem. Yes, I would love to promote healthier eating to our kids. Yes, I kind of believe that drastic measures need to be taken and the community needs to become involved.
But NOT on a holiday based around eating candy until your belly hurts is not the time.
This is actually the attitude that irritates me more than anything else.
We vilify holidays and restaurants and even busy schedules as the reason why we or our children are overweight.
We focus on not eating “too badly” over Thanksgiving or Christmas.
But the real problem isn’t those few days during the year that we decide to indulge. It is the decisions we make those 300 some other days that really causes the problems.
Trick-or-treating on Halloween isn’t the cause of childhood obesity and a child shouldn’t be penalized on that day.
Instead we need to focus on teaching healthy habits on those other 300 some odd days that aren’t holidays.
So tomorrow indulge in those treats. Heck maybe even eat too many.
But then get right back on track the next day! The day after Halloween is the perfect time to instill the healthy habit of MODERATION with all that leftover candy (which half of it will finally be thrown away around New Years when all the yucky candy remains uneaten!).
Oh and one last thing….Embarrassing a kid isn’t going to change things. While teaching kids and telling kids the right way to behave is important, it is more important that we adults actually LEAD BY EXAMPLE.
So if this woman actually wanted to prevent childhood obesity, she would be working to get better food into the schools. Or help make healthier foods easier to obtain. Or even leading a class for parents about preparing healthy family meals on a budget.
But no…instead she is choosing to shame and bully a little kid….Great job fighting childhood obesity!
NOT!
Healthy Dessert Recipes – Pumpkin Frozen “Yogurt”
Fall is pumpkin time – pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin flavored frozen yogurt….
Fall is also a time when our diets start to go to shambles because of all the delicious “once a year” treats that are around.
HOWEVER, there are ways to enjoy some of those seasonal foods, like pumpkin, without derailing your healthy eating progress.
Because pumpkin is actually good for you, which you probably wouldn’t think considering it is most often consumed in the form of pie or pumpkin spiced lattes. (It is actually especially great for smoothies or treats on carb refeed days!)
So I decided to create a HEALTHY Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt using my awesome Yonanas which I’m mildly obsessed with.
Pumpkin Banana Frozen “Yogurt”
YUM!
Ingredients:
1/4-1/2 cup Frozen Organic Pumpkin (depending on how much you like pumpkin flavor…)
2 frozen medium bananas
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Sprinkle of nutmeg
Remove the frozen ingredients and let them thaw just a bit. Sprinkle bananas with spices.
Turn on the Yonanas and place a quarter of banana in the Yonanas followed by a piece of frozen pumpkin. Mash down. Keep alternating banana and pumpkin until all of the ingredients above have been combined in the Yonanas.
Give it one stir and enjoy! (You can also sprinkle a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg on top if you like!)
What are your favorite healthy fall treats?
Monday Motivation and Fitspo – Focus on the positive
Today is Monday and #MondayMotivation and a bazillion Fitspo photos clog my social media.
For some reason we all just need that extra push on Monday.
POSITIVE! Promotes a great mindset and a great reminder to appreciate even the smallest success!
Be it that we fell off the wagon this past weekend or that we just need that little extra push to get going this week, many of us seem to seek out motivation on Monday.
And some of the motivational pictures, the fitspo that I see, I like. Others make me roll my eyes or simply don’t do anything for me.
I mean I think there is a ton of CRAP fitspo out there. A ton that does promote eating disorders and the belief that to be a bad-ass you need to push through the pain and risk injury….AKA BE STUPID.
I do think there is a ton of CRAP and I wish I could sometimes give a swift punch to the face of the people who created it.
BUT I don’t think ranting against it is going to do anything no matter how stupid or pathetic or whatever I think the images are.
For one….Different things inspire and motivate change for each of us.. And while I may not agree with it, while I may think it promotes unhealthy habits, others may find it is the motivation they need to create healthy change. They just interpret it differently.
And two…I think the best thing I can do is create and promote what I consider to be healthy and positive fitspo. I believe we have to BE the change we want to see – we can’t just complain about things.
So when I choose fitspo or #MondayMotivation, I think of what motivates me. What encourages me to have positive self talk. What boosts me up and what helps me mentally overcome all the excuses.
For me it is often a VISUAL of the positive self-talk I want to use or a visual of my end goal or even the positive emotions I want to feel about myself.
For me it is about the POSITIVE RESULTS I want to create and the POSITIVE MINDSET I need to get there.
I believe the POSITIVE truly MOTIVATES. While those negative fitspos GUILT you into making changes.
And GUILT doesn’t last long, which means you probably aren’t going to stick with your new lifestyle for long. And guilt promotes changes being made in unhealthy ways to try to get results fast to change the way you feel about yourself.
Good fitspo should help boost you mentally to achieve your goals.
So stop focusing on all the crap fitspo that doesn’t help you. Stop complaining about all the stupid images out there.
Stop trying to GUILT yourself into achieving your goals.
And shoot…If there isn’t any fitspo out there that you like, MAKE YOUR OWN!
I know I did! 🙂
Relieving Aches and Pains
The other day I agreed to do some mobility and stabilization work with a collegiate men’s basketball team.
They were probably the most inflexible, broken down and injured group of people EVER.
And they were high level athletes!!
But the craziest part is that they just seemed to accept their inflexibility, pain and injuries. When they shouldn’t, and most definitely don’t have to.
Sometimes I think we become so used to chronic pain that we just start to accept it and avoid certain activities INSTEAD of working to correct the pain so that we don’t have any limitations.
But most injuries can be made better. And most aches and pains can be gotten rid of.
it just takes spending some time on those not so fun pieces of working out – like stabilization exercises, stretching, foam rolling and RECOVERY.
Working out isn’t all glitz and glamour. Actually you get all the glitz and glamour, all the fun exercises and great results, by doing that tedious, boring, prehab and rehab stuff.
Because if you don’t do enough prehab and rehab not only will you suffer from chronic pain at the site of that injury, but you also risk causing injury further up your kinetic chain!
Here are some prehab/rehab exercises, stretches and trigger point release techniques to get you started this weekend. Check back this next week for more stretches and exercises to help alleviate those nagging aches and pains from sitting at a desk all day!
Accepting Pain and some quick tips to fix it!
Neck and Upper Back Pain and Injury
Lower Leg and Foot Pain and Injury
Glute activation exercise for less low back pain (good to do after an ankle, knee or hip injury!)
Being a Butthead and a Quad Killing Squat Workout!
There are definitely times when we go against our better judgement and do a workout we know we shouldn’t – when we push ourselves harder than we know we should.
Like when we haven’t worked out for weeks….We all know we should go a bit lighter to ease back in.
Or when our nutrition hasn’t been on point and we know we won’t be able to push as hard but we still do.
And then we suffer the consequences.
Can’t…bend…to…get…it….
And I’m not talking about a little bit of soreness the day after…I’m talking about debilitating soreness for the entire week after.
Yea…
If you do that, you are a butthead.
And I…I am a butthead!
I am a butthead because I decide to do a heavy leg day on Monday and go heavier than I’d ever gone before.
Because even though I knew I hadn’t done a heavy leg day in about 3 1/2 weeks, even though my nutrition was just getting back on track after a week of vacation, even though my sleep was just getting back on track and my stress level was elevated after about two weeks away from work, I felt good when I started my workout so why not take advantage and push it right!?!
WRONG!
My body wasn’t ready to handle the stress of such an intense workout and now I’m still not able to walk like a human without super intense focus and pain.
And this isn’t something I’m proud of. I’m actually angry at myself because I ignored all the sides and pushed my body beyond what it was ready to do and now my workouts have been thrown off for the entire week.
By being cocky and stupid, I’ve hindered my own results. For what? For a little bit more weight!?!
AH!
This is one of those few times where I will say, “Do as I say, not as I did!”
Don’t be stupid.
If you are coming back from time off, remember your body will not be ready to handle the load EVEN if it feels like you could push harder during your workout. BUT remember you are building so that you can get back on track. You don’t want to make yourself so sore that you can’t get back into your workout routine!
Same goes for diet. Whenever you have changed your diet, remember your body may not have the energy to push as hard as you would like. And it may not recover as quickly especially if your nutrition hasn’t been on point.
BE PATIENT! Ease yourself back into things and you will find you actually get results faster!
Anyway, that is my little rant about my own stupidity and why you shouldn’t do the same.
Don’t let cockiness get in the way. BE SMART and EASE YOURSELF BACK INTO YOUR ROUTINE!
And in case you want a quad killing workout (but one that shouldn’t incapacitate you the entire week), try the one that murdered me on Monday…Just use an appropriate weight or even start with bodyweight!
Quad Killer
WARM UP
Roll out and dynamically stretch
Calves, hamstrings, quads, hips, glutes, low back, core and thoracic spine
STRENGTH:
Front Squats:
1 minute on, 1 minute off for 5 rounds
I like to pyramid down. I start with the heaviest weight I can handle and must complete at least 20 reps. If I don’t, I drop to the next weight. I stay at that weight for as many rounds as possible as long as I complete 20 reps in the minute. I drop down as needed, completing all 5 rounds. If this is your first time, START LIGHT and focus on completing more reps instead of doing more weight. I also like to use kettlebells for the front squats although you will find you are limited by how much your upper body and core can handle (which isn’t a bad thing!!!)
Circuit:
4 rounds:
10 reps each side Single Leg Squats (Can squat to bench if a beginner. Can use TRX or XT to advance)
10 reps each side Walking Lunges with weight (keep your chest up tall and do not swing the weights. Step from one lunge into the next lunge, driving off your front heel)
20 reps Jump Squats
COOL DOWN
Stretch and roll out quads, calves, hips, hamstrings and any other tight spots.
Enjoy!
Fit in your workout even when you’re busy!
The other day I read a great post on T-rex to Tigress about trying not to feel guilty about skipping a workout.
While yes, we do want to create a routine and stick to it….while yes, we don’t want to constantly let ourselves off the hook and make up excuses to miss our workouts….We do also have to recognize that sometimes life is going to get in the way and that sometimes WE HAVE TO CUT OURSELVES SOME SLACK!
Sometimes our routine gets interrupted. Sometimes our body just gets worn out. Sometimes our mind gets completely fried.
Sometimes we just need a day off even if we’d made other plans.
And if our body or mind really needs the day off, there is no reason to feel guilty. The day off will help us recover and become re-energized to take on all the upcoming challenges.
That recovery day will actually help us reach our goals more quickly if we need it.
Nothing bad is going to happen to our progress, to our results, to our health or even our routine if we make an educated decision to take a day off.
HOWEVER, there are times when we aren’t able to make it to the gym because life interferes that we can still get in a workout – that we still really want to get in a good workout.
So if you decide that life has interfered yet you still really really WANT and NEED to get in a workout (and it wouldn’t be better for your body and mind to take the day off), here are a couple of great ways to get in a quick workout WITHOUT going to the gym.
1. GO FOR A WALK! – Even if your body and mind or worn down, a walk is a great option! Walks are a great form of active recovery and they give your mind a chance to relax and de-stress. Go for a short walk around your neighborhood or even meet up with some friends for a chat session!
We go for at least a weekly walk/hike. It is a great time to chat and de-stress and get in a little exercise!
2. DO A WORKOUT AT HOME – While it may not be what you originally had planned or even as tough as what you planned to do, IT IS STILL A WORKOUT. Doing anything is generally better than nothing if you can’t make it to the gym because of time or energy. Doing something keeps you in the routine of working out. And usually once you get moving, you end up working pretty hard! Keep a few go-to home workouts around to make it even easier to stay on track!
Cardio in your home!
3. SET A TIMER FOR 15 MINUTES – Short on time so you can’t go to the gym? Short on the motivation to really put in a long, hard workout? Then simply do a short intense workout at home! At least once if not twice a week, my workouts are no longer than 15 minutes…and even though they are short, they are far from easy. Sometimes I find it is easier though to motivate myself to workout when I know it will be over quickly. Pick 3-4 moves and put them into a circuit. Do as many rounds as possible until the timer runs out! Heck, sometimes you can even just put a timer on for 5 minutes as choose one exercise and do it without stopping the entire time. Like 5 minutes of burpees. Or 5 minutes of bear crawls. It may only be 5 minutes, but if you do not rest and try to move as quickly as possible the entire time, you will be exhausted!
4. GO PLAY! – Working out doesn’t have to mean going for a long run or going to the gym and lifting weights. Working out can be playing with your kids at the playground or stand up paddling or surfing or hiking or any FUN ACTIVITY where you are moving. So next time your friend really needs to meet up to chat and you feel like you just can’t ditch her, don’t just go to dinner to talk! Take your conversation on the road and be active. Getting moving could be good for you both and may help you both de-stress! No it isn’t your planned workout, but simply moving will make you feel better and is good for your health!
Go do headstands on a paddleboard even if you do flip over and fall in! (which by the way I did…numerous times…)
5. DO YOGA…OR PILATES – While both yoga and pilates are tough workouts, they can also be good for recovery. I have a Yoga workout I can easily do at home on days when my body needs a break but I still want to move. Plus if you are stressed or tired, it can be easier to motivate yourself to do a workout that you know won’t completely slaughter you and that you don’t have to travel anywhere to do. You may even find that going to the gym to do a Pilates or Yoga class makes it easier to push yourself to go to the gym on a day when you wouldn’t for a more intense workout.
What all the tips above basically show is that something is better than nothing, especially if we are trying to keep ourselves on a routine to create new healthy habits.
Life is going to get in the way sometimes, but the best thing we can do is not stress or feel guilty when that happens.
Heck, sometimes you even just need the day off.
But whatever happens, it is best not to stress. And if you really do want that workout…Well…Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
How do you handle life getting in the way of your routine?
P.S. Thought it was interesting to read T-Rex to Tigress’s post since most of my writing about life getting in the way has been about diet. But life most definitely can get in the way of working out too!
Here is also a great post by 43Fitness about life getting in the way (AKA TRAVEL/VACATION) and how she handles it. Thought she had some great rules!
Chicken “Nachos” – Create Your Own Healthy Recipes
I mentioned about a week ago that while getting into a routine is key, making your healthy new lifestyle FUN and interesting is also super important to creating new habits.
And one of the best ways to keep your new lifestyle FUN and INTERESTING and make healthy habits stick is to make them your own – to mold them to fit you and your specific needs and goals.
Find workouts that you ENJOY. Don’t force yourself to do something that a friend said worked. Find something you will stick with in the long run that combines something fun with something that is good for you.
Same goes for recipes. Yes, the more you can eat only whole natural foods, the better off you will be. But that doesn’t mean you have to eat simply baked chicken and broccoli every night.
AND it also doesn’t mean you can never have those foods you love.
While I’m not a huge fan of “Paleo” baked goods, I am a huge fan of making TRULY HEALTHY variations of the foods we love to indulge in.
I love taking recipes I used to love and tweaking them to be healthier. It is creative and fun and it makes you feel like you aren’t being deprived of the foods you loved!
Plus it is just so exciting when that new recipe tastes freaking amazing!
Anyway, I was super pumped when I got texted this delicious picture of Mini Pepper Chicken Nachos by Jodie last night.
She first made the shredded chicken for the recipe in the crockpot, which was great because she also had leftover chicken for later this week!
Jodie’s Crockpot Shredded Chicken
Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts
1-2 cups Chicken Broth (depending on size of chicken breasts)
Cumin and chili powder to taste
Add all ingredients to a crockpot. Cook on high for about 4 hours until you can pull the chicken apart with a fork.
She then took that shredded chicken and made Mini Pepper Shredded Chicken Nachos:
Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 green onions, sliced with white and green parts separated
1.5 cups of shredded chicken
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup salsa (all natural or even homemade please!)
1 pound mini bell peppers (can also slice up regular bell peppers a bit smaller)
1.5 cups shredded cheese (grass-fed is best!)
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/2 large tomato, diced
1/4 cup cilantro
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and the white parts of the green onions and cook and stir 1 minute.
Mix in shredded chicken and chili powder. Toss until all ingredients are well coated with chili powder and chicken is warm, about 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in salsa. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Slice the ends off each mini bell pepper and slice in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and ribs and press each half open so the peppers are as flat as possible. Arrange close together in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
Spoon chicken mixture evenly over pepper halves. Top with black olives and cheese mixture.
Bake nachos for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove from oven, top with tomatoes, cilantro, and remaining green onions.
Top with a little sour cream or guacamole if you want!
Enjoy! (Makes about four servings.)
What are your favorite healthy variations of recipes you used to love?
I know one of my favorite recipes is our healthy variation of the Shepherd’s pie!
When you see progress…PUSH HARDER
Often I see clients start to get on a roll, start seeing progress and then completely slack off.
Instead what they should really do when they see progress is PUSH HARDER.
They should let the progress motivate them to keep going.
But that never seems to be the way it works.
For some reason when we see progress, especially when we progress quicker than expected, we let ourselves slack off.
We think, “Oh I should celebrate!” Or “Oh I can take a day off now!” We think, “I deserve a piece of cake.” Or “I don’t need to workout since I was so good about it all week.”
The thing is, success doesn’t work that way. Reaching our goals doesn’t work that way. Consistency is key.
Progress, especially great progress, should motivate us to work harder. To be more committed because we know what we are doing is WORKING.
We need to learn how to see progress as motivation to continue NOT an excuse to slack off.
So here are some tips to motivate you and keep you moving forward on this wonderful Monday.
Get Results, Push Harder Tips:
- Pick HEALTHY rewards that promote the changes you are trying to make. If you are trying to eat better and become more dedicated to your workouts, don’t pick rewards centered around food or cheating on your healthy lifestyle. Make something HEALTHY a reward. I’ve heard this comment before, “You are not a dog so don’t reward yourself with food.” And while I don’t like the statement, it does make a good point. Make your rewards HEALTHY. Make them something that celebrate and even further encourages the lifestyle changes you are trying to create!
- Take time to celebrate victories! Sometimes I think we slack off or give up on our goals EVEN when we are progressing because we don’t truly take time to celebrate our victories. If you hit your goal for the week, take a second and appreciate the hard work you’ve put in. When you look back at all the HARD WORK it took to get there, slacking off may not seem worth it. I mean…do you really want all that hard work to be for nothing!?!
- Be willing to adjust your goals. If you are progressing more quickly than expected, adjust your goals. Don’t use it as an excuse to slack off because slacking off will lead to you getting off track and eventually failing. If you wanted to lift 10 more pounds by the end of the month but hit that goal early, adjust it and up your goal for the end of the month. If you accomplish one goal early, don’t take “time off!” Move on to the next goal! Give yourself a reason to keep moving forward!
- Don’t measure your progress every day. Don’t weigh every day. Don’t take circumference measurements every day. Don’t do physical testing every day. You won’t see true progress every day and measuring every day puts too much pressure on you! Measure once a week at most. Preferably measure once a month. Give yourself enough time to truly achieve results; HOWEVER, measure often enough that you can see progress to keep you motivated. While we can slack when we see results, we can also slack if we feel like we AREN’T achieving!
- Remember it’s a lifestyle and lifestyles don’t have an end date! When we make healthy changes, diet and exercise changes, generally we aren’t just trying to hit a one-time goal. Most of the time we are trying to create a new lifestyle to last us years and years! So even if you’ve made great progress, even if you’ve hit that weight loss or exercise goal, that doesn’t mean you are done. Remind yourself that your actions every day add up to create a healthy lifestyle. While a healthy lifestyle isn’t about perfection, it is about committing and being consistent with new healthy habits.
So as this week goes on, appreciate all of your hard work. Appreciate your consistency and use your progress and results to further motivate you and keep you committed!
Get great results and let them motivate you to push HARDER toward your goal!
Man Bicep 