It has been months since I have done any Weight Lifting, High Intensity Interval Training or Long Duration Cardio. I still take walks ranging from 30-45min on an almost daily basis.

There are some good reasons for this:

1. It was causing me stress
2. I was doing some of the exercises at night after the kids went to sleep and the physical exertion was disturbing my sleep. (Morning workouts just don’t fit into my schedule)
3. I was not seeing results even though I was lifting weights and running for 45min/day 5-6 times per week.
4. Adrenal fatigue – though the doctor did some tests (not sure what) but said that my thyroid looks fine and adrenal function is linked to thyroid function. The doctor definitely did not do any comprehensive testing but just looked for some “markers” which he did not find. However I do suffer from insomnia, stress, anxiety and other such things.
5. Hard exercise causes a physical stress on the body. When the body is already stressed out this extra stress can actually be harmful instead of helpful.

Here is a good video that Paul Check gives on Adrenal Fatigue

I don’t know why I feel so let down by this. It just seems like I have tried so many exercise programs and I finally found one that I was having fun with and one that I initially saw results with. But the results stopped and the fun faded.

Yoga/stretches and deep breathing are the exercises that I need to work on right now.

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“He who fails to plan, plans to fail” This quote is so true to me!

I try to plan and set up routines and try to be as efficient as can be. I have found that I need to schedule my routines so I don’t just brush them off and not think that they are important.

A good example of this is my laundry. I need to do laundry very regularly, but it is not necessary critical that I do it every day. Yet I do know that when my kids are looking for clean socks and clothing that it is getting to that critical point and I need to reset my priorities.

The same thing can be said for scheduling in my exercise. I have to admit that I have not weight trained for about a month. I have also started  taking walks instead of running. I have to admit that I have lost my drive to be fit. It is not critical of me to workout everyday but after a while of not doing it I do miss the positive things that weight training does for me. It is crucial that I resume my fitness goals.

So with this kind of funk that I am in, I am more and more convinced that the key to reaching your fitness goals is through the mind. I did have routines set up, but they got derailed. To set them up again I have to be in the correct mind frame to do it.

To do so I need to take baby steps. I used to be a flybaby at Flylady.net. It is a free website that helps you make routines on how to organize your house, create home cooked meals and other helpful tips to become more efficient. I stopped being part of their yahoo group due to the number of emails that they sent out. But I learned the value of routines and starting with baby steps.

I have to remind myself that my day starts with the evening before. I need to go to bed early. I have so much more energy when I am well rested. My first baby step needs to be with getting to bed early. I have a lot of trouble with this. Having more energy plays a significant role in my mindsets. I am more positive, I smile and laugh more. I am much more cheery and fun.

I struggle going to bed early. There are many issues to it, but mostly because I don’t have a routine set up for it.

To set up routine and carry it through with self discipline is to do it in babysteps. Tonight I will be in bed by 10:30. Tomorrow will be another day and another babystep. I need to plan this and write it down.
My routines need to be written down and scheduled in. Without my routines I fail.

Initially I was going to do a 30 day period were I would set up my routines and then adjust them to suit my schedule better. However 30 days is still a big chunk of time and I get a bit frightened of massive undertakings so to do this I will have to break it down day by day.

A great tool that I have discovered is Google Calendar. It allows me to organize my time. I can write down my routines and my daily agenda. I then can take my daily routine and adjust it to a weekly schedule. With that weekly schedule I then take it one week at a time and do my routines for a full thirty days.

With this kind of organization I take any kind of thinking and feeling and get rid of it. Instead I take one day at a time and just do it. I don’t think about tomorrow or the next thirty days. I just concentrate on today and adhering to my google calendar for today.

I can schedule in my workout. I can schedule in my sleep. It may sound ridiculous to do so. But when I let feelings like “I don’t feel like it” control my thoughts, then nothing gets done.

“He who fails to plan, plans to fail”

Become Unstoppable with your Fat Loss Goals.

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My husband Jonas joined me for the first time for a workout. We had so much fun together. It was kinda weird bonding for the first time in this way but overall a great experience. He has decided to join me in a commitment for 2009 to get fit/healthy and get sexy six pack abs. I am very happy to have an exercise partner.

You see since starting low carb cooking I personally have been able to lose 23lbs. But since my cooking was high fat my husband has gained 20lbs. He is not restricting his carbs so the extra fat is adding to extra pounds around his waist. He does love my food that I cook!

When we met in college he was doing weight training but nothing like High Intensity Interval Training. Back then he had six pack abs so it will be no time till he gets them back. Our goal will be a sixteen week challenge. On April 25th we will show his before and after pictures (he is a bit shy about them). I will post mine as soon as I get them done.

Benefits of Exercising with a Partner

• It is motivating and encouraging.
• It holds both participants accountable.
• You can spot problems with exercise form.
• It is more fun (the more fun it is the better chance you are going to stick with it).
• It pushes you harder because it creates a slightly competitive mood.

Posting this publicly encourages accountability. I am excited for the results. I welcome everyone to join in this six pack abs journey. I will be adding some exercise videos of exercises that we have been doing.

Many Blessings,

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