6 weeks into 2021.  How are your health and fitness goals panning out?  Feeling inspired or trudging through the motions? Does it depend on the day?  Ever remarked to yourself or others that “My heart just isn’t in it.”  You really just don’t feel like it. Something you once loved doing loses its hold on you.  It could be due to fatigue.  Not getting enough rest can leave you less than inspired about working out.  Or life stress may be weighing heavily. Or you’ve been dialing in your nutrition but are not seeing the results you want and feel discouraged.  “Does it matter in the long run?” a negative voice whispers.  Perhaps something you’ve been working towards didn’t pan out, leaving you feeling disappointed.  Or you’ve gotten injured and your training plan has to be reconfigured.  Or a storm of all of the above.  Whatever the case may be the feeling is the same, a heavy heart that wants to throw in the towel.  How do you get the bounce back in your step? Here are some tips to get you started.

First, congratulate yourself on the efforts you’ve made to date.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Taking the risk is worth it.   It may hurt but in the long run, you’ll be stronger and more resilient.  Hang in there.  Waste no time in self-recriminations.  You cared. You tried and you can re-set and go forth.

If you get caught in a negative spiral, take a step back and adopt a breathing practice.  Find a comfortable spot.  Place your hand on your heart and hold it there while breathing from your belly. Repeat a kind mantra such as, “You are strong and capable. You’ll get through it.”

You won’t feel like taking care of yourself but eating poorly and not working out won’t help in the long run. One day can become 3 days can become a week of derailment.  Don’t dig a hole.  Fight out.  Treat yourself kindly, as if you have a cold.  Make some soup.  Drink tea. Get out for a walk in nature.  Light some candles.  Create a healing space. Talk to a trusted source about how you are feeling and get help making a new plan of action.

When you face a setback refuse to use it as a reason for why things aren’t working out. Look for the good not the bad. Remind yourself that there are many routes to every destination.  If one path isn’t leading you where you want to go you are well capable of finding another.  Start by making a list of paths not travelled.

Set one small task to complete related to your goals that you can tackle early in the day to set yourself up for a day of success, i.e., lay out your gear for an evening wod before you go to work or eat a decent breakfast or leave a tidy kitchen behind you.

Heavy hearts do not like workouts infused with loud, upbeat music.  Really, they don’t stand a chance. Here is Wednesday night’s WOD.

6pm 1.10.21

Warm-Up:

10 full body rocks, 20 cross touch bird dogs,  20 calf climbers, 20 shoulder pull-overs,  20 plank shoulder taps,  20 cross touch squats, 20 banded glute bridges, 20 banded good mornings, 10 get-ups, 200 m jog or exaggerated walk.

WOD:

500m row/ski erg/bike/run/skip (2:30)

50 DB Curl to Press

50 Cross-Touch Sit-ups

50 DB Renegade Rows

500m DB Farmer’s Carry

50 DB Deadlifts

50 Cross-Touch Sit-Ups

50 Box Jumps

500 m row/ski erg/bike/run/skip (2:30)

Stretch: 20 hands and knee rocks, 20 head nods and rotations then complete :30 per side couch, pigeon and lying hamstring stretch and :60 child’s pose

WOD Notes:  Select weight that requires a break by 10 reps.  Consider increasing reps to 60 if only light weight available.  Home Gym: Farmer’s Carry = complete 5 min weighted carry about house. Box Jump = broad jump, jump squats or lunges, DB deadlift = odd object swings if no reasonable weight to lift. No equipment options for renegade rows = plank up-downs and tricep dips and elevated push-ups for curl and press.