Kirsten Captures

I love those days when I wake up and go…. WOW, I am SORE! Well yesterday was definitely one of those days.

I have mentioned this before, but Lindsay over at Lindsay’s List runs a great fitness forum called Tuesday Trainer. Check it out here! Until now I have been a bad trainer. I have participated by submitting moves mostly every week but had yet to complete any of the workouts! Boo.

While I love working out and challenging my body, it is definitely easy to fall into a rut. Most people cannot get a good workout in unless they have a written out plan. However, I usually just wing it. On my full body strength training days I make sure to hit each muscle group and incorporate some core work and cardio. I also try to power through with little rest between each move to keep up my heart rate.

This has worked well for me in terms of building muscle but I know my cardiorespiratory conditioning is not where it should be. Challenging myself during any cardio is MUCH MORE DIFFICULT for me. I enjoy breathing thank you very much.

Here’s where Tuesday Trainer comes in.

Last week I printed out Naomi’s 480 Workout to complete during Thanksgiving since I knew I would be far away from a gym. I recruited my sisters and Allison the morning before our big feast and we huffed and puffed like maniacs on the dock. This workout was tough. My muscles felt alright but my lungs could not keep up. It was challenging and I enjoyed putting in the extra effort.

Inspired by the challenge, I wrote out this week’s Tuesday Trainer, a BOSU/Stability ball workout, and busted it out Tuesday at 7:30pm (it was a very long workday). I had my little corner of the gym set up and powered away. Of course the only two guys also working out in the empty gym decide to do the machines (aka loiter) directly behind me. Hello, I’m trying to lunge  here! This could have been only a minor annoyance except I needed some serious space during lateral lunges. And a 5 foot pole to swat away unwanted gawkers.

Anyways.

I pushed myself hard, was sweating like crazy, and gasping for air. But I felt awesome and strong. It was great to take my mind out of equation and let my body do the work. My body is capable of so much more than I think sometimes.

Moral of the story…. push yourself! I plan on doing at least one Tuesday Trainer workout and one spin class each week. While it is good to be in control of your body with exercises of your choosing, it is also good to relinquish some of that control to the experts who can safely push your boundaries. By confusing our muscles with new exercises and going for just a little bit longer, we truly become stronger and fitter.

As a personal trainer (in training?), I am empowered by the opportunity to motivate people beyond what they think they can do. Because let’s face it, we all need a little push sometimes.