What Moves You?
Starting a new routine can be tough. You know you need to make some changes, to do things differently. You know you need to get your ass in motion and get to the gym or a class or out the door for a walk around the block.
Or maybe you’re good with suiting up and lacing in and getting yourself there. But once you get there, you struggle with completing your sets or increasing the weights or intensity. Maybe you shave a few reps or minutes off your intended workout. Who’s gonna know, anyway? You showed up, didn’t you? That’s something!
Yes, it is something, but if you’re trying to get to the next level, cutting corners just won’t do. This reminds me of high school cross country, senior-year edition. I had a hard-core coach who ended up going FBI. She’d always remind us of the time she stepped on a tree root during a race and snapped her femur out of her thigh (she’d then lift her track pants and show us the scar for effect). She finished the race. She placed in the race. Those critical eyes were on us as we performed our distance workouts. If she ever caught us cutting a corner on the course, and we’re talking mere inches—going inside the cone or curb instead of around it—she’d make us run an extra mile. Let me tell you—that woman had eyes on the back of her head… she always knew. To this day, my PTSD won’t allow me to cut corners. To this day, I voluntarily go the extra mile. Thank you, Special Agent Brawley!
By now, I have a few tricks in the bag to get me suited up, out the door, and through an entire workout. One of the best motivators is right at our fingertips… music!
When I turned 40 and started training for figure competitions, I created a playlist for the gym (a new playlist for each competition). It was short—not long enough to even carry me through an entire 60-75 minute, max, workout. I’d often repeat songs over and over (shout out to my man, Tupac, on those multiple sets of leg curls!). These songs motivated me and lifted me up so that I could bring my best self to the table. Even now, after hundreds of repeats, I’m not sick of them! When I hear them, they still tickle that productive part of me that wants to succeed and win. And now, as I turn another corner and have to dig deep for self-motivation, a new playlist is emerging. I’m a little surprised to note that Dua Lipa is leading this one with Physical. But I’m rolling with it! You just have to trust and allow those voices and beats that move you to claim their space on your playlist. Don’t judge—just go with it!
YOUR CHALLENGE:
My challenge to you is this: listen to a variety of music throughout the day. Create a few stations on Pandora or Spotify. Put your own computer’s playlist on random-play and see what elevates your energy. Start making your list. Get 10 songs down that you love and that make you want to move. Download those songs onto your Apple (or whatever) playlist. If you’re not that particular, find a Pandora station where most of the songs coming through will do the trick. Mine: Tupac, AC/DC, Metallica, Kylie Minogue.
Now… Press play and Let’s Get Physical!