All it takes is a little planning... and flexibility..

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My deep thought for you today: There are two keys to success. 1. Planning. 2. Flexibility to adapt when the plan doesn't work out.

I'm flexible, but not *this* flexible. (Source)

I am a planner. I get really nervous if I don't have a plan.  I plan my workouts. I put them in my calendar. If someone asks me to meet with them during that time, I tell them I'm not available. It's true: I'm not.

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I plan my meals in advance. I prepare them as many days in advance as I can. This way, I'm never looking around, wondering what to eat next. I still struggle. I still get tempted, and I have to make the choice one day, one hour (sometimes one minute) at a time. But having the food prepared and ready makes it about 90% easier to stay on track.

I plan my workouts too. I need to have a certain amount of running, a certain amount of lifting, and hopefully some gentle yoga or stretching on a rest day. But things happen. Some days, I oversleep (like I did Wednesday) and miss a planned workout. Or, I'm more sore than I thought I would be, and I no it would probably hurt more than help for me to do a certain workout.

The point is, I'm flexible. I aim to get the workouts I'm supposed to get in during the week. But if I need to rearrange and modify, I'll do it.

Right now, I'm running a Beachbody Challenge Group. There are five members who work out daily, drink Shakeology, and check in at least once a day in our Facebook group. These folks are doing great and are all really committed to seeing some progress! (I can't wait to share their results with you).

Anyway, one of the members posted yesterday that his legs hurt, and he was scheduled to do a leg intensive workout, so he changed his planned workout. He worked some upper body and abs and swam- all still a great workout. He was flexible enough to know that the plan could be changed. He still got a great workout. He'll still see results.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is this:
1. Plan
2. Be flexible

Oh, and come on over to Sarah Fitness. The contest is STILL going on- when we get to 700 fans, I'll do a random drawing and give away a copy of Shaun T.'s "Rockin' Body"...

Dude. I think that half marathon may have done me in. Dude.

I knew my most recent half marathon wore me out. It was the first time I've actually cried during a race.

This was before the crying..

Monday I attempted to get right back on track and did my upper body lifting workout in the morning, then attempted a 2 mile run later in the day. That 2 mile run became a 1.5 sad mockery of a run where I realized I was having some sort of PTSD from the race.

Tuesday I decided to take a rest day. I went to work and everything, but I didn't do any workout at all.

Wednesday I was *still* super tired. I felt achy. I decided to use some sick time and stay home to rest. This was a tough decision. "I'll get behind on my workouts." "I can't just do *nothing*..." But I am pretty sure it was the right decision. I stayed in bed most of the day, even though the kids were home (My husband helped). And then I slept most of the night.

Today I was finally feeling better. I did my lunchtime lower body workout at the gym, and ran 1.5 miles (I didn't even pretend like I was going to run 2.)

But the main thing is, I think that last race pushed me over the edge.

There is a fine line, a balance, when you are pushing yourself hard. I like to push myself hard. I workout hard, I work hard at work, I do housework (or attempt to keep my house clean, which is like Sysiphus and his big rock), I do a *LOT*. So, when do you know you've done too much? How can you tell the difference between "I'm exhausted and MUST take a break" and "I'm just lazy and don't want to do anything."

How do *you* tell the difference? Or do you, like me, have a little trouble with that?

Well, just in case, here's this:

Finding the Time to Workout

One of the biggest reasons people don't workout is "I don't have time." Moms especially have this challenge... and I can say that as a mom of two. It's HARD to find the time for myself. There are "Mommy-Guilt" issues added to that, and it just gets harder and harder to justify... and that's a whole different blog post.

The point is: EVERYONE has time challenges (some more than others).

How do you find the time?

Well, the first question you need to ask is this: "How bad do you want it?"

Do you want it bad enough to go without sleep? That's a tough one...

Right now, I *do*. I tweaked my knee on Wednesday (after the most awesome run... I managed to injure myself STRETCHING. Irony.) So, I went several days without working out. It was TOUGH! I am addicted. I was grumpy... I was weepy... I was just not myself.

I heard a Buddhist monk recently talk about happiness. He said being happy is NOT selfish- in fact, we should all strive to be happy, because happy people usually don't hurt others. I thought of this on day 3 of no-workouts... and realized I need to take care of myself so I can be a better mom, a better wife, a better friend, a better librarian... just a better person.

The point I'm trying to make is this: You have to realize the importance of working out, and make it a priority. Without that, you'll be lost when the first obstacle appears.

We've recently had a schedule change that makes it so I can't use my lunch time to workout on Mondays and Wednesdays. When I get home, it's run-run-run with the kids until bedtime, so I have found that I don't like to plan my workouts for after work (because, honestly, they don't get done).

My solution: The only way for me to workout on those days is if I wake up at 3:45 am.

So, this morning, my alarm went off at 3:45 am. I woke up and thought, "This is ridiculous. It's the middle of the night. What am I doing?" After sitting there and thinking about it for about 10 minutes (and wasting time) I got up.

Fast forward to after my workout (which was Turbofire): "Woohoo! I feel great! I'm so glad I did that!"

I'm counting on that feeling to get me out of bed tomorrow at 3:45.

Now, I'm not saying everyone has to get up in the middle of the night to workout, and it certainly isn't ideal (I don't think I'll try running at that time of day..), but I'm making it work for me. As a (relatively new) mom of 2, with a full-time job and a side business, I am proud that I'm making it happen. If I didn't have those circumstances, I would do something different.

So, let me ask you again: How bad do you want it?

I hope this helps. What are some ways you fit in your workouts?

Happy Monday,

Sarah

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Balance...

Recently, I was reminded of the importance of balance.
I really love running. Well, I don't usually love the first mile, but once I get going I love it. I love talking about running. I love thinking about running. I love running gear. I love going to the local running store. I love running races. I especially love the feeling after a good run.
So, do you see that I love running?
Last Saturday, I decided to run inside. It was snowing, and while snow itself usually doesn't deter me, the harsh wind seemed like it would be rough. So I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill. Well, I just never got it together. I lasted about half a mile and had to quit. I got discouraged, but decided to use this time to do some lifting.
Well, I haven't run since then. It just keeps snowing! Monday and Tuesday,my kids' daycare was closed, so we were housebound. Wednesday, I returned to work and planned to run, but another obstacle has reared its head: I'm sick.
Runny nose, stuffy head, cough... I can take those things. Achy body... okay, that could just be from training. Pain in my chest when I take a deep breath.... uh oh. I decided not to run, and I went very quickly from, "I don't think I'll run today", to "I need to go home and get in bed immediately."
So, Thursday became a rest day, in every way. Home from work resting. Looking at all the things that need to be done at the house, but not doing them because I'm resting.
It got me thinking about balance. How balanced is it to run when I can't even breathe? I may be a little crazy.
It's one thing to be motivated, to have a goal you're working towards (like me with the Country Music Half Marathon), and we're all motivated by "cosmetic reasons" to some extent (I admit this openly- I want to look like I work out!), but isn't the main reason we do this to be healthy? How healthy is it to push through illness and get worse just to keep exercising?
So, I reviewed my training schedule for the half, there's a bit of leeway... I logged my calories carefully (which I usually do, but I'm burning about 300 less so I needed to adjust) and allowed myself to rest.
You know what? I'm already feeling better.
So, my friends, if you're driven, like me, take a minute to think about why you do it. Remember your ultimate goal, and take care of yourselves!
To your health,
Sarah
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