Sometimes, we slog through a workout….
It's the end of March, it's cold, then warm, then snowy. Winter drags on and on. It can be a tough time of year to stay motivated. We’ve heard many of you commenting before (and sometimes after) a workout that you’re tired, the workout is hard, and that even familiar exercises are a grind.
If you have been feeling this way, it’s good to just acknowledge that. It’s also good to know you might not be the only one noticing that you’ve just… managed… to… get through another workout.
If you’re lucky, it doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, isn’t it just the pits? You’ve made the time for your workout, motivated yourself to get to the gym, and then you get to the gym, all pumped and ready to go, and it’s all hard.
After coaching many clients, if there is one thing we have learned it is that progress is not linear. Some days you’re on fire, and other days you totally drag. Some days you feel as though you could lift all of the weights in the world, and other days you can barely move your own body with ease.
One of the most fundamental things about the pursuit of strength is that it simply doesn’t exist in a black-and-white state, but rather on a constantly shifting spectrum. Strength is always with you in some capacity. Strength oscillates and undulates, naturally and frequently.
But just because it sometimes wanes, doesn’t mean it ever leaves you. It doesn’t mean that a crappy workout suddenly means you’re no longer strong, or that your pursuit of strength is in vain.
Instead, remember: Real life is happening, complete with hormonal fluctuations, dietary influences, sleep and rest factors, and the ever-flowing, ever-changing, ever-evolving river of emotional stress. Your body is going to respond to these changes, sometimes favorably, and other times not so favorably. Some days you will crush your workouts and some days you will feel like your workout crushes you.
So, what can you do about it? You can care about doing your best no matter how rocky and bumpy life is on that day. Sometimes your best might feel awesome and other days it may be a shade lame; both of those outcomes are completely OK. The truth is that even if you’re consistent, hardworking, and well-prepared, things don’t not always go the way you expect them to. The outcome, believe it or not, isn’t the most effective place to which you can direct your energy — the effort is.
If you direct your energy toward churning out your honest-to-goodness best effort, and you wind up on top, that’s fabulous. If your outcome is a flop, that’s fine too. If you do your best, no matter what, you’ll either feel like a champ or encounter a valuable learning experience—both of those outcomes are absolutely stellar.
Do the best you can to direct your energy towards your highest commitments, and let the rest go. It’s always more peaceful when we try not to attach our worth to outcomes—because doing our best eliminates this incessant need for expectations. How do you even begin making the mindset shift from letting go of the outcome to focusing on the effort?
It starts with intention. There are some ways to shift your focus from outcomes to simply doing your best today — and every day.
1. Set an intention each morning that is free of expectations.
Setting intentions helps eliminate the “failure” aspect that often comes from a strictly goal-oriented mindset. Often when we set goals, we are so focused on the outcome that we lament anything other than the outcome we envisioned. Setting intentions keeps us open and adaptable; intentions serve as a reminder to live in alignment with our values and own our worthiness. Write down your intention and, throughout the day, as your emotions swell, refer back to that sheet of paper to help ground and center you.
2. Practice gratitude.
The thing about gratitude that is so powerful, is that it helps shift your perspective from the negative to the positive. Our brains are hardwired to seek out the negative (hello, survival and evolution!), but by practicing gratitude, we can actually train our brains to seek out the positive instead. Whether you practice gratitude by keeping a journal or making a daily Instagram post to highlight a grateful thought—or any method that feels authentic to you—a grateful heart and a positive mind will help you process “crappy workouts” and not-so-great days with a bit more perspective, and a lot more productivity.
3. Show up. Do the work.
Root yourself in integrity, authenticity, and your highest commitments for living. Be grateful for your body’s many abilities and stay (stay, stay, stay!) enthusiastically committed to movement.
And don’t forget - you’ve got us, your instructors and the whole Artemis community to help you through it. Laughter, camaraderie and commiseration go a long way to helping you through those challenging workouts.