HOW TO BE CONSISTENT IN GOING TO THE GYM

There's a lot of articles that

state reasons why people should exercise.

There are also a lot of videos

that were made for people to follow when working out.

But I guess what lacks out there

are ways on how to stay committed with your exercise regime.

I am a mom of an 8 month old and I'm proud to say that I'm 1.5 kilos (4lbs more or less) away from my non-pregnant weight and still progressively losing the excess baggage that settled well in the abdominal area and my extremities during the process. OK, that may not have an impact so I'm going to lay it out there for the record "for the first time" of how extensive my weight gain had become. 

Well... it's just 50 lbs. all in all. Hahahahaha!!!! Wow! I said it!

I think you'd agree if I am not going to sound so bad if I had lost the other 46 lbs. in the same rate I gained it since I'm on my 8th month post partum. Probably on the 9th, or .... wait! let me rephrase that, "hoping and willing" by next month, I would lose the remaining 4 lbs. With the nature of my job, this will be done easy breezy. Nothing to worry about.

A lot in the industry I worked for (entertainment) had done probably what I have (going back to their non-pregnant weight), in just a matter of a month. No kidding... here's a video of a good friend of mine Hanedy Sala, 3 months after giving birth to her 1st child.

I'm pretty sure you were left in awe with that. Because besides being a magnificent dancer, you would just really ask over and over "For real? She's 3 months post partum while dancing like that?" But then with the 50lbs. I gained, please don't judge, I was carrying a half-Samoan baby... lol! I know some of you may say, "Regardless...". But like what I said, no judgements.

Anyhow, let me get to the point. It is always a tough call to get your ass up to exercise. Some who never had a baby experience the same dillemma. So multiply the feeling by 10, that's how a mama would feel. Recovering from carrying the baby for 9 months, giving birth and taking care of the baby are challenges alone so sometimes, mamas could get lazy. So how did I go about these challenges as I needed to trim down ASAP? Here's how:

1. REMEMBER THAT THIS IS NOT FOR ANYBODY ELSE BUT YOU.

The first in the list of the most powerful words I consider is the word "YOU". You are your biggest competition so before you start committing to a routine, regardless if it's about working out, eating clean or just getting off a vice, always go back to the main reason WHY you are doing this. It's to become a better you. This way, excuses, setbacks and distractions would be kept aside as much as you will.

2. DEVELOP A HABIT.

They say, if you want to develop a habit, do something consistently everyday for 30 days in the same way, during the same time and it would sink in to your system somehow. Well, guess what, it did for me. I would not be quoting anybody or describing somebody else's story, I will be speaking of my own experience instead.

At the beginning, it was truly SHIT. I tell you that. Coming from your laid back, serene maternity leave to right away embracing a physical activity was such a struggle. But then I chose to put it at the start of my day so that at least I could tell to myself, "I just have to do an hour and a half of this and I'm free to do whatever I want with the remaining time. So, as I go thru progressive exercise routines, (from Pilates to A LOT of stretching to  stepping to mini trampolines to jogging to cardio workouts, to yoga then to "INSANITY" workouts to running) that's all that I think about. It's all going to finish anyways and I'm free in the next 22 1/2 hours of the day. In the end, I always feel good every after work out session.

3. HAVE A POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE.

"Be the girl you'd be looking at
because you know how to walk
that much number of work out
routines confidently."

Running with the unusual weight gain could be a bitch on the knees. And knowing that excess fat in the belly is just in the way as you aim to establish a pose while doing yoga is such a distraction. What's worse, no matter how you want to stay dedicated and focused, stress cramps you up and pushes you to give up. Stress in handling the baby at home (moms, I know they are bundles of joy but there are times that they really get in your nerves), stress brought about by the hormones, stress about not having time with the husband, or you are just plainly tired to name a few. Ultimately, frustration, and not stress, just pours on you when a toned, beautiful, ok, perhaps skinny, lovely young lady passes in front of you in the gym as you balance yourself on the gym ball.

As you complete your work out, you look in front of the mirror all sweaty and you tell yourself, she didn't even look half of how messy I am. You'd be restless in asking yourself, "Am I doing the wrong thing?", "Why are there no visible changes?".

My friend, stay positive by drilling in your mind and planting that hope. You should be able to convince yourself that it takes time. Everything takes time and if you are honest with how much effort you put to your routines, like not cheating and completing the 100's, you will reap it later on. In my case, I was thinking the whole time who gets paid to work out? I know very well there are people who pay others to be their personal trainers just to keep fit. But I have all the means to do so at the workplace. So instead of taking off time from home to keep fit, I do exercise during working hours. I believe that's a blessing in a blessing. I work to get fit and strong. We got a gym that I don't have to pay a membership to benefit from. So you see, it's in how you see things and how you acknowledge gifts in the ordinary days.

4. STAY INSPIRED.

You got up already, you had exerted effort in booking a session in the gym, you enrolled yourself in a ZUMBA class and you already are present, make sure to make the most out of it. Believe in the power of the present and believe that a day always ends up good when you decide to go to the gym. Again, this is based on my own personal experience.

I would also advice you to have a vision board. Don't aim for that skinny ass. Aim for a toned healthy body. Some of the celebrities that I look up to are:

a. INA RAYMUNDO - a Philippine celebrity, mother of 5 and had severe stretch marks on the abdomen. As of today, she proudly wears the stretchies. She ignores that and uses her time on investing on herself instead.

b. JENNIFER LOPEZ - I admire her ability to stay fair to herself by submitting to what her body was used to from the very beginning, PERFORMING. At the very moment she's giving this to herself, she's giving to the people what she's made for. She sets up trends, inspires artists, respects her culture and her craft. She makes sures that she delivers and she never settles for less.

c. MIRANDA KERR - who here never admired a Victoria's Secret angel? I mean, besides the lady boys, the VS angels belong under the category labeled "PERFECT"? And Miranda along with the rest who are now moms serve as an inspiration for me because somehow, no matter how perfect they could be, I'm sure they've handled some SHIT!

You can put up a list of your own or you can pin up a wardrobe style you've been wanting to try up by the mirror so that it'll serve as an inspiration.

5. FOLLOW IT UP.

Tomato, Cucumber
Avocado Salad

Don't expect massive results when you always give in to binge eating. There may be rough decisions to make as per food choice, food serving and how often you should eat. The usual advices like just eat what you need, have 6 small meals (or more) in a day and choose foods that are high in nutrients and just with the right amount of calories, all surround the idea of keeping an active metabolism. The feeling of being deprived of what you are used to having can be a pain. Just in case you couldn't find a reason to hold on to a strict diet, consider yourself as an investment that's why you are doing this. You see, once you develop the habit of nurturing yourself with healthy food, you will own a strong sense of wellness. Also, in doing this, no sense of guilt would creep in. From doing your exercise routine, you will need to replenish so don't be too harsh to yourself when coming up with the diet. Make sure that it suits the activities you do. Give your body what it needs. Have ample rest, get fed well. Eat clean.

This way, you'd see results probably double of what you would expect from somebody's who's just doing exercise alone. And when you do, you'd be more driven. You'd love to go to the gym more because besides being able to do what you couldn't before (holding that V-position for your abs longer than usual), you get to wear the clothes that you were longing to rock.


6. GET INFORMED OF ITS BENEFITS

7. KEEP ALLIES WHO HAVE THE SAME DRIVE AS YOU OR ARE EVEN MORE THAN DRIVEN.

Positive reinforcement brings out the best from a person but negative, unsolicited remarks trigger something inside us that may push you to running an extra lap. It pushes us to the limit, a kind of a motivational force that encourages us to do the impossible. It usually serves as the stronger source of motivation. But of course, you need to hear what really is the TRUTH. And the only ones whom you will allow to say it would be your friends. The trainer? I'm not so sure. If he/she is professional enough, then consider him/her a friend. Some could just really be gold diggers.

So, the main point....  do keep those who push you and support you. It would be great if they join you so that lazy days would be put into a minimum. It would be great to have a gym buddy. Just make sure you are in the same pace. You both don't want to end up in the Butcher's Club after a hard work out. Some encourage cheat days. Give this to yourself on a weekend for a breather because rewards also can drive you to endure a week's workout. Gym buddies serve as the people whom you would count on when you are stricken with the bed weather.

8. DRESS UP.

Dressing up is one of the fundamental ways on how to feel good about yourself. When you are able to put on your style, you can never go wrong with what you're motivated to accomplish. It goes the same with working out. Besides the fact that you are comfortable with your own sense of self, you become more driven because of the confidence dressing up brings. You'll be dealing with a lot of mirrors in the gym just to have the consistent feeling of getting convinced to continue achieving further.

As to my personal experience, I love a good pair of trainers/running shoes. I love running but I got to have the right shoes. It's hard to stay motivated when your body is in pain. Invest on good quality shoes, if you prefer cardio workouts. Some are manufactured light enough to reduce shock to the knees. Invest on colourful workout clothes if you prefer working out by doing Zumba, cycling and aerobics. Besides seeing yourself standout, it actually motivates you to standout in terms of performance. When you feel good, you do good. It just flows. Never settle for ill-fitted ones, most especially for the midrib bras. This way, you keep safety at bay. You don't want to expose private parts too as you do your handstand as your finishing challenge for your morning of yoga.

Below are examples of NIKE's newest design for their work out clothes for women.

9. KNOW THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP.

Set your priorities. Commit to them and know that you should never give up on yourself. Instead, think about the things that you should cut off. Excuses, distractions, laziness. If you know you are more likely the person who procrastinates, do something about it. Motivate yourself by having something to look forward to.

You have to realise that no trainer could help you, and no person can for that matter, if you don't help yourself. Start off disciplining yourself by saying "no" to people, things, situations that would not help you become a better you.

Listen. For me, I wasn't the person who had sweet tooth, I am not a fan of soft drinks nor juice. But I loved rice. So, it was truly a challenge to find a substitute for it. I also loved coffee so I just put minimum amount of sugar so that I could still enjoy it. I also made a decision that I would just eat according to how I would need the food. I am a parade dancer so, I cannot really eat that much of a hearty meal before and after because I may vomit in the end because of sympathetic impulses as my body is constantly at work. We also have short time allowance to eat and make the food get churned. I consider this as an occupational hazard. But there's always a possibility to go around any challenge by doing number 2, developing a habit. I managed to work up my schedule. In this way, my system utilises the food efficiently aiding a fast metabolism, therefore making everything I eat burned up.

Some may need to cut off ties with people who always say they can't accomplish something such as losing weight or bulking up. First, it's not healthy to keep people like this in your life. You cannot expect yourself to remain positive if you're surrounded with negative people. Situations like divorce, loss or bankruptcy may take more than a motivation but exercising could help out in time in boosting your self esteem as you take one day at a time.

10. EMBRACE WHAT YOU LOVE DOING.

Choose what makes you feel good and faithfully work around it. If you love dancing, it ain't easy when you truly do the moves since the core needs to work together with the mind's creativity. If you love doing circuit training, the body goes thru a lot of different kinds of stimulating workout and that's how you lose weight thru it. Due to a wide range of motion, the joints may undergo a lot of stress that you need to know how to avoid injuries. Learn how to listen to your body. In that way, you can progress with your training and you'll end up loving yourself for being able to do what you couldn't before. My target is to at least gain success with my pull ups. For now, it's more of a hanging and no pull ups but I'm not going to give up. If you think you can join the triathlon competition, train for it, go for it. There's no time but now and this is the youngest you can be. Set a deadline and accomplish the impossible. Either way, whether it's for sports, career or life itself, you'll benefit from the discipline you're going to gain from the process.

It's your turn. Complete my list by suggesting another way as to how to be consistent in going to the gym. You will be helping me out in return. Stay fit and embrace a healthy lifestyle. Health is wealth for real.

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