Sisters-in-Service
Are you a women veteran who feels unseen and unheard? Do you struggle with finding your purpose after service? Sisters-in-Service is a podcast that gives women veterans the platform to talk about those exact issues and more. Hear from other veterans, military spouses and Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) just like you that have overcome their transition from the military. Every Tuesday this podcast encourages women veterans to stand up and be counted because as a group we have a voice. From your host - Cat Corchado - The Voice Connecting Women Veterans
Sisters-in-Service
How Do I Overcome Boredom with My Workout Routine?
What if your workouts could feel as exciting as they did on day one? Say goodbye to workout boredom and hello to a revitalized fitness routine! Join me as I unpack the secrets to keeping your exercise regimen stimulating and effective. From recognizing signs like lack of motivation to practical tips such as reversing your exercise order, increasing weights gradually, and diving into the dynamic world of group classes—both online and in-person—we have got you covered. We promise you'll walk away with actionable insights to reignite your fitness journey and keep it fresh.
Welcome to Sisters in Service podcast. Most of you know me as a strong advocate for women veterans in being recognized not only as veterans but also as women who are changing the world through our passion of serving even after service. This podcast is my passion by telling all the stories of military brats, military spouses, active duty and veterans, not to forget the veteran service organizations that help us along our transition journey. I want to thank you in advance for listening. I hope that you will join me. Every week, a new podcast and episode comes out every Tuesday, so I hope that you will join and I hope that you enjoy. This podcast is brought to you by Small Space Pilates. Are you ready to get fit and fabulous from the comfort of your own home? Look no further than Small Space Pilates. With live online Pilates and strength training classes, a video library and a no perfectioned policy, you can achieve your fitness goals without ever leaving your house. Click on the link for your complimentary week and start your journey to feeling fabulous today. Hi everyone, welcome to the latest episode of why Not Wellness under the Sisters in Service podcast.
Speaker 1:Wellness under the Sisters in Service podcast why Not Wellness? Is my way of helping all of us, including myself, to delve deeper into all things wellness, fitness and health. You know me, I'm Kat Corchado, your movement specialist, and today I'm going to talk about a common issue that many of us face, even me, and that is how can I say this? Workout boredom. You're just bored. You're bored with your workout. It's easy to fall into a rut with your fitness routine. It happens to me also. However, we're going to talk about some tips and alternatives to keep things fresh and exciting, so let's jump right in.
Speaker 1:First off, let's talk about recognizing workout boredom. Now, you may not see it as boredom. You just feel unexcited about your workout. You don't want to do your workout. You're unexcited about your workout. You don't want to do your workout. Maybe your workout just feels. Maybe the weights feel easier. You're not making the changes that you had before, which can be a good thing, by the way. Okay, that can be a good thing, because that means your body's ready for more. However, it's just that feeling routine feels like a chore and not joyful.
Speaker 1:So symptoms include lack of motivation. You don't want to do your workout. You don't want to go to the gym, skipping workouts because you're well bored and not feeling challenged, which can be a good thing, like I just said, bored and not feeling challenged, which can be a good thing, like I just said. So, if anything, if any of these things feel familiar or sound familiar, it might be time to shake it up, not shake it off. Shake it up.
Speaker 1:So alternative things that you can do for your workout. Let's talk about that for a second. So number one congratulations, first of all, on staying with it. Okay, that's the hardest part. So let's start. Take this easy.
Speaker 1:So you've had your workout, you've been doing your workout and you keep doing it, from top to bottom. You do the thing and whatever. What if you took your workout and you flipped it? Start at the bottom and work your way up, right. Here's the thing. Your body doesn't know the difference. It thinks it's a new workout. Your body's like, oh, what's this Something new? When you do the same thing over and over and over again, your body just kind of falls asleep. But when you do a new move, when you do something different, your body pays attention and says what's this, what's this? It's not expecting you to do that last exercise, that last whatever. That is first. It's expecting what you did in the beginning. So that's an easy way to do it is take it from the bottom and go to the top. You could even go up in weight.
Speaker 1:So remember, we talked briefly just a little bit about it. Feels like you're not getting anything out of it. You stopped making the changes. That's your body's way of saying excuse me, I need a little bit more. So go up and wait. Here's how you're going to do that. You're not just going to go from five pounds to 10 pounds and do all your whole workout. So you're going to do that. You're not just going to go from five pounds to 10 pounds and do all your whole workout. So you're going to start your workout. You're starting at the bottom, not the top, and you do your first workout with the heavier weight. So let's say you're doing 15 repetitions or 12. Do the first half. So let's take 12, because it's a nice round number. You do the first six and you get to six and you're struggling, put the weights down, pick up your fives and continue until you're at the end of your set. Now that's a way to introduce higher weight without feeling like you can't make it or you want to do 12 reps, but the 12 reps just seem really heavy. That's a way to introduce it to your body to the point where you don't need the fives anymore. Now you're working with the, and it doesn't have to be 10 pounds, it could be eight pounds, but whatever that new weight is for you until you're using that exclusively. So that's one way to do it.
Speaker 1:What about doing something different? What about joining a class? Why not? You don't have to be in a gym to do that. You can do online classes. Just be, just do your homework. That's all I'm going to say. Just do your homework and work out with other people, online or in person. There's something about suffering in a group together where you feel like you're not the only one and everyone's sweating and everyone's breathing hard and you're like, okay, I've got this, so you could do Zumba, you could do spin, you could do a high intensity interval workout, whatever that is for you, whatever that class where you go Ooh, that sounds interesting.
Speaker 1:What about taking your workout outdoors? Now, okay, it's probably it's probably not the right time to say this, because it's summer, it's hot everywhere and I get it but what about in the fall, when it starts to cool down? Taking your workout into the park? There are a lot of groups that work out in the park, outdoors, and you can get your workout routine going. You can get a little bit of cardio. Maybe it's another way to refuel. It's another way for your body to go. Oh, what's this? Help your body pay attention, and that's one way of doing that. So when you take your workout outdoors, it could be hiking, it could be biking, it could be a brisk walk any of those where your body just has to pay attention. Okay, I am going to say this and not that you can't do this. I just don't think it's a good idea. I always see people walking and they have the weights. They're doing this with their weights. I'm not recommending that Now.
Speaker 1:You can do whatever you want to do, but pay attention to your body. While you're walking or while you're hiking, what's happening with your body? I always do a scan How's my body doing here? So always pay attention. Don't just shut your brain off while you're working.
Speaker 1:Dance workouts it's considered a workout y'all. Have you ever put the music on? You get up from your desk or your chair and you just start to dance. That can be also. It's movement. It's movement. Maybe it's not exercise the way you think about it, but there are alternative ways of movement that your body doesn't consider to be exercise. Dancing is one of them. Roller skating is another. So be a little creative in your workouts.
Speaker 1:You can also do different things or add on to your workout by doing anything like yoga or Pilates. Have a day of Pilates, a day of workout, a day of walking outside. Make it interesting and switch it up. Don't always do your Pilates on the same day. Well, maybe you have to because of your schedule, but you're walking and your weight routine. You could actually switch those up, so you're not doing them on the same day at the same time, which can be good. It's a routine, okay. So if you're new to fitness, it's very, very important for you to have the same day and same time. But if you are bored with your workout, this is another way to mix it up. Sports activities oh yay, yeah, why not? Okay? I activities oh yay, yeah, why not? Okay? I have to tell you this.
Speaker 1:I was watching CBS Sunday Morning News and there was a woman, 90 years old, and she was doing a decathlon workout. Yes, you heard me. If you don't know what a decathlon is, it's 10. Count them 10 different events, 90. And she competes. Now here's what's fun there's nobody in her age group that's competing with her, so she gets a medal every time she competes. But I was so awed by what she's doing and her demeanor and her way of looking at life was just amazing. And what I found even more amazing is that amazing. And what I found even more amazing is that all of these people and they were all different ages she would be running the last event of the decathlon and it's the 1500 meters four times around or five times around, something like that they would. All the younger ones would get behind. Her name was Flo and they go, go Flo, go Flo. And thought you know that's so awesome and it's a way to it's generational right.
Speaker 1:So sorry, went up on a tangent there, but do you see what I mean? Don't think that you're too old to do this. Oh, I can't, because you don't know what you don't know. So go out there and kick a soccer ball around, try to toss a basketball into the net, engage in tennis or racquetball or what's the thing now, pick a ball, okay, take those things Now.
Speaker 1:Sometimes maybe you've been doing all of this and sometimes just need a break. I need a break, and a lot of people always say, oh, I go on vacation and I make sure I work out. Okay, I'm one of those people that if I'm on vacation, I'm on vacation. Do I work out? Maybe, but a lot of times I'm already doing a lot of work, I'm already walking a lot or doing something, so I don't take it as seriously. However, sometimes you need a week off of just you know. Maybe you just need to really stretch and really give your body time to rest. So sometimes boredom stems from overdoing it. We can do that too. It's okay to take a break. Do that too, it's okay to take a break.
Speaker 1:Rest days are crucial for recovery and preventing burnout. Listen to your body. It speaks to you all the time. If you're feeling drained, take a day or two off. I like to take a week off, like every six weeks. I'll just take three, four, five days off. Use this time to explore other forms of self-care, like stretching, meditation or even just enjoying a good book. Remember, fitness is a lifelong journey and rest is a part of the process.
Speaker 1:What about hiring a fitness professional? Maybe you're fairly still new to fitness and you want to switch it up. You're just not sure how, or even to know if a certain exercise you think looks cool but can you do it? And maybe you can't do the whole thing, but you want to modify it. You just don't know how. So if you're struggling with that, have a fitness professional be the game changer for you.
Speaker 1:Personal trainers can design a custom workout plan or a different plan that aligns with your upgraded goals and helps to keep you engaged. So the personal trainer can find different ways to do different exercises for the same body parts that reignite that oh, I can't wait to work out feeling. They can also provide accountability and expertise needed to push past plateaus. So I know what you're thinking. Personal trainers are expensive. I get it.
Speaker 1:If you're brand new, you need a trainer. I'm just going to say it. You need a trainer or someone that you can follow, who's going to watch your form. However, if you want to change up your workout, then a personal trainer is that person. So you may need them for a couple of weeks and then you're on your own. Maybe you just need them once or twice, where you need to just check in to make sure that your form is good.
Speaker 1:So, overcoming workout boredom is all about variety, and can I just say this, I get bored too, I do. I'm like, ugh, I need something different. And so I go through my Rolodex in my head and I'm like, ooh, this is cool. And sometimes I even look online. But I've been doing fitness for a long time. So listening to your body and sometimes seeking professional guidance can help. Incorporating new activities, taking necessary breaks and maybe even hiring a fitness pro you can keep your fitness journey exciting and sustainable. Your fitness journey exciting and sustainable. Remember, this isn't a six week thing, this is a lifelong thing.
Speaker 1:So I hope that I was able to give you some ideas and I wanna thank you for tuning in and if you enjoyed this episode, you can subscribe or just let me know what you think, because this is about me also, and what I mean about me is that it's helping me, help you, and so if you have any questions about fitness and health and wellness, you can reach out to me at katatsmallspacepilatescom. I also. I love a freebie. Okay, maybe that's the wrong way to say it, but I love a try before you buy. That sounds better, right? So if you are interested in doing any kind of online workout Small Space Pilates you can try it for a week. I have classes at all different times during the week, so if you go to smallspacewithlivescom, you can check it out and see if any of those classes work for you. So until then, I'm Kat Corchado, your fitness. What am I saying next? I'm your movement coach. Yes, there it is, I'm your movement coach. So until next time, bye, thank you.