Re-Vamp Your Workout!

For so many people working out can be a chore.  "Ughhh... I have to go to the gym now," has come out of everyone's mouth at least one time in their lives.  Probably more than we would all like to admit.  So what's the deal?  Why do we all dread working out (not all of the time, but some)? I mean, sometimes it just seems like more of a hassle than it's worth.  It makes us feel great, look great, live longer... I mean the list of benefits of working out is endless.  But so are our excuses for not working out.  So what do we do?  

Re-Vamp Your Workout!!  What do I mean by this?  Well... make working out fun! Do something different.  I was the queen of going to the gym every single day, spending 30-45 minutes on the treadmill and calling it a day.  Every single day.  I mean Every. Single. Day.  Gross.  No wonder I got burnt out.  Why is that fun?  It wasn't.  So one day I was reading an article on how to improve your workouts and it dawned on me- I'm not having fun anymore.  At one point running for 45 minutes on the treadmill was fun because it was new and exciting and like "look at me go!" but that quickly ended....  So here we go- here are some tips for helping you to improve your workout.

1.  Get a partner!  Now it's easy to talk yourself out of going to the gym when it's just you- but if you have a "date" with your friend to go to the gym- it will be a lot harder to back out.  And ask your friend what they do to work out- try each others work outs!  Trade advice and ideas! 

2.  iTunes, iTunes, iTunes.  It is revolutionary to buy a new CD on iTunes before working out.  Every time I do it I stay to my workout just to finish the CD! Splurge on the new album that you want and I promise you- you will be excited to workout as soon as possible just to listen to it!

3.  Help others!  There is a wonderful little volunteer program that I do called "Jog the Dogs."  It is out at the TSPCA (Tulsa Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).  All you do is go out to the shelter and jog or walk the dogs that live there.  You can go most days and all you have to do is go to an orientation that they hold every other Saturday.  This is such a great program and you will find yourself wanting to go out and take the dogs because they are counting on you! To find out more visit the TSPCA website.  

4.  Explore!  There are so many amazing places that you can visit outside that would not only be fun- but a great workout too.  Take advantage of places like hiking and running trails, city parks, and even your own neighborhood.  Going outside can immediately change up your workout routine because there is always something new to see.  For example, today it is a beautiful day and so I thought that I would go run outside around my neighborhood.  Well, I realized my iPod wasn't charged and my dog can't do much running anymore so I thought what in the world am I going to do while I'm running?  Now, this is kind of embarrassing- but my yard is so covered in leaves because we have not raked them at all- you think I'm kidding- I'm not.  Not one time have we raked since the leaves have started falling-  needless to say- we can no longer see our grass.  So while I was running today I thought that I would find a yard that is more embarrassingly covered in leaves than ours.  Weird? Yes.  Entertaining? Absolutely!  Use your imagination.

5.  Have fun! The most important thing about working out is to make yourself feel good.  Do things that are fun!  I used to take my dog to this place by where I used to live (somewhere that I knew he couldn't run away and wouldn't get anywhere near traffic) and I would just let him off the leash.  We would then do sprints.  And by this I just mean I would race him! He would win EVERY SINGLE TIME! But we had so much fun racing through these fields that I never even felt like I was working out! But after about 30 minutes I would realize that we were both exhausted and had done what we came there to do- and left feeling great! Now you may not have a dog- but I bet you have a friend who would try this with you.  

Once again- use your imagination! Be creative! Make up weird stuff and I promise you you will have so much fun and enjoy going to workout!