It's Sunday evening after a long weekend of excess. Thanksgiving dinner and dessert, more dessert Friday, then tailgate food and drink at the UF-FSU game Saturday.
So of course I had to be all Badass and put my Spinning class through an extra 15 minutes on the bikes this afternoon. We ended up riding for 75 minutes, and then did 15 minutes of abs and core work.
After class, they had that gleeful yet weary look that comes from having pushed a little harder than you thought you could -- and then realizing "I did it! That was awesome!"
As one of my students said, "That was great! I've never stayed on the bike for that long in Spinning. I can't believe I did it." But she did do it, and she's better off for having pushed through that little extra push. My students rock. Total Badasses!
As you continue your journey toward the goal, whatever that goal may be, remember the "little extra push." It is that extra five minutes in your run. It is those extra 3 reps of bicep curls that you do even as your arms are willing you to just stop. It is those extra 15 minutes in a Spinning session. Those are the moments, at the end, that are 90 percent mental.
Of course your body wants you to keep doing the same thing every day, to just hold steady. It's easier that way. But Dara Torres does not win Olympic medals by holding steady. UF quarterback Tim Tebow probably did not get that strong by benchpressing the same weight he did a year ago. And I see former FSU football player Peter Boulware at my gym in the mornings, pushing himself with weights through his own will -- not because a coach is telling him to do it.
In May I went to this Spinning and fitness conference in Miami, and it kicked off Thursday night with this intense 2-hour ride in a huge ballroom filled with 200-plus riders on brand new bikes. There were several moments during that ride when my quads were screaming and I just wanted to stop. But I decided I had started this thing, and I was GOING to finish it. So I did. And the endorphin high was awesome. Not to mention what it did to firm up my Badass!
So as you set out on a new week and head out for your morning run or your gym, remember "the little extra push." You'll be amazed at what that body of yours can do.
Here's a few ideas for pushing:
Are you a treadmill runner?
- Boost the incline from a flat road to a 1.0 or 2.0. Awesome for the glutes and hamstrings!
- Do intervals: 1 minute at a jog, one minute at a fast run. Repeat for 20 minutes. You might feel as whipped, if not more, as you do jogging steady for 40 minutes.
- Mix it up: Do 15 to 20 minutes on the treadmill, then hop onto the stairclimber for 15, and/or the elliptical. It's a great way to beat boredom while working different muscles in your legs.
Lifting weights?
- Add a little weight to what you usually do (5 more pounds on dumbbell curls, 10 extra pounds on those leg extensions, for example) and try to push out the same number of reps as you do with the ligher weight.
- In between sets, do jumping jacks or mountain climbers.
- Lift slower and release slower -- you'll feel the burn.
- Find three machines you never use -- and use them. Challenge your body with new challenges. Doing the same circuit at the same weight levels every day is just maintaining, and your body knows it.
Coming up: Turkey leftovers begone! Try lean, mean, Badass Buffalo Chili.
