You’ve been working hard lately, watching what you eat, getting some hard workouts in, seeing some results?

Feeling good about it all? You should be!

Then, perhaps a little set-back happens … a muscle tweak, a personal-life issue, whatever … and it takes all the wind out of your sails?

De-motivating. Frustrating. What’s the damned use? Screw it.

Right?

Stuff like that can really screw with your head, can’t it?

Hey, we’ve all been there.

And one of my very good friends and owner of one of my VERY favourite fitness blogs has also been there. Recently.

But, she knows how to get her head back on straight.

This girl is “Raging Her Way Thin” …

You’ll see:

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Well Then, It’s Off To The Glue Factory
by Michelle Poston Combs from “Rage Your Way Thin“

I am not your typical fitness blogger. Actually, I would say that I’m NOT a fitness blogger at all. I’m just a girl who is working very hard to get fit.

Very often, working in spite of myself.

Please understand, I am in NO WAY disparaging myself. Not at all. But I am not the picture of health. Not yet at least. My muscles don’t pop, they still have somewhat of a protective coating.

You know, the kind of coating you get from eating processed foods and leading a sedentary life for WAAAAAAY too many years.

On the other hand, I have shrunk a few sizes. It feels good to not shop at the fat girl store anymore.

And I like the look of my face. I can almost see what I’m supposed to look like. I can see me from twenty years ago. She is nearly back.

Sure, perhaps a few wrinkles, but still … I’m holding up very well.

Until the past three weeks.

I’ve had a few health issues that I’m still working through. One of these issues is some lower back pain. I’ve been afraid to lift weights. And the back pain is causing some weird numbness in my legs and walking is not comfortable. Running is right out.

What does this mean? Well obviously it means it’s all ruined.

Poor poor me. I spent the past year working my ass off. Well … not OFF, but it has shrunk. I can walk past tables without knocking shit off. That might not seem like a huge accomplishment to many of you, but I also know that some of you know EXACTLY what I mean.

Once the exercise stopped, the bad eating habits jumped right up and reported for duty.

They were just waiting for their moment. The bastards. It starts small. You know? What’s the harm in a little pastry with your coffee. C’mon … everything hurts, it’ll make you feel better.

Well then, you KNOW the pastry has friends. Bread, Ice cream, warm cookies that are ALMOST as good as orgasms. And they were GOOD.

But how good?

In three weeks, I have gone from having energy like I haven’t seen for 20 years to feeling like a broken down old woman. I can already see a difference in my skin. My boobs hurt. I’m not sleeping well. The crankiness is PROFOUND. Worse, I can feel that dull ache of depression just trying to work it’s way in to my psyche.

See what I mean? It’s all ruined; time for me to head out to pasture.

I did really good, but it just didn’t work out for me. Might as well give up. Perhaps learn how to work those mobility carts in the grocery store.

Or, I can do this:

I can finish writing this down and then I can go down and elliptisuck until I’m all sweaty. I can do a few wall squats. I can do some shoulder work.

We are all in different places. Some of us are still pretty far from our goal. Sometimes, we suffer set backs.

How do you want to deal with it? Give up? Drag your big bad self off to the glue factory?

HELL no! We are better than that. We are ALL better than that.

Shit is going to happen. Giving up is not an option. You have to make SURE of this. Giving up is NOT an option.

Trust me, I’m the biggest wussy on the planet. I’ve been listening to my own negative self talk for DECADES. If I can overcome this, I promise you, so can you.

Now, I’m going to go sweat. You get off your ass, too. And put down the donut.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAHA!! Let us have it!! Thanks Michelle for giving it to us straight. That kicked ass, and you kick ass.

And, you’ve really helped us see how to get our heads back on straight after a set-back.

Hell, we’re NOT alone. And that’s a comfort.

Now gang, go do yourself one more HUGE favour, and get over to Rage Your Way Thin and check out Michelle’s blog. You’ll love it, and HER as much as I do.

Have a fit, fun and fantastic day.
Girlwithnoname

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Wow, what a weekend I had last weekend … !!

I’ll take another weekend just like that one, this weekend please (oh yay, it’s forecast too!)

It was sunny, it was hot, it was fun.

And, I had a little interaction at the beach with a friend of a friend (aka: new friend) that absolutely MADE MY DAY … and it reminded me of one of the things that motivates me. I thought you might find it interesting.

It boils down this: when you change yourself, the way the world reacts to you changes, too.

In fun and interesting ways.

And in THAT, you can find HUGE motivation to keep working towards your goals, even on days you just don’t feel like it or want to.

Here’s what I’m talking about:

THAT feeling, when the world starts to ‘notice’ is a feeling that’s better than the taste of ANY food on the planet.

And THAT feeling is a better feeling than the temporary feeling of ‘comfort’ you get from sitting on the couch for hours scarfing down chips and staring mindlessly into a tv or computer screen… well, at least for me.

And THAT feeling is one of the feelings that keeps motivating me those days I’m just not in the mood.

And THAT feeling is one that YOU can use also to keep yourself motivated and moving forward at all times.

The satisfaction of working hard and GETTING something for that hard work is a great feeling, especially when the world around you starts to take note.

Listen, Kate Moss was right: Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.

Have a fit, fun and fantastic day.
Girlwithnoname

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Hey gang! I have a special treat in store for you today.

Today we’re being honoured with a terrific guest post by none other than Fat Loss Expert (and the absolute KING of Bodyweight Workouts) Craig Ballantyne, author of Turbulence Training (which you’ve seen me talk about plenty of times here at Girlwithnoname.com).

Craig knows what it takes to get motivated and STAY motivated and is going to share some of his very best tips with us today.

So without further introduction or ado, I’ll hand the floor over to Craig.

Thanks for sharing Craig:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11 Ways to Stay Motivated in Your Fat Loss Program
By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

Today, we’re going to focus on something that I know a lot of men and women are struggling with – MOTIVATION.

So here are my top 11 inspirational tips to help motivate you to stick to your fat loss plan and transform your body & life forever.

11. Never Give Up

If you fall off the wagon, cut your losses. Don’t let it weigh on your mind and hold you back because it’s only minor damage that can be dealt with. The important thing is to get back on track, immediately. Never, ever, EVER give up. I believe in you.

10. Don’t Procrastinate

Do it now. Whether you’re thinking of cleaning out the pantry or finally starting to exercise, STOP procrastinating and DO IT now!

9. Identify Exactly What It Is You Want…

… then don’t let anything stand in your way of getting it. By setting specific goals along with deadlines you are providing yourself with a measuring stick.

8. Do Your Best With Everything You Have Control Over

Most people fail to control themselves, and end up only with regrets. We trade minutes of pleasure (i.e. fast food) for days, weeks, months, and years of regret.

Remember that the pleasure of eating lasts for only minutes, but you inhabit your body 24 hours per day, 7 days per week for life.

Rather than trying to “out-cardio” your bad diet, you must PLAN ahead to overcome obstacles. Otherwise, you’ll never succeed.

7. Replace Bad Habits

Everyday you will be tempted to fall back on old bad habits. To make a lasting change in your health and appearance you must do everything you can to resist that. Try adding a new healthy habit each day to replace an old unhealthy habit.

6. Be Consistent With Baby Steps

The best approach is to build your life one positive step at a time and the way to do this is by taking baby steps to improvement each and every single day. Be a little better than yesterday.

5. Test

There are no failures, only good and bad tests.

You should always be trying something new, monitoring your body’s response, and deciding whether or not that food or exercise belongs in your “tool box”. Do everything you can to learn more about your body. The more you know, the faster your success will be.

4. Social Support & Role Modeling

You can’t soar with eagles if you’re hanging around turkeys.

By hanging around others who want to lose weight, you can leverage their knowledge, commitment, support, and success to push yourself harder than you otherwise would be able to.

3. Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

People will do almost anything to stay in their comfort zones.

If you want to accomplish anything, get out of your comfort zone and strive to increase order and discipline in your life.

Discipline means doing the opposite of what you feel like doing. Setting goals and deadlines are the easy roads to discipline.

2. Plan

Planning is the ultimate key to fat loss success.

With a weekly plan of meals and workouts in place, you will be much less likely to hit a road bump that takes you down the wrong path. Try setting aside one day a week to map out your weekly itinerary and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your body transforms itself.

1. Realize YOU Are In Charge of Your Success

Og Mandino once said, “I shall shape my future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man’s doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me. Or I can be lost in the maze. My choice. My responsibility. Win or lose; only I hold the key to my destiny.”

Translation – Everyone can succeed and reach their goals. It’s a just a matter of how badly you want it.

I know you want it. And I know you can do it. And I’m really looking forward to your success.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WOW! That was awesome! Thanks again, Craig!!

I’ll bet that helped clear up a lot of stuff about Motivation for a lot of people. I think I can speak on behalf of everyone when I say we really appreciate it.

BTW, for anyone that didn’t already know, Craig is now offering his Turbulence Training program for 50% off to anyone who has yet to try his incredibly effective fat loss program.

And as an added bonus for us, he’s also including his Bodyweight Cardio 3 manual for FREE if you act now:

Save 50% off the regular price of Turbulence Training
(PLUS get the NEW TT Bodyweight Cardio 3)
when you get started today!

Have a fit, fun and fantastic day.
Girlwithnoname

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What’s your “headspace” when it comes to your workouts?

Do you HAVE to?

Do you WANT to?

Do you GET to?

… or …

Do you NEED to?

If you continuously feel like you HAVE to work out, then it’s time to make some changes … not only to your mindset, but probably also to what you’re doing for your workouts.

It makes more sense if you watch this:

Okay? Now get out there and find a way to love what you do for your workouts.

If just challenging yourself isn’t enough to help you love what you’re doing, then go change what you’re doing.

There are countless ways to get a workout … don’t feel like you’re trapped doing something that you just don’t love.

It really will help you feel like you “GET TO” (and ultimately “NEED TO“) work out!

And you’ll get a better workout as a result.

Have a fit, fun and fantastic day.
Girlwithnoname

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Everyone hopes to get a good workout in but it’s also important to find ways to make it enjoyable, rather than feeling like a chore.

If your workouts have felt more like a chore than anything else lately, it might be time to take stock of when and where (and how) you’re actually doing your routines.

Do you go to the same gym, day in and day out, same familiar surroundings, same familiar faces, and do the same familiar exercises?

Are your cardio workouts almost always done on the same old treadmill, elliptical or stationery cycle staring at the same old tv show on the screen above the machine? And, usually without volume too, am I right?

Wow, that does sound pretty darn boring. I’d consider that a ‘chore’ too, so you sure aren’t alone in what you’re feeling.

How about this? Try getting your cardio outdoors wherever possible.

And don’t just change your venue from indoors to outdoors, change the time of day you get out there and you might find it that much more enjoyable.

If you like to run, cycle or powerwalk try getting out for your cardio session first thing in the morning and enjoy watching the sun come up as you’re getting your heart rate up too!

Skip wearing your mp3 player for a change and listen to the music of the outdoors, like birds chirping and relish watching the sky turn from dim to bright. That sounds like fun inspiration to me!

What about heading out just before sunset and enjoy watching the sky turn crimson during your run, as the sun sinks out of sight for another day. What a GREAT way to end a day: doing a good thing for your health and enjoying fantastic scenery as you go.

If you can’t get out there with the sunrise or sunset, then try hitting your local park and run, walk or cycle on the paths, or even get your shoes off and go for a run at your local beach, in the sand (sand running is a great workout, too … see: Jack Up Your Running Routines).

Heck, you could even do some great weights routines outdoors using just your bodyweight.

Try some SuperCircuits incorporating a bunch of different bodyweight moves. You don’t even need any equipment (and just as well, because it could be a problem to carry it out there if your equipment is particularly heavy or large).

Try getting to a park and just doing a routine with burpees or squat thrusts, mountain climbers and breakdancers, jumping jacks, bodyweight squats, walking lunges (go backwards and forwards), push-ups or bench dips on a park bench, pull-ups on the playground monkey bars and jumps up onto a park bench.

Or take a jump rope with you and jump until you feel like you just can’t jump anymore. That will get your heart rate up and your blood pumping in no time, and it’s dead-simple.

You could even go climb a tree if you felt particularly youthful and full of whimsy that day (and can find a suitable tree) … hee hee … what fun!

So, don’t get trapped in a web of boredom by working out at the same time, in the same place, on the same equipment, doing the same moves all the time.

Change your surroundings or change the time of day and you’ll be interested and energized all over again!

And, whatever you do, have a great time with it.

Oh, and btw, one of the best resources I’ve found for getting a great workout outdoors is Craig Ballantyne’s Bodyweight Workouts Manual.

Craig has lots of great cardio and weight training ideas for how to get it done in the great outdoors, or just with park and playground equipment!

Grab It Here ==> Craig Ballantyne’s Bodyweight Workouts

Have a fit, fun and fantastic day.
Girlwithnoname

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WOOT!! Hey you guys!! uStream found my lost show!! woo hoo!! so here’s an impromptu post for you all… enjoy the replay!! So glad they found it!

(the first two portions of the show are on the post below this one… this is just the last portion that we thought was lost forever! So if you haven’t watched the first two portions yet, head on over there first, then come back here).

and be patient with the first minute or so while we work out the technical bs that was going on with the broadcast… we do get in there.

and now that the replay is available you can hear me talking about JUST how much that darn book means to me, so here’s the link again. Just to reiterate (again) that this is my honest and true story about where I was in my fitness adventures before I found Truth About Abs … AND where it ultimately (and quickly) got me. That’s why I called the website TruthAboutAbsTruth.com !!!
:-)

And the offer is real too. If any of YOU guys want to grab the book from there and chat me up live and for real on Skype after reading it, I’m here… I’ll give ya all my groovy insider tricks to gettin’ the job done at home! Go check it out, ok? The Truth About The Truth About Abs !!!

It really is THAT good.

oh and I’ll ask again just cuz its MY blog and I can do what I want!! haha!! … no, seriously you guys, I’d LOVE some link loving from any of you guys with your own websites or blogs for TruthAboutAbsTruth.com. If I could get the Search Engine Bots to love me over there, I’d be THRILLED!!! If you would like to help, please link to the TruthAboutAbsTruth.com page with the anchor text “Truth About Abs” … let me know if you do so I can thank you profusely … with insincere promises of payment and undying and overly emotional expressions of gratitude!! LOL

And to take it even one step further, if you are also interested in some link loving, I’m happy to trade a link with you over on TruthAboutAbsTruth.com or here on Girlwithnoname.com. Just email me or post here if you want to do a trade! I have a links section on both websites.

and final point if anyone cares to know who the heck BlueLint/Bob and I were talking about, if you haven’t followed @BradHoward on Twitter yet you’re kinda missing out. Smart guy and damn funny to boot. Go learn something. Follow him!

But I digress… Back to the uStream experience, I’ll repeat this too: I’m planning to do this semi-regularly. No schedule yet, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to set one in stone, cuz sometimes life happens and gets in the way, but if you follow me on Twitter, I’ll make sure I tweet it out as soon as I know I’m doing one… and if I pre-schedule one a few days in advance I’ll post here that one is coming. Deal?

have a great day … have a great weekend!
Girlwithnoname



]]> http://www.girlwithnoname.com/2009/07/ustream-redeemed/feed/ 0 http://www.girlwithnoname.com/2009/02/motivation-on-a-plateau/ http://www.girlwithnoname.com/2009/02/motivation-on-a-plateau/#comments Wed, 04 Feb 2009 06:59:25 +0000 Girlwithnoname http://www.girlwithnoname.com/?p=460

How do you motivate to keep going when you’ve hit a plateau or are just generally getting no results? Darn good question, thanks Stephanie! Here’s my two cents on the subject. I recorded video #1 before my workout today and of course had a couple of epiphanies while working out so just had to record some more on the topic. Make sure you check out all three vlogs.

Video #1

Video #2

Video #3

AAAANNND!! Another reason to vote for me for something!! LOL!!

I have a few articles running in the contest for best posts on StraightToTheBar.com. My VisionWall article might be a contender! Just follow the instructions and tweet or email the blog admin (Scott) to vote for one of my posts! THANKS everyone!!!!

StraightToTheBar Contest