smallkine blogger

We all have days when we don’t feel like exercising and some days it’s worse than others. There may not even be a particular reason – you feel okay and your energy level is good. It’s just that the thought of doing the same old thing holds about the same appeal as scratching the chalkboard.

When you’re in this situation, what do you do? Do you force yourself to workout anyway and risk being miserable or do you take a day off and risk feeling guilty or worse, getting off track with your routine? There’s no right answer here, but you do have some options for getting through those days when motivation is hard to come by.

1. Do Something Fun. Sometimes a ‘smallkine’ workout seems like one more obligation on top of all the other responsibilities we have. When it starts to feel like drudgery, breaking the routine can be just what you need to remember the simple joy of moving your body for no other purpose than to have fun.

2. Do Something Easy. Easy exercise is one thing many veteran exercisers simply don’t allow. We know we have to work hard if we want to maintain our weight and stay strong and fit. But, if you’re having one of those ho-hum kind of days, an easy workout may be just what the doctor ordered. Instead of worrying about burning muscles or getting your heart rate up, go for a swim or get on the stationary bike for a long, easy pedal. Easy days are great recovery for the mind and body.

3. Do Something Soothing. When I don’t feel like exercising, I find that stretching almost always makes me feel better. I feel like I’m doing something productive without working too hard.

4. Do Something Simple. When you’re low on motivation, even the idea of changing your clothes sounds like a lot of work. Instead of doing something complicated, try a simple workout that doesn’t even require you to change your clothes. A ball workout requires only a ball and includes simple moves that feel good and work your body in different ways. You could also try an ab workout or even a simple cardio workout which requires no equipment other than a decent pair of shoes.

5. Play Hookey. This is probably my favorite thing to do when I don’t feel like exercising and I think too many veteran exercisers don’t play hookey enough. Is there anything more delicious than taking an unplanned day off from exercise? If you’re worried about getting off track with your routine, you may want to do some type of exercise…but if you know you can get right back to it tomorrow, why not savor an extra day off? Use your workout time to do something you never have time for – read a book, take a nap, wash the truck. Taking an extra day off can energize you for your next workout.

Fruits and vegetables should make up a large portion of your diet. They are low in calories, which is good, and they are high in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber, which is even better. Experts suggest that you eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Eating the suggested amount of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis is difficult for many people. Busy schedules, eating on the run, and the temptation of junk foods are all barriers to getting enough fruits and vegetables into your diet.

Do you need some help getting more fruits and vegetables into your diet? Here are some tips:

• Make Fruits and Vegetables Convenient at Home
• Apples, pears, bananas, oranges and cherry tomatoes don’t need any refrigeration. Keep your fruits and vegetables in plain view on your countertop or table.

When snack time rolls around it will be easy to grab a piece of fruit or a handful of cherry tomatoes. With this idea in mind, make sure you keep the cookie jar and the candy bars out of sight.

Frozen vegetables are quick and easy: Heat them quickly on the stove or in the microwave. You can choose single vegetables such as peas, carrots, green beans, and cauliflower, or you can try seasoned blends of vegetables.

Pre-cut vegetables and fruit are convenient, but don’t buy them with the idea that they will last a long time. Fruit may begin to spoil within a day or two after cutting, however some fruits can be purchased in frozen or canned forms that last much longer.

The pre-cut and pre-washed salads-in-a-bag make meal time easy too. Just don’t assume that the pre-washed salad blends are really clean. Give them a good rinse before preparing your meal.

Make Fruits and Vegetables Convenient at Work
Dehydrated fruits such as raisins, dates and dried cranberries keep well in plastic bags. Tuck a bag of raisins in your purse or bag for an easy snack. Single serving packs of apple sauce or fruit cups that don’t need refrigeration can also be kept at your desk. Pack sliced carrots and celery with your lunch for a nutritious afternoon snack.

Eating away from home can be difficult, but with some thought you can still get enough fruits and vegetables into your diet. At lunch, choose a side salad instead of French fries and drink juice instead of a soda. Order vegetarian sandwiches and wraps. They are usually low in calories and can give you two or three servings of vegetables with just that one sandwich.

Fruits and Vegetables as Snacks
After school snacks or nighttime snacks often mean bags of greasy chips, bowls of ice cream or bottles of sugary sodas. Those snacks are high in calories and low in nutrition. Here are some great snack ideas instead:

• Freshly cut vegetables are absolutely delicious with your favorite dip. Eat them at snack time instead of potato chips or tortilla chips. Choose low-fat ranch, dill or French onion dip or make your own low fat spinach dip.
• Drink juice instead of soda. Mix your favorite 100 percent fruit juices with club soda if you miss the fizz.
• Make a delicious parfait instead of scooping up high calorie ice cream. Layer fresh or frozen berries with vanilla yogurt and nuts or granola.
• Eat a chocolate-covered strawberry instead of a candy bar. Choose dark chocolate for the extra antioxidants.
• Instead of milk and cookies, have a small bowl of whole grain cereal with sliced fruit or raisins and low-fat milk.
• Keep seedless grapes in the freezer instead of popsicles and ice cream bars.

Add Fruits and Vegetables to Sandwiches, Salads and on the Side
Eating a salad can give you several servings of fruits and vegetables. Start with some lettuce and add sliced tomatoes, apples, pears, berries, celery, cucumbers, sprouts, raw green beans, broccoli or cauliflower. With so many combinations, you can eat a different salad every day. Eat a salad as a meal once or twice each week.

When you make a sandwich, be sure to add lettuce and a couple of thick tomato slices. Take the rest of the tomato, slice it up and serve it on the side. Add extra vegetables to your soup and stew recipes. If you choose canned soups and stews, add extra frozen vegetables when you heat them.

Set a goal to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day. If you need a little help, you can add a delicious fruit and vegetable supplement beverage. Or buy a juicing machine to make your own fruit and vegetable juices.

It would be so much easier to exercise every day if life just cooperated a little more. But, most of us will face times when we can’t exercise and even the most devoted exerciser will eventually have to abandon his workout routine for any number of reasons. Illness, moving, having a baby, getting married, out-of-town guests…these things and more will happen at some point and, as a result you may find your exercise routine going right out the window. The trick isn’t necessarily in avoiding these situations but in learning how to keep going in spite of them.

If you find yourself a long way from your workouts, wondering how to get back on track, there is a way to make the road back a little easier.

Ease Into It
Getting back to your routine doesn’t necessarily mean jumping right back into the same program you were following before. The biggest mistake many of us make when getting back to exercise is overdoing it…or what I call the Guilt Response. When we get off track, our first response is often to jump back in and do twice as much work to make up for what we missed. But, there are a number of problems with that response:

• Loss of strength and endurance. If you’ve been off exercise for more than 2-3 weeks, you’ve lost some of that strength and endurance you once had. As a result, your body won’t be capable of doing the same level of training you were doing before.
• Injuries and DOMS. Going full-speed with your workouts from the start means you’ll be experiencing plenty of muscle soreness (DOMS) and if you keep trying to workout when you’re very sore, you run the risk of injuring yourself.
• Dreading your workouts.

Create Your Workout Schedule
When creating a workout schedule, you may not know what your strength and endurance is after your break. It can be frustrating to feel that you’re starting all over, but your body will remember how to exercise and your strength/endurance will come back 100% if you give your body some time. Try this approach when hammering out your workout schedule:

• Schedule your workout days. To do this, you might look at your old workout schedule and create a lighter version. For example, if you used to workout 5 or 6 days a week, set up a schedule for 3-4 days of exercise and just squeeze in the basics – a little cardio, a little strength and a little flexibility.
• Plan your cardio workouts. Again, look at your old schedule and then set up a routine that’s a bit lighter than what you were doing before.

If you used to run 5 days a week, you might start with a walk/run program for 3 days. If you used to workout for 45-60 minutes, try for 20-30 your first week or two out.

Plan your strength workouts. Your strength workouts may be where you experience the most soreness. To avoid that or at least minimize it, plan on a light program. For example, you might choose 8-10 exercises targeting the whole body and perform one set of each exercise. It may feel like you’re going backwards to start with a light workout, but it’s better to take it easy than to get so sore, you can’t workout at all.

Some things to consider when first starting out:

• Schedule more recovery days. You may need a few extra days to recover from your workouts.
• Schedule gentler workouts. I find that yoga and Pilates are great for easing back into exercise.