Since I didn’t feel comfortable talking about much yesterday, I didn’t get a chance to fill you guys in on my first day at my new job. I am about to head back to work for a few hours this afternoon, but the training I went through yesterday seemed pertinent to the blog and I wanted to share a little bit about what I learned.
First, let’s cover today.
Workout + Breakfast
I woke up early for a quick workout at the gym that began with 20 minutes of incline walking, followed by a cardio circuit workout.
After my morning workout, it was time for breakfast. I was, yet again, in the mood for peanut butter and made myself a simple breakfast featuring the creamy nut butter.
I topped a toasted whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter and a sliced banana.
I spent the morning updating some Excel spreadsheets to try to keep blog and freelance stuff organized before breaking for lunch.
Lunch
Lunch today featured curried chicken salad that I made by combining shredded chicken, light mayo, mustard, chopped carrot and zucchini and curry powder.
On the side I enjoyed golden tomatoes and half of an English muffin topped with peanut butter.
Now onto exercise talk!
Exercise Obstacles
Part of my job as a personal trainer at the gym will include taking those who are new to exercise through some of the gym’s free wellness programs that were set in place to help people form a fitness habit. A key component of one of the programs is identifying exercise obstacles, or the things that pop up in everyday life that can derail a fitness plan and get in the way of regular workouts.
Some of the most common exercise obstacles:
- Time
- Family/Children Demands
- Boredom with Exercise
- Low Energy
- Lack of Support
We then we took some time to brainstorm ways to combat these obstacles:
- Time: Consider morning workouts.
As someone who always went to the gym after work, when I began my second job out of college, I found myself working many, many late nights. My late hours cut into my workouts and it didn’t take long for me to realize I wasn’t going to be able to make it to the gym regularly if I kept planning to exercise after work. I knew that nothing ever popped up on my schedule at 5 a.m., so I switched to morning workouts and had a much easier time making it to the gym regularly. If you are interested in making the transition into morning workouts, you might enjoy this post: How To Work Out In the Morning.
- Family/Children Demands: Brainstorm at-home workout options or ways to be active with your family.
If your kids are sick, perhaps there’s a workout DVD you can do at home? If the kids are at home and you want to spend quality time with them, maybe you can take the dog for a walk together or play outside and enjoy being active as a family.
- Boredom with Exercise: Explore new workout options.
Try a new group exercise class! Bored with group exercise? Consider training for your first 5K. Seek out a personal trainer to help you learn new strength training exercises to incorporate into your exercise regimen. Look into adult intramural sports like volleyball or flag football.
- Low Energy: Remind yourself how much better you feel after a workout.
Focus on healthy eating and choose snacks that leave you feeling energized rather than sleepy. Consider keeping a journal to track what foods or activities make you feel the best. Surround yourself with energizing people. Update your workout playlist with upbeat music.
- Lack of Support: Surround yourself with people who have similar fitness goals.
Try reaching out to someone in a group exercise class or chat with people at the gym to meet those with similar fitness interests. Consider talking to family or friends about how much their support means to you and how much you need their support to help you achieve your goals and live a healthier life.
Question of the Afternoon
- What is your biggest exercise obstacle? How do you or how could you overcome it?
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All my darn injuries! I’ve sustained 2 stress fractures and developed a bone spur all since January. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck!
Sometimes I have a hard time getting my butt moving or I just get bored doing the same things over and over but like you said, remembering how awesome I’ll feel post workout is always a great motivator!
I always tell myself that I’ll workout when I get out of work and then end up feeling like there is not enough time. I’m definitely trying to switch to morning workouts, but it’s hard to wake myself up! Thanks for sharing the link to your How to Workout in the Morning post. I’ll definitely check it out! I hope you are loving your new job!
Thanks for the post, Julie! I love your blog – it’s something fun I look forward to reading every morning since my schedule is so hectic. One of my obstacles is that my fiancé and I are long distance, so when we see each other on the weekend, we don’t want to waste our time together at the gym. I need to think of fun ways for us to exercise together that is more fun than just running next to each other on the treadmill!
Thanks for commenting, Susie! 🙂 Are there hiking trails near you? Ryan and I love hiking together. It’s a fun way to get outside and be active! And you can pack a picnic and make it a little romantic, too. 🙂
I’m lucky enough not to have one these days; I think when you really get in to it you learn to prioritise it as it makes such a difference to your state of mind!I used to train after work in the evenings and since changing jobs and gaining more flexibility with my hours I’ve switched to early mornings which I love, totally sets me up to the day. Having group classes and people to go to the gym with as well as knew workouts to try definitely helps over come any potential lack of energy or enthusiasm holding me back!
Sounds like you’ll be great at your new job! My main fitness obstacle has been motivation (and this is kind of exacerbated by lack of support group). I began working out with a personal trainer once a week, which helped me get in the habit of working out. Once I began seeing results, my motivation to keep going increased. It’s just a matter of getting started and sticking with it long enough to see all the benefits that working out can offer! Having someone I knew at the gym also helped with my support group issue and I would look forward to talking to her about new foods I had tried, or my successes with my new routine.
My biggest exercise obstacle is definitely my brain. Some days it tells me throughout my entire workout that I don’t want to be here or that I can’t do something. I keep going just to shut it up, but those are usually NOT my best workouts!
feeling tired after work! this is why i always workout before work (school – i’m a teacher). i know 5am is early to wake up, but in turn i have sooooo much more energy than if i would have slept later and not worked out!
In my experience, I think it’s so intimidating to try new group exercises classes. I guess it’s a confidence thing! 🙂
Guess you were really in the mood for peanut butter & English muffins today. 🙂
I think you will do a great job helping people get motivated!
Haha! I guess so!
Julie, what brand of peanut butter do you buy? Congrats on the new job!
Hi Tera! It varies. Right now I am using Jif natural peanut butter.
My biggest obstacle is definitely being a stay at home mom to my kids, 2 and 5, and a military wife. My husband is always away so 99% of the time I feel like I’m a single parent. I work from home and it gets challenging. However, about 2 years ago I came across your blog and it completely changed my life! I changed the way I look at food and I am so active now. I have lost over 60lbs and have kept it off since. I am now in love with my body! I am always outside playing with my kids, running while they are in the jogging stroller, hiking…etc. I cant thank you enough for your wonderful site! 🙂
This means more to me than you could know. Thank you for this comment and for reading. And big congratulations on your amazing success. You are fabulous & will be an inspiration to your children. Congratulations!
Great tips! I think my biggest exercise obstacles are often low energy or exercise boredom. That being said, I’m always looking for new ways to mix things up. I can’t wait for summer weather so I can get outdoors more. I miss my outdoor exercise!
Just curious – how do you plan on balancing blogging, your freelance work, and personal training? Are you going to have to cut back on one or is the personal training mostly part time?
My new schedule isn’t set in stone yet, so there will definitely be a balancing act going on for a while until I figure everything out!
Hi Julie! Long time reader, first time responder. I just started a new job a couple months ago where my work day starts at 7am!! In the past, I would workout as soon as I got off work but now that my work day starts earlier I’m EXHAUSTED when I get off. It’s taken some time to get used to, but I’m slowly trying to switch to morning workouts which I’m finally starting to love. I love how you and the hubs workout early together. I’m slowly trying to get the BF to workout with me since him and I both have been lacking motivation since we started dating to get more active with our workout routine.
Also, mixing it up more. I used to workout at a gym every single day, but now, I’m purchasing more groupon/livingsocial deals for classes and bootcamps that have kept me motivated to try new things. So far, so good! Up until I get burned out again and have to find some new motivation lol:)
Low energy is a big one for me…being Hypoglycemic can cause me to have no energy without any warning. I’d just rather eat during that time then do anything. Big problem! The food journal is a great idea. I think I should do that.
Back in November, I had my second son making it 2children under 2, when I started my journey I weighed 189 and I was having a heck of a time balancing mommy hood, being a wife and this whole weightloss journey, I literally stumbled across your blog by typing peanut butter recipes in google ( ironic hey!) and ever since I first saw your blog I’ve been so inspired that I have used almost all your workouts- I even bought a elliptical and a treadmill) and since then I now weigh 136.8! Honestly I couldn’t have been nearly as successful had I not found you- and through your blg I found a few others to inspire me to:) thank youuu! I now incorporate fitness and health into everything I do, I’m up to running 7 k and have my first run happening on may 5th. Honestly, once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Oh my gosh congratulations!!!! What a wonderful and inspiring success story! I wish I could hug you. Congrats Meagan and thank you so much for reading!
I live in a very small town. We have a fitness center with 3 treadmills, 2 bikes, and some free weights and weight machines. I also live 11 miles in the country. My biggest obstacles right now are what time to work out, and getting bored in our gym. I’m going to try one of your circuit workouts today and see if that gets me feeling more into my workout. We bought a house in our small town so we will be moving to town soon, but right now if I get up in the morning to workout I have to go all the way back home to shower, and get ready for work then drive back to work. If I go in the afternoon when I get off at 5:00 I don’t get home until around 7:00 or so and then I am eating a late supper (which isn’t good for my stomach) and I get to spend 0 time with my husband and my furbabies. I don’t know what to do!
I definitely have trouble with finding time to work out! I have sports, school, and more, and that barely leaves any time for exercise.
My biggest hurdle is definitely time/motivation. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE CrossFit once I am there, but I am a pro at coming up with excuses to not do something. I have to get to the gym at 5:30AM before my brain can come up with a reason not to. Not to mention I am in my last semester of college and I am 100% overloaded with classwork.
One of the biggest obstacles for me is getting bored with the same routine. I aim to get on a different cardio machine every time I’m at the gym during the week. Also I set goals for myself like doing 30 push ups in a row, being able to do a real pull up.
Mine was a combo of time and motivation – my gym’s group fitness class schedule doesn’t fit with my work schedule, and by the time I got home each evening it was nearly dinnertime so fitting in a workout became a challenge. I went the morning workout route and it has been working great for me – sometimes it’s hard to drag out of bed at 5:30, but remembering how good I feel after and all day long motivates me!
One thing that really helps me is to plan to meet a friend at the gym, or join a small class (that will notice if you are not there!)
Accountability! 🙂
I love the tip about surrounding yourself with people who have similar fitness goals. That really can make all the difference when you just can’t muster the energy to workout.
For me, the hardest part is just finding the motivation to begin the workout process — putting on my gym clothes. Once I get them on, I’m totally fine with the idea of working out!
The thing that helps me is updating my workout wardrobe — it can be such a huge motivator when I have something new & cute to wear! 🙂
Great tips! I am considering moving my workouts to the morning but I am NOT a morning person so I feel reluctant to do so. I enjoy exercising after work but I find that I don’t get to eat dinner until 8:30-9:00pm and try to be in bed by 10:30pm which probably isn’t great for my body. I need someone to motivate me to get out of bed at 5:00am!! 🙂
I just had the best curry chicken salad from a local restaurant. I’ve recently discovered curry and I love it! I’ll have to try making my own.
It is TOTALLY hard to get up in the morning sometimes 😉 BUt I do remind myself it’s worth it & that I’ll feel so much better. It works like a charm!
I get BORED so easily. Now that the weather is getting better, I hope to spend more time outdoors getting fresh air AND exercise instead of being cooped up in the gym. Though, my gym hasn’t seen much of me lately, admittedly…
Also, ever since I got diagnosed with a nasty case of mono a couple years ago, my energy levels have not been the same. A good workout STILL makes me tired to this day- not reenergized. It’s frustrating.
Motivation is one of my biggest problems. I have a crazy schedule with school and work, and relaxing sounds so much better than working out. I try to remind myself how much better I feel after I work out. I teach Jazzercise classes in the morning, and every morning I hate waking up early. But today class was cancelled because of bad weather, so I slept in and woke up feeling horrible! Even though my mind doesn’t like early morning workouts, my body feels so much better.
Julie–after multiple multiple injuries–My biggest obstacle–FEAR of injury! Help! e
You are going to love personal training. I just recently got back into one-on-one training after a stint in fitness management and it feels so good to be back working with clients. They just fill my heart with joy and I love seeing them reach their goals!
The hardest for me is time, as I’m sure is the case with many who work full time. Working out in the morning helps, eventhough I find it difficult sometimes to get out of bed – I’ve never been a morning person! The transition is slow, but well worth it for the energy I feel later in the day!
My biggest obstacle is TIME! I am in pharmacy school full time, work part time, and married (full time) ;)! I have to get my workout in early in the morning or else it just won’t get done. My other obstacle currently is if I don’t have time, knowing that it’s okay to not workout. More than one day of rest is okay, but I’ve been adjusting to that mindset.
I appreciate your tips and insight on your ways to overcome exercise obstacles!
I wish I could get up at 5 a.m. and do my workout then. Right now, I always workout at the end of the day, but it’s definitely hard to get motivated after a long work day. I would love to be able to get up early and get it done in the a.m. I just don’t know how to get myself up so early.
My biggest workout difficulties are being a mom. My little boy hates the jogging stroller now. So I started training for a half marathon in the morning at 5 before my day as mom/wife start. Having a goal (half marathon) and a plan have done wonders for my workouts. I am only up to 4 mile long runs, but I can see improvement which gets me excited! The book train like a mother was awesome for me to read.
Lol I don’t really have any serious obstacles, just occasional laziness! I definitely think the hardest one to overcome would be children, since they always come before you!
My biggest obstacle is time. I’ve just read through your ‘How to work out in the morning’ post and I think I do really need to reconsider when I am working out and fit in a few more morning exercise sessions as I end up with piles of work and little energy by the time I finish at my job. I always find that I am stronger and less stressed on days when I get an early run in.
For me it is being tired. I work all day from 6:45 to 4:00 (teacher!!) and when I get home at 4:30 the LAST thing I want to do is workout and if I want to work out in the morning I have to do it EARLY (like in the 4:00 hour) in order to get everything accomplished in the morning while still leaving for work by 6:30. So it can be a challenge. What I learned was that I can shower at night and that saves me a good 45 minutes in the morning (and besides going to school with dirty hair keeps the bugs away! ha!) I also pack my lunch the night before, plan out my outfit and get my breakfast planned. That way I can sleep later, still get a workout in and get to school on time. Win win!
One of my biggest fitness obstacles was finding out I have hypermobility syndrome, which greatly affects my ability to run without injury. I started doing Yoga a few years ago after finding out, and I love it.
One of mine was that I just wouldn’t have the energy to work out in the afternoon, or I’d be too full from lunch. After reading your blog, I started to shift my workouts to the mornings, and now I think I can officially call myself a morning person!…kind of. Most days, it’s still a struggle to get up before the sun does!
My main one was that I just didn’t have the motivation. I didn’t really have a set goal–every time I went in the gym or ran I did it because it “made me healthier” (or so I told myself). It wasn’t until I decided I was going to run my first half-marathon (in May! So excited!) that I gave myself a concrete goal that I had/have to work hard to achieve.
All great tips! I can tell 100% a difference in my energy levels after a couple of days eating notsohealthy or green foods. It’s SO much easier to get to gym and have the energy to do so if you eat healthy!
School is without a doubt my biggest exercise obstacle. Being in college I feel like I need to spend every spare second I have studying! When I get stressed out and have a lot of tests or homework, exercise is the first thing I put on the back burner. I’m thinking that I should try to start morning workouts, so I am going to read your post on how to workout in the morning right now!
I workout first thing in the morning so I have absolutely no excuses to not get it done. If I leave it til later things pop up and it’s easy to make excuses.
Time is the one that gets me. I recently switched to early morning workouts, so I could go to the gym with my husband (instead of by myself). It’s way more fun going with him, and it’s fun to knock it out first thing. It just feels good. 🙂
Love this post! just wondering how much peanut butter you go through…I LOVE pb and go through a jar a week! Is it ok for me to consume that much? I sure hope so!
Mine is most definitely finding the time and having children. Morning workouts at the gym do not work for me because my husband leaves for work at 5:30am. There is NO WAY I am getting up at 4am to get a workout in. I have found that at home workouts are just what I have to do at this period in my life. Sometimes I long for the gym with zero distractions but I do what I can and try to go out for walks/jogs when my husband is home in the evening.
I truly believe that if you want it badly enough, you will find the time to make it happen, if not….you will find excuses!!
Those are great tips. My worst habit is just lack of motivation. I always seem to push exercise out of the way for other less important things.
For me it was kind of boredom/lack of time obstacle. It took me about 40 minutes to get to my gym and somehow, my programme was always the same. The things changed to much better when I started running! It is always fun to be outside and I can often choose different route. In the same time, I am not wasting my time while traveling to the gym. I still have a membership at the university gym, that is across from my lab, but I use it only in the weather is really bad.
I absolutely love english muffins with pb and bananas. My favorite!
I looooove PB and bananas on English muffins! I usually also add a sprinkle of unsweetened, shredded coconut to it. I made myself one yesterday at my SIL’s place and my 5-yr old nephew ended up eating it all – he thought I was ahhhhmazing for “cooking” something so yummy lol!
ANYway, your future clients are in good hands and don’t know (yet) how lucky they are to have someone so knowledgeable and someone who “walks the walk”, training them! I hope you write more, as you get farther in this journey, about how you balance it all – I’m always very curious to see how others manage their busy lives because I struggle to find balance and time and I don’t even have kids yet!! Well, a fur-baby, but no human babies 🙂 Good luck, Julie!