As a former college volleyball athlete, I’ve always been kind of a fitness junkie.
I didn’t have to find a six-week workout plan to stay on trackworking out was already the plan.
I just couldn’t get myself to do it alone.
Courtesy Leslie Green
I’ve started (and not finished)Kayla Itsines' Bikini Body Guides about six different times.
I think I made it to week seven (out of 12).
My previous training regimen forvolleyballrequired 12 weeks of grueling workouts.
Courtesy Leslie Green
I’m talking sprints, puke-worthyHIIT circuits, and heavy AF Olympic lifting.
I did that every summer for four years.
So why was sticking to a plan so damn hard now?
Courtesy Leslie Green
I’ve concocted every possible excuse: I’m a commitment-phobe.
I’m too busy.
The plans are too hard.
Courtesy Leslie Green
I’m getting older.
It wasn’t due to a lack of interest, it was a problem with the logistics.
The good news, I completed the ENTIRE six-week workout plan.
Every strength workout, fitness class, and cardio session became a big check mark on my calendar.
I wasn’t expecting a massive transformation or really anything radical at all.
But I’ve noticed a lot of changes as a result from this challenge.
Here’s what I learned that helped me be successful in sticking with it.
The most important thing you might do when it comes to fitness challenges is getting your life organized.
Funny though, I never wrote the entire program.
All the materials for this challenge though were available online (aka they were written out for me).
I could skim the entire program for an overview (this also helped me plan ahead).
Being an athlete I like to know what the game plan isboth short and long term.
I downloaded all the workout graphics on my phone so I would never have the excuse of “Meh.
I don’t know what I have to do today.”
I started to consider working out as an appointment with myself.
In college, being late to a workout or practice was practically a sin.
And not showing up…well I never figured out what the punishment for that would be.
- My daily routine started to become a non-negotiable.
I also told everyone what I was doing.
Once I told my co-workers, close friends and oh-so-personal Insta audience, I was pretty much committed.
It’s kinda like liquid eyeliner: Once you start, you’ve gotta finish.
Everything we do, every decision we make in life is motivated by something.
The hardest part is nailing down what that somethingreallyis.
When it came to fitness challenges I had tried previously, mywhywas pretty shallow.
I was really into looking a certain way, or even more unobtainable, looking like someone else.
Well that never happened.
Compare that mindset to when I was training for volleyball, mywhyhad nothing to do with how I looked.
Training was about how my body could function.
I wanted to jump higher, run faster, beat out my teammates, and ultimately beat myself.
Nothing about thatwhywas aesthetic.
I didn’t burden myself with expectations.
I let it all happen.
I did my workouts day in and day out, because I knew I had to finish.
I hate disappointing people, but why in the past had I been so comfortable disappointing myself?
Deep thought, right?
But, it was a good question to ask myself because the answer was clearI shouldn’t be.
So I was going to step it up and be good to my body and my mind.
That shift didn’t make iteasythough.
It was still hard as hell to stick with it for six full weeks.
This challenge was an incredibly important lesson in accountability and the power of including others in your goals.
In classic social media editor fashion I loved looking at the#TeamSELFon Instagram.
There’s a serious community working their asses off and it’s pretty much impossible not to be inspired.
Take some time to sit down and get prepared.
Jumping into things without awhyusually leaves you making excuses forwhyyou don’t want to.
Without a clear vision ofwhyyou want to do something you’ll often let other distractions get in your way.
The change in mywhywas extremely powerful for me.
You may be asking, “Why no before and after picture?”
Well, that’s because I’m not into the physical comparison anymore.
Ultimately I learned that fitness challenges are about so much more than just the physical.
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