The Weak In Rock

I think, by far, the worst thing I have to deal with in my various quests towards self-betterment is when my motivation crashes.  I’m not talking low motivation.  I’m talking crash.  Kablooey.  As in, I cannot keep myself on track because I just don’t care.

It’s one thing to be disappointed by a lack of progress towards a goal, but waking up to find I couldn’t care less whether I achieve anything at all is the worst.  Today all I want to do is sit in a hammock and read.  Don’t want to talk to anyone, go anywhere, do anything, etc.  Just *plop* = instant slug.

The thing is, I know it will pass.  Right now I feel overwhelmed by projects.  I’ve got a pile of songs to practice for an upcoming gig, I’ve got PT exercises to do for my back, and new kettlebell exercises to try to learn and perfect (they’ll loosen up my hips, which we’ve determined are a primary cause of my current back problem) and an article due on Tuesday for an FM newsletter I contribute columns to.  I’ve also got a pair of Netflix rentals collecting dust that need to be watched and sent back and progress to be made watching my Venture Bros DVDs.

The latter might not seem like an oppressive goal, watching DVDs, but that’s the thing about feeling low motivation - even meaningless goals, like watching a few episodes of a cartoon, seem frustrating.

So, how do I solve this conundrum?  I ignore my lack of motivation and get off my butt and get to work.  Once again, wish Nike hadn’t stolen a great line - just do it.  Well, at least I did manage to get my Mac upgraded to Lion.

Trying to get in shape?  Not getting anywhere?  I’m willing to bet it’s because you’ve been suckered into believing that if you just work out enough you’ll succeed.  Nope.

Read this article on Nerd Fitness about Staci.  Staci’s story is classic.  She did chronic cardio and restricted her calorie intake.  Sure, she lost weight, but she was weak.  She struggled to lift 5 lb dumbbells.  Then she stopped calorie counting, dropped the chronic cardio and started working on lifting heavy weights.  She also switched to the Paleo diet - getting lots of protein, eliminating processed carbs and grains from her diet.  The transformation is amazing.  Just read the article and look at the photos for yourself.

I’ve said it plenty of times, and I’m sure I’ll say it again - 80% of your plan has to be about what you eat.  The 20% that’s about fitness you can handle based on whatever goal you’re trying to reach.  Personally, I suggest focusing on what you can do physically and not what you look like.  For me it’s about being stronger and faster on my bike and about being able to keep up with my daughter.  I use little metrics - like how fast I can climb a flight of stairs - to constantly check my progress, and bigger metrics, like how long it takes me to climb to the summit of Mt. Diablo on my bike, to see how I’m doing.  I also track the number of chin-ups, pull-ups and push-ups I can do.  Staci tracks the increase in weight she can lift in three key lifts.  Pick something.  It might be as simple as timing your nightly walk around the block and seeing if you can improve on the time.  If you’re into running, time your runs.  If you don’t measure it though, you don’t know if you’re improving or not.

Oh, and take pictures.  You may not notice changes, but the camera does not lie.  I take photos every 30 days, and boy do they help to keep me motivated.