Am I the only one who knows that consulting with Dr. Google is a bad idea yet continues to do so? During Sunday afternoon, my upper back & neck started to feel uncomfortably stiff. Initially I chalked it up to a combination of lack of sleep & poor posture while sitting at my desk. After Googling different variations of “causes of stiff back” & “how to cure stiff back & neck”, it turns out the deep tissue massage I had earlier on in the day possibly contributed too. Apparently post-massage soreness is caused by extensive muscle manipulation during, and is also a result of the body working to flush toxins out of the muscles (Source). I guess you learn something new every day :).
Fortunately I woke up the next morning feeling fine…fine enough to hit the gym after taking the week off from any formal kind of workout at all. I temporarily quit the gym in favor of more yoga back in May. Although I got burnt out from weights, this 3-month break has more than spurred my interest- I’m pumped to start pumping again ;)! I guess all that running in London left my body craving something on the other side of the spectrum.
Along with switching up my workouts, joining a brand new gym has gotten me all revved up. Although this gym is slightly further away than my previous gym, it’s a pleasant change to interact with new faces, work with new trainers and try out a new workout plan. I had my evaluation on Monday where one of the trainers reviewed my goals and recorded my blood pressure, heartbeat and measurements including body fat %, weight, hips & waist. She also set me a routine, which involves 2 days cardio with core work & 3 days of weight training split into push/pull days. I’ve tried various workout splits in the past, but this is new to me. I’m sure I’ll chuck in a yoga session at some point during the week too.
It’s amazing what a change in workout routine and environment can do to motivation levels. If only I could find a way to bottle up all this workout enthusiasm ;). Although my strength has declined, I’m looking forward to making progress & seeing results over the next couple of months, in terms of both appearance & fitness levels. I have my next evaluation in 4 weeks- bring it awn!
How do you keep yourself motivated to work out?
What have your workouts been looking like lately?
Glad your neck and back are feeling better – I have yet to have a massage – had no clue it could lead to soreness!
When I don’t so some sort of workout, I just feel incredibly “yucky” (for lack of a technical term) and trying to keep that feeling at bay is my main motivator!
These days mostly running, and a couple of P90X DVD’s for strength work – think I need to do what you did and take a break from running for a bit though.
Thanks for your motivating post! 🙂
Haha “yucky” just about sums it all ;)! I’ve never bee much of a home exerciser but I should look into that DVD!
Being a massage therapist, I know the post massage soreness. Tip? Go again! 🙂
Yay for new gym and workout routine! I do 4 times weight lifting a week, 2-3 musclegroups a day. And about 30 minutes Interval Cardio to follow. One day Cardio only, one day a fun class (Aerobic for me :-)) and a FULL rest day. Works great. And oh, to keep your motivation up – go and buy new workout clothes or create a new playlist! Works wonders!
Haha trust me, there will be plenty more massages coming up- I love them too much to ever stop, soreness or not ;)!
Dr.Google. Been guilty of using them many a times, making me go stir crazy!
Thats so great how your changing up routines from yoga to running and now back to weights! At least you’d never get bored 🙂
I love upper/lower splits- so much more variety and interesting compared to single body part splits!
I agree..and my body appreciates the division of soreness 😉
Oh the joys of self-diagnosis. It used to be something that I just couldn’t help but do, but now I do my best to avoid it since it pretty much -always- ended up telling me that I had cancer 😆 But I’ve experienced the post-massage soreness before. My therapist warned me about it and told me it’s a good thing… so I guess things just have to get worse before they get better 😉
And I’ve actually been thinking about joining a gym, mostly to meet some new faces and start working on my strength a little bit more. After taking so much time off, it would be kind of nice to get back into things.
Oh! And did you get my last e-mail? No worries about responding quickly if you did, but I’ve been having some issues with other people lately and I’m not sure if my mail is getting lost in cyber space…
Given how much I started to hate my weight workouts, I am pleasantly surprised with how much I’ve been enjoying them this week! I DID get your email- sorry I haven’t replied yet, been a bit crazy but expect a reply very soon 🙂
Oh, I was super sore after a deep tissue massage once, but it went away the next day. Don’t worry, it means your massages are working! 🙂
I love the gym you’ve joined, reminds me of gyms abroad, the facilities and trainers are really good so I’m sure you’ll love it! I think changing up workout routines are very important – in Bombay I switched between the gym trainers, my own running, yoga and a second trainer who came home – depending on my mood! Also this way your body isn’t in a rut and you’re constantly challenging it!
Here of course, I have my beloved spinning, I have strength training classes, I run and I lift weights. I’m going to look for some good yoga class deals as well, just cause I think some yoga will keep me sane 🙂 And I motivate myself by booking classes so I definitely go. I also buy tons of workout clothes and honestly, the fact that the classes are fun doesn’t hurt! And the results more than help motivate me further.
AH How was your first class back at Core Fusion?? I bet you’re loving it! Please make sure you go on plenty of runs around Central Park on my behalf ;)!
It was awesome!! I’m in slight pain though, it’s been a while 🙂 And of course I will take many many runs on your behalf!
Haha enjoy the pain- I’ve been SO sore this whole week!
Dr. Google is my number one doctor for sure. 😉 That’s interesting that a massage can make you stiff – I would have guessed the opposite! (Obviously I’ve never had a massage!)
I’m glad you’re feeling ready to kill some workouts! A bit of variety always helps. 🙂 I should really work on more strength training…. it’s supposed to be a part of my half marathon training, but I don’t know if my 10 minutes twice a week really counts. 😉
Haha every little bit helps so kudos on even those 20 minutes a week :)!
oh thats interesting! i got a massage about a week and a half ago and afterwards i was also really sore. i usually expect some soreness, but this was really sore. a few days later though i never felt better. i love massages 🙂 and thats great you’ve found a renewed energy joining a new gym!! sometimes a little change of pace can work miracles for motivation!
Massages are definitely my guilty pleasure- it’s become a weekly norm for me since I moved to Mumbai 🙂
Oh god, the Google diagnosis…I try to avoid putting myself through that because it’ll always end up with me thinking that I’m dying :-p And happy to hear that you have a fun new program! I always find that trying something new definitely gets me excited to go to the gym again – the gym I’m thinking of joining next month has a lot of fun-looking exercise classes (aerial yoga, bootcamp-style classes, kickboxing…) that should be getting me excited and motivated to hit the gym.
Oh those classes sound great! I’ve never heard of aerial yoga so please do blog about it if you try it out :)!
I’ve been dong more strength training instead of cardio and it has definitely helped with the motivation factor! Welcome to my world, girlfriend–my back and neck are ALWAYS bothering me! Thank God for my chiropractor 🙂
Oh man sorry to hear about your neck and back…I’m glad you have found a chiropractor to sort you out though 🙂
You know I like that last image. LOL! Women don’t realize it take a LOT of effort to get big lifting.
It sounds silly, but Instagram has been a big motivator for me. I follow a few fellow competitors that I admire. Seeing their progress and workout pics fires me up!
It doesn’t sound silly at all! Seeing others reap the benefits (even with the endorphin rush) is enough to make me want to get moving ASAP!
You know I’m a big supporter of you getting back on the iron train! And that last picture you posted is what I sent to my boss when we argued about women and lifting (he doesn’t think women should lift weights because it makes them big, and yes, he owns a gym WTF!)
OMG your boss should NOT be owning a gym with that kind of mentality! How do you stay sane listening to those kind of views from a professional!!
Gaahaha that picture and wording with Dwight had me dying. So excited for your new gym!! That’s awesome. As for the massage soreness..OHH MY gosh I have had a few massages that were WAY too deep for me and I felt like a wooden board all day.!
Haha glad you appreciated the picture- it always makes me LOL!
hmmm… with my love for desserts, i keep myself motivated to workout, but i only workout like twice a week, but I walk a lot on the other days. 🙂
And people say desserts & workouts don’t go hand-in-hand together…pshhhh ;)!
i just forced myself to join the gym with the hopes of doing more weight training. I am usually motivated to workout most days atleast but I just do running or walking. I need to challenge myself and expand a little bit more.
Joining a gym is one step closer to you weight training more so kudos on that 🙂
I am also loving hitting the weights lately, but I need to get back on the yoga train!
Same here! Love yoga but haven’t gotten a chance to go in forever!
I struggle with motivation a lot, so often times I get myself psyched to just do it.. not think about the workout and find myself making excuses. The problem is then that I get very inconsistent with it. Today I more than made up for a week’s worth – went to the gym and then made impromptu plans for a hike – ended up on the trails for 4 hours! I would love to do more of that, it doesn’t feel like a work out then.
4 hours hiking on the trails sounds SO fun and a great way to incorporate exercise into your everyday life 😀
How fun!!! I love that you mix things up and try new things!
🙂
I love getting motivated for a new workout routine. I think it’s important to change things up from time to time. It prevents you from getting bored.
Love the Dwight meme.
I thought I was a creature of habit but exercise seems to be the exception 😉