This morning I took a spinning class at the gym. Ryan and I signed up for an indoor triathlon on Saturday where we’ll be swimming, biking and running for 15 minutes each and I figured getting my butt on a bike would be a good idea before the race.
During the spinning class, I was able to motivate myself to go all out during the sprints, but during the hill climbs, I began to slack a bit.
Then the instructor said something that changed my attitude and motivated me to push myself for the rest of the class.
This sounds like something I need to add to my list of my favorite exercise mantras!
“Determination now or regret later.”
I can think of a handful of times when I’ve slacked off or veered off track, only to regret it later.
Maybe we didn’t stick to a training plan for a race. Maybe we didn’t put all of the effort we should have into studying for a test. Maybe we didn’t take the time to go above and beyond for a project at work.
Holding onto the motivation within us and tackling a goal with determination and conviction rather than bowing out or taking the easy route always leaves us with a better feeling than the feeling of “I could’ve done better.” Being uncomfortable and going outside our comfort zone for a little while is almost always better than feeling regret later.
I must admit that if I slacked off during today’s spinning class, I wouldn’t be filled with regret for the rest of the day. A subpar workout doesn’t stick with me and ruin my day, but these words can be applied to the areas of my life where I’m striving to achieve something important and need extra motivation to stick with my goals. I figured they might strike a chord with some of you out there with big goals in your life at the moment.
Determination!
Breakfast
Breakfast this morning was my favorite breakfast sandwich.
Eggs + Jelly + Cheese
Plus a hot mug of coffee!
Questions of the Morning
- What is a goal that you have in your life right now?
- What do you do when you feel your determination start to waver when you’re trying to accomplish a goal?
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One of my favorite workout mantras is one I read on your blog a few years ago – something along the lines of never regretting a workout. That gets me moving when I’m lacking motivation!
Oh, I am so totally using this mantra about 5 times a day now. Thanks for sharing!
Great motivation! Whenever I feel like I’m not pushing myself as hard as I can, I tell myself to “get uncomfortable.” Pushing yourself means hitting a place where you may feel uncomfortable, but that is when the changes happen!!
I wanna go work out now…. 😉
I love that mantra. Although I’ve never put it into words, I’ve often had that same thought during a workout.
I just finished reading Mile Markers by Kristin Armstrong, and she talks about learning to associate hard effort with pleasure instead of pain. That’s something I’ve been trying to do recently–when a run or a workout feels hard, I think about how pleased I am that I can do it, get to do it, and how good I’ll feel knowing I achieved it.
“learning to associate hard effort with pleasure instead of pain”
I really like this! Thank you for sharing.
I always use the never regret a workout mantra. My goal lately has been to run three times a week, even if it’s just a mile or two. It’s hard to get my butt out the door in the heat! Lately the Olympics is a pretty good motivator too 🙂
What great motivation!! Whenever I feel like I’m not pushing myself hard enough, I tell myself to “get uncomfortable.” Sometimes pushing yourself means feeling uncomfortable, but thats when the changes happen!
I wanna go work out now… 😉
That is a great mantra! Do you take spin classes often, or was this just in preparation for the indoor triathalon? I love spin classes!
i took them ALL the time in college and occassionally in orlando but got out of the habit. i really like spinning! i was motivated to take today’s class b/c of the triathlon and it reminded me about what a kick-butt workout spinning can be! phew.
OMG YES that is such a good mantra! Right now, I’m finding a lot of motivation in watching the Olympic athletes compete. To think that they’ve trained for years to get to where they are now is so inspiring, especially when many are around my age. Right now my goal is to run my half marathon on the 11th pain-free (no achilles tendinitis, which I’ve been struggling with for the past 10 weeks) and I think it’s gonna happen! 🙂
Like you I don’t let a bad workout ruin my day, however a GREAT workout can make me feel amazing all day long…which is worth powering through! The triathlon sounds awesome- love that each component is 15 minutes!
i LOVE the way you framed this, khushboo! i totally agree. a GREAT workout definitely sticks with me!
Love it! I read something the other day that said,” If it were easy, everyone would do it it.” That was just enough to get me through my workout that day too. Isn’t it great what words can do for us?
I struggle so much trying to find the ultimate ‘push’ in spinning! I either go too hard and die, or feel like I have something left in me at the end. It’s the ultimate challenge!
I HATE spin. Hate it. I do it once a week out of sheer will but I really hate it. haha!
Make it through my first year of grad school- that mantra could not apply more !!
congratulations, genevieve!!
Such a good mantra! Last night in my boot camp class, the instructor yelled, “You think this is hard? The Olympians train harder than this.” Even though I was dying, what she said motivated me to push myself even harder. I woke up with such a sore ass and legs, but it didn’t stop me from going on my morning run, simply because I would have regretted it later. Plus, I never have regretted a workout.
Sometimes taking a break is all I need to restore my determination. Burn out can wreck my confidence and drive pretty quickly; taking a break and letting my mind or body rest is always a good way to get myself back in action.
I love the mantra! I am a very visual person, so when I feel my determination start to waiver, I look at my vision/motivation boards, look through my favorite fitness mags/blogs, etc.!
I love this mantra!!! I am desperately trying to finish my PhD in molecular biology before I turn 27 next month!
Great words of wisdom for today! I will def have to remind my students of this when teaching Zumba 😉
LOVE me a good spin class, and great mantra to share! I’m sorry, but ever since I saw this Schmit (from New Girl) video, THIS is all I can think of during class… 😉
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7GklAJOoHo
Dangit… *Schmidt. Still hilarious.
HA! he’s my favorite. can’t wait for the new season!
I’ve definitely got to tap into that determination as I’m training for the 15k I’m doing in September! I’ve been running on the treadmill for the last 2-3 weeks, so yesterday when I tried to take it outside, my hamstrings were screaming bloody murder when I tried to run on anything with an incline. It hurt so badly that I only made it 1.5 miles, and I totally regretted quitting early for the rest of the night. Ah well…I’ve got a month and a half to get that determination in gear and make something happen!
This mantra fits perfectly in my life! Usually my fitness goals get placed on the back burner when I find myself constantly scheduling time for others. Extra hours at work, catching up with friends, getting in some extra time with my long distance boyfriend. I tell myself I’ll work extra hard the next day but usually end up not following through. If I can stop the regret before it happens though I think I’ll be more successful!
I can use this mantra for my goal to increasing those I reach through my bog by increasing readership : )
*blog
Ooooh, I love thy mantra too! That is something I def think to myself, and not just for exercise but LIFE in general.
I try to think about the end result and remember that anything worth accomplishing does not come easy. If it was everyone would do it!
That’s a great mantra! I have 2 goals: 1) run the Chicago marathon in October and 2) find a career/job that I would love and decide by February what state I’m going to take the Bar Exam in… I think goal #1 might be easier.
Thanks for this. That “New Post” is just what I needed to see on Twitter to get my mind right this morning.
what a great quote! definitely something to keep in mind! Sometimes I always feel like I push off a workout when I just need to get up and do it! Also I’m glad to see that you signed up for the sprint triathalon. can’t wait to hear about it!
I’m running my first half-marathon on the 18th!! I definitely didn’t stick to the training plan as well as I should have but as long as I make it across the finish line without stopping to walk I will consider it a success! 🙂
I haven’t officially made it a goal but I’d really like to attempt a half marathon. I’m scared to declare it as a goal, but I really do want to try it!!
That mantra hit me hard this morning when I saw it because I was thinking it last night when I went to the gym. I’m training for my first 5K, and the first couple minutes on the treadmill were murder, but I kept telling myself “Just do it. Your brain is stronger than your body.” Felt amazing when I finished.
I love the idea of a quick indoor tri! That sounds like so much fun. One day I want to do one for real, so maybe I’ll look into something like that to get me started. I had no idea they even did stuff like that!
I really really love this quote, it is definitely something I should remind myself every now and then. I am trying to start my health coaching business and I need this little reminder when I get discouraged! I wish there was mini triathlon like that near me, I want to have a small taste of a triathlon to see if it is something I would be interested in doing.
Thanks for the mantra, Julie! I totally needed to hear that today as I prepare for the beginning of the the school year. There’s so much to be done in two weeks!
This is a great quote! Right now, my goal is to lose those last 10 pounds. Whenever I start to get off my goal, I just think “how bad do I want this?” Do I really want a second piece of cake, or do I really want to lose those last 10 pounds?
That triathlon sounds fun! I really want to do a tri of sorts to incorporate some biking and swimming in my life
One goal I am always striving for is to just live in the moment. I’m from the northern suburbs of IL like you Julie so I’ve been trying to get to the city and just wander around without a care in the world. 🙂 I pinned this. It’s a good reminder for me. When I see my determination waning, I remember what my goals are and how badly I want to achieve them. Then I just suck it up and get it done so I am that much closer to my goal! 🙂
Motivation for me is easy..i look at one of my high school pictures before I lost over 140 lbs and tell myself I never want to look like that again
Wow, I so needed that today. I started running recently and was feeling really good about my times and distances. Until I tried to run outside yesterday instead of on a treadmill. Hills plus heat was not my friend…I was about to give up on my half-marathon goals but I know I will regret it if I do.
Awesome mantra! Question–what kind of bagels do you use? Thanks!
i don’t buy just one brand (i typically get a wheat bagel of some sort that is on sale), but today’s bagel was a sweet wheat alternative bagel.
GREAT mantra! I always love adding some more motivation into my mantra repertoire 🙂
I am currently working on a certification to become a health coach. I’m super excited about this goal, but it’s difficult because I have a full time job as a teacher, and this is something I’m pursuing on the side. However, I am very passionate about it–and that’s what keeps me going. 🙂 Great mantra for me to keep in mind!
So I wanted to thank you for your awesome breakfast sandwich, I always eat it now! It seriously is the best thing since sliced bread.
Oh, and your love for cheese. I am such a cheese head
cheese is one of life’s simple pleasures. 🙂
When I find my determination starting to waver I go back and ask myself why I started the process to begin with. Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of a goal but remembering why you started in the first place is really key!!
My motto when racing is: “Do, or do not. There is no try” – Yoda 🙂
My goals are to recover from my injury and run the NYC Marathon in 3 months (eep!)
Love that saying… I feel I’ve hit a plateau lately and totally needed that because sometimes you just really need some motivation 🙂
What kind of bagels do you buy?
this was a sweet wheat alternative bagel. i buy them at publix!
I love that mantra – so good! In fact, I probably could have used that when my alarm first went off this morning and I skipped the gym. Thankfully I’m off work today and after my breakfast settles a bit I plan to walk over there and get in my workout but it would have been nice to get it out of the way first thing. Instead, I hit snooze a few too many times and my hunger had enough time to wake up and make that a pre workout requirement!
My goal: Graduate law school in May! And try to make it through my husband’s graduate school ups and downs as well.
When the going gets tough, I picture my 8th grade self who was determined to get out of her small town, go to professional school, and get a kick-a job. I can’t bear to let down that poor little awkward girl 😉
Great mantra! I am training for my very first half marathon right now, so my goal is to run the whole time (and not die). 🙂
I love that mantra.. and it’s so true! I especially use it with something like running, which is mostly mental for me.