I be up in the gym just working on my fitness

OK so I'm always talking about how I want to do a post for beginners about exercise....here we go! This might get a little embarrassing!


So here's the thing about being a beginner- it's hard to be at square one. It's frustrating to go out with a big heart and lots of excitement... and  then feel absolutely breathless after 3 minutes. Was all this gearing up just to work out for 3 minutes? 


But here's the deal....we all start at square one quite a bit, even if my definition of "square one" is different than yours. After I had Kaia, I remember going out for what I planned to be a long, strong run. I had been anticipating this day for awhile and was ready to hit the road running. Pretty quick after leaving, I was breathing hard and not moving very....gracefully. Every step was heavy.  I was very  confused because in my head I had this vision of me- I was in shape, strong, and confident.  My arms were probably raised in victory as I was crossing the finish line after a solid 13.1. That's who I thought I was.  Apparently though, that was not  reality.  Reality  was I was far from strong,  I didn't have months of training under my belt, and I definitely was  not the champion I still imagined myself to be from a year ago.  Reality was  I had a newborn  baby at home, an extra 40 lbs to carry around, and muscles that were totally shocked at what I was telling them to do.  I tried putting those facts  out of my mind, telling myself I could still run like that vision. But I was reminded of the truth of the situation every time my feet hit the pavement feeling like a ton of bricks and my knees screamed in rebellion.  Finally, I had to surrender  victory... to effort.  I plugged along methodically, at a slow pace. Defeated I started my old pep talk I've used a thousand times over...."You're just conditioning your body. Be glad you're even out here moving. You're going in the right direction. Just keep moving. You're teaching your body how to be in shape. Be patient."  And there I was at my square one. 


My tips for being at square one are derived straight from my own pep-talk: Be patient and just move your body. It doesn't matter how fast or slow, just keep going. Don't get caught up in what you used to be able to do or what others can do....just keep moving. And, once again, BE PATIENT with yourself. Talk so nice and kindly and confidently to yourself that it's sickening.


Another impediment to being a beginner: you finally make it to the gym {or wherever you're going to work-out}....and then have no idea what to do. It can all be a little overwhelming. I didn't do anything besides cardio til I was seriously like 25. Only because I didn't know how and I didn't know where to get started. When I joined a new gym after I had Dallin, it came with one free training session. And I'll tell you what, I latched onto that routine she gave me and never let go until a different trainer showed me a new routine.


So today I'm gonna give you an upper-body weight-lifting routine you can do at home or at the gym. This is still what I do every time I life weights.   

And there you have it. I would end this by saying, Don't make fun of me. But that's not very entertaining, so go on ahead....have a good laugh at my expense! I'm not photogenic and, apparently, not videogenic either, hahaha!


And just one last little thing that I do.....


Instead of mumbling to myself, "You can do this, you can do this...." I've changed it up a little bit. I've started mumbling, "I'M DOING THIS!"


Not only can you do, but you're doing it, and doing it well! You've got this....MOVE YO BODY!