Some Like it Hot
And some like it hot,
sweaty
and covered in Viesa hair.
Sweaty workout pics are kinda gross, but I just had to show ya’ll how booty-kicking Insanity is. I sweat like I do in a power yoga class with the heat cranked wayyyy up, even though we have the AC on over here. Crazy! Today’s workout was a doozy (Pure Cardio + Cardio Abs) but as always, we were so glad we did it 🙂
Breakfast before bed:
The classic 😀 Arugula, local strawberries, goat cheese and Organicville baslamic. Be still, my heart 🙂
Recovery:
Smoothie with:
1 C almond milk
1/2 C water
1/2 banana
1 scoop vanilla Sun Warrior
Frozen raspberries
vanilla + Stevia
Today is going to be a whirlwind, but I’m ready for it 🙂
The plan:
– Work
– Post office
– Lunch and take dogs out
– Blog
-Make spin CD (I’m subbing spin for May, but am going to teach off the bike since I still have Zumba and Insanity) and work on Zumba dances
– Teach Spin + Zumba + 15 minute Ab class
– Indian with the girls
Go, go, go!
See ya this afternoon!
xoxo,
Gina
Something to talk about: Workout psychology. I got a really interesting email from a reader who said that she used anger as her prime workout motivation. Her boyfriend broke up with her for another girl, and as her “revenge”, she turned her health around, lost weight, and started to feel so much better. She thought about him as she exercised, and let’s just say her punching was a little more fierce during kickboxing class 🙂 Ever since she’s been in a better place mentally, her workouts have changed from being fast and furious, to more yoga and mellow types of exercise. The reader told me that Jillian Michaels (I’m more of a Bob fan) often encourages people to use their anger to fuel their workouts if the anger is there. Anger at other people, anger at themselves, unhappiness, can all be used to push us to work a little bit harder and accomplish what we want to. She also asked me if I’ve ever used anger as workout motivation… the answer: HECK yes.
The most recent time that I’ve used serious, deep-down anger to push myself in workouts was last year, when the pilot was deployed. I was SO mad. Mad at the reasons why he was over there and mad that I couldn’t be with the person I love more than anything, all the time. Other married couples who don’t even like each other get to see each other every day, and I only get to see my husband, who I’m crazy about, maybe 2/3 of the year. Definitely a reason to get riled up. This is one of the reasons why I got really into running last year — those sprinting surges helped to direct some of the anger out. I also got super into yoga (which I still adore) and it helped me to calm down, stop worrying about the deployment and enjoy the present moment. The therapeutic powers of exercise are great and getting our sweat on can help us in so many ways.
The reader also asked what she can use as motivation since she’s not mad at her ex-boyfriend anymore and wondered if working out with anger as motivation is healthy. For motivation, I think goals are important to set, whether it’s an upcoming race, a healthy body fat %, a number of push-ups, plank seconds, etc. Find something attainable to work towards, even it’s just working out consistently – every day you get your workout in, put a check mark on the calendar and at the end of 10 checks (with recovery days in there), treat yourself to a pedicure, massage, facial, something fun. As far as the question of using anger as motivation is healthy, I think it totally is as long as it isn’t making workouts take over your life and as long as not all of your workouts are anger-driven. If it gets you through the end of a hard spin class or long run, that’s awesome, but when it gets to the point that you’re spinning or running all day just to handle a tough situation, it might be a signal to talk to someone about what’s going on.
What do you guys think?
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I think setting goals is the biggest motivation for me. But so is remember how good I feel after exercise – mentally, emotionally, and physically. I think back to a time when I didn’t eat healthy or work out and wasn’t feeling my best. I don’t want to feel that way again – so that is a good way to look at it, too. I agree – sometimes my best workouts come from anger/stress relief.
you’re going to be one busy call this month!
And as for using Anger to exercise, it works! but once you’re over it, definitely set other goals. You don’t have to feel those angry feeling anymore, so be glad, and tackled as many goals as you can think of! for a better healthier you!
I think whatever it takes to get you to work out is good, but anger is pretty fleeting so you should find something thats more permanent for when that fades. For me, obviously my health is first, but I have major issues falling asleep when i don’t work out and also get pretty bad anxiety and stress. When i work out, it all comes out and I leave feeling SO much better and sleep like a baby.
girl i wish your motivation! i went walking/running last night at midnight and then came back and made a green/orange veg and fruit juice! It was pretty darn good; now only if could eat like that every day; but i love me some kettle corn (sweet & salty); chips, ice cream and a cook cake!
girl i love kettlecorn and ice cream too 🙂
ps. i think i’m going to invest in a pressure cooker so i can get some FLAN in my life!
xoxo
i agree with jessica…setting a goal, like wearing an awesome dress or amazing pair of jeans, might be a good way to motivate her! i’d say that rewards are more, well, rewarding than working out in anger.
yeah, i totally agree!
Anger is what I consider an external motivator. It’s like working out with the goal to hit a particular size. At some point in time, you move past a point where anger works. Living in a state of constant unresolved anger is a sign of deeper issues which often tie in to your weight issues.
Taking out a bad day by means of a workout is fine. Like anything, moderation is the key.
As for what you use to drive yourself forward, I think the secret is learning how to set goals which are important to you. Don’t just set a goal to make someone else happy. It’s got to matter for you.
I know that running saves me. Do I use it as a crutch to deal with things? YES! But I’ve done the talking thing it makes it worse for me I need a place to get the nervous energy out and mellow. This is why I run! IT has given me so much and most of my friends know I can handle so much more now that I have an outlet for everything.
I use races as motivation sometimes, but right now I am just running to run. I have a hard job (or will I hope!) and it is a great way to process through the day.
So I do think a tangible reward maybe good for this person, but some people just need a run to cope with everything which to me is OK. There are worse ways to cope 😉
there are definitely worse ways to cope.. at least you get something beneficial out of exercise, as long as you keep it to a healthy level
I think a balance is really what you need, such as using anger to fuel particularly intense sessions but exercise should be for enjoyment just as it should be for de-stressing.
I frequently use anger to motivate working out. I’m not much of a gym person–I like doing things outside–but I live in Egypt right now and there’s plenty of occasional outdoor opportunities, but if I want to work out daily, I have to go to the gym. The sexual harassment is really bad here–walking down the street gets me called names, whistled and hissed at, etc., and it sure makes going to the gym a lot easier because I can work out my anger there (instead of right there and then on the street). I’m also a little homesick (I’m from Tucson!) and working out every day keeps my mind off of how long it is before I go back home (only three weeks now!).
TUCSON!!! *le sigh* great place to be homesick for, though! love tucson
oh I miss Tucson so much when I am in Egypt…the weather is not that different but everything else is…no Chipotle, Sabino Canyon, or Cafe Poca Cosa here!
POCA COSA 🙂 one of my absolute favorites.. i also love sabino canyon, la parrilla and shopping at encantada
yeah my mom lives right by Sabino Canyon which is awesome…la parrilla is one of my absolute favorites…in high school my friends and i used to just get the queso suizo and nothing else…don’t do that anymore, good thing they have more than just cheese!
hahah we used to do that in high school, too! my friend sarah and i ditched choir once and went to la parrilla for queso 😉
Hmm, really interesting question about the anger as motivation! I know stress relief can be a motivator for me, but I don’t think I’ve used anger recently. I think any reason other than “I have to exercise because it’s good for me/my doctor told me to” is a good one – not that those other reasons aren’t good, but I think without a little “punch” in your motivation, the drive to exercise can disappear.
I can definitely get motivated by anger! Running and sprinting definitely releases that anger a bit and lets me just think. I find my thoughts become more clear and I just relax a lot more after a good run.
My husband and I did the fit test for Insanity this morning before work. I started swearing during the warm up! “This is the $%@%@ warm up?!?
bahah. I liked it though!
You know, when I’m upset or mad, I have a harder time working out. I have an easier time sitting on the couch, staring and stewing over the problem and being completely unproductive unfortunately 🙁
I think working out is a great way to relieve anger and stress. Good for her for chanelling her anger into something positive!
I do think that exercise can be SUCH a huge stress/anger release! I went through a bad break up last summer and I put all of my frustrations into running and it really helped me feel better!
I think using anger is great – and do it a lot – but less as a motivation to get out there and workout. You won’t be angry forever, and you shouldn’t be! You need to have an independent drive to workout in general – but I say that using anger while working out will help give you a better workout, and might relieve some of the anger/tension!
Actually, in the psychology classes I have taken, the topic of catharsis or releasing anger was discussed extensively. Many argue that anger is not the best motivation to use for workouts and can actually be quite harmful to oneself. Often, people find that the issues that are causing the anger may be temporarily resolved through exercise or whatever they are utilizing their angry feelings for, but in the long term, the anger seldom dissipates and often leaves the individual with feelings of emptiness, disatissfaction etc.
I feel that these findings are true for me, as I used to use my angry feelings toward my mother to fuel my runs, but found that eventually I was no less angry, but a lot less motivated. The best person/emotion to use for exercise is yourself and more positive feelings, such as ambition (“I WILL run these 5 miles because I can!”).
I definitely use running as a way to release anger/tension. Endorphins are like happy pills 😉
I know you’ve been taking about Insanity a lot…but what exactly is it? A gym class??
Gina! I think I need that shirt 😉
So glad you’re loving Insanity–it seems vurrry intense but I know you love it/can handle it!!
Haha sometimes I think I rely on exercise to de-stress a bit too much. After a real blood-boiling day, it feels good to sweat out all the negative stuff. I know writing in a journal or venting to a friend is supposed to be therapeutic, but sometimes I have to settle down before I can even think about picking up a pen or the phone!
i use anger occasionally, although i really don’t have much to be angry about! most of the time i focus on one thing in front of me and push through (like in spinning or running) i think anger as motivation is perfectly fine unless your exercise become the only way you cope with your anger. that salad looks sooo yummy!
I love using anger to work out. It pushes me so much more. I also use music to motivate me. A good song can really make me push myself so much more. Insanity must be insane! 😉
I think anger can be good motivation, but it should be your only. If it is, you’ll either have nothing to work out for when you move past anger. That, or you’ll be chronically angry—fit but someone no one wants to be around!
I think anger can be a great motivation, but it’s kind of like an explosion — it’s fast and furious and creates a big boom, but you need something more to keep the fire going.
I haven’t had the opportunity to draw on anger to motivate my exercise or healthy transformation, but I would totally take advantage of it if I did! Until then, I’m relying on the simple fact looking good and feeling great makes me super happy. 🙂
I don’t use anger, per se, but when I am stressed or sad, I go out for a run and leave everything out there. I come back feeling 100% better and happy because running is incredibly cathartic for me. So I may start out with a negative feeling but my mood quickly turns to just focusing on the run and when I’m done, I feel euphoric.
My more positive workout motivation is visualizing myself as an older woman who is healthy, formidable, and an inspiration to her grandkids. Kind of weird, but I’m taking care of myself now because a good quality of life for my whole life is one of my biggest long term goals and it helps to remind myself of that.
I think anger might be an effective motivator for exercise and the benefit is two-fold because personally I always feel calmer after a workout. However, to be angry every time you exercise isn’t healthy in my opinion because a)the eventual goal should be to get rid of the anger permanently and b) when you’re angry you could push yourself too hard and get hurt.
When I’m stressed a run is the best medicine, but I also run while happy. My biggest motivation is telling myself I want to be stronger and faster and live longer than the everyday Joe. I love the mantra “you will fail mentally before you will fail physically”. My dad taught me that and every time I want to stop, I tell myself that it’s my mind being weak and I still have something left. 🙂
Just wondering if you have heard of Shawn T’s Hip Hop abs. I want to try insanity but I just saw this and was curious.
For many years, I studied acting, under a teacher who was an expert in the Stanislavski method (also known as “Method” acting, which is an entirely vague and arbitrary title, but whatever), which is they type of acting that people like Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro studied and practice. One of the core aspects of the Method is to draw from your own experiences and explore your deepest emotions for the purpose of creating a realistic character on stage. We were always taught, though, that it was most important to draw these feelings from past events that still affect us, such as an incredibly painful childhood experience, rather than channel CURRENT emotions. A common anecdote my teacher would tell us was about a student of his who was hired to play a role of an angry and unhappy young man in a play. He did brilliantly for the first few months of the show, but soon he started dating a young woman, and his acting suffered. It turns out he was channelling the pain and anger from a recent breakup, and once those painful emotions were replaced by the new positive emotions from the new relationship, he had no more fuel to run on, and eventually he lost the job.
It’s great, therapeutic, and healthy to use your anger to motivate you to positivity, but I am wary of recommending using it as your SOLE motivation, because anger fades! I agree with the above commenters who suggest setting a positive goal as your motivation, which is not only a way to work through your anger, but a way to work AROUND your anger – when you know there’s something good coming from your hard work, you’re able to let go of the negative things bringing you down!
that is such an interesting story and i can definitely see how that could happen.
LOVING the comments to this post!
I loved reading everyone’s answers! I am very rarely angry, but when I am let’s say upset or unhappy about something, running is my favorite release. I try to run a little longer on those days and push my body towards exhaustion. When I get done, I’m so proud of myself and have all those endorphins that whatever was bothering me, isn’t a big deal anymore. When you are not feeling your best, I think that it’s extra important to get those workouts in. But, at the same time, if you are suffering from extreme anger/depression/bad feelings I think that it’s best to seek professional assistance along with working out.
P.s. Your t-shirt is so cute! Where can I find that brand of shirts?
I think the idea of “using” anger for better workouts is super interesting. My best friend was recently in a situation very similar to your reader – her boyfriend broke up with her for another girl – and she has lost weight and used the anger as impetus to exercise. To this day, my best run ever was the day that I found out one of my friends had passed away. I was so angry and upset that I didn’t even feel the six miles go by. Its amazing how that works. I try to visualize something that’s bothering me and usually the feelings of strength that come from a workout overpower it. Its pretty amazing. 🙂
What is this insanity workout? Is there a dvd or do you do this at the gym?? That is a lot of sweat! I for some reason don’t really sweat much, but maybe I just don’t push myself that hard 😐
You are an inspiration to us all Gina!
Have a great day!
XXOO
hey girl, here’s some info on insanity: http://fitnessista.com/2010/04/insanity-workout-re-cap-week-1/
yea anger is good if it can spark a fire inside.. as long as it sparks and motivates rather than like u said.. controls u during the workout.
btw i love sweaty workouts. some people i understand hate sweat.. but boy if i dont sweat i feel like i didnt get a good workout. but then again, some people dont sweat easily.. my body is like a leaky hose.. okay maybe i shouldnt have said that.. sound horribly gross, no? lol
xoxo <3
I for sure use anger as workout motivation, but I also relax because of what’s making me angry!
I know a lot of people use exercise as a way to clear their heads or think out an issue – but I like to workout as a distraction! I’m such a worrier than a hour or so to myself without too much thinking is glorious.
I’ve never been able to use anger to effectively fuel me through workouts, as in, I’ve never been able to use it as the reason I get off my couch and go. However, I’ve used it as motivation to throw a medicine ball just a little harder, as a reason to get through a sprint.
I don’t think it’s too much of a problem, but my instinct is that it is somehow wrong to use it completely…sort of like how you’re supposed to use positive reinforcement when training dogs 🙂 If negativity is fueling what is supposed to be a positive thing in your life, something is not going right somewhere…
Oh my goodness. When I read this post I immediately thought “that’s me.” Not all the time, obviously, but a bad break-up (and a loser ex-bf) was what got me into running several years ago. Even though I only ran a mile or two at a time, that feeling of your lungs and legs burning was the only thing that made me feel better (once it was over of course). It was the only thing that got the anger and frustration “out” of me. I think a lot of people hold on to bitterness and anger and it slowly eats away at you over time. It even starts to ooze out in other areas of your life. Exercise is a great way to release all those toxins in a healthy and productive way. Of course it shouldn’t be taken to the extreme, but I totally think it’s an awesome thing. Plus it doesn’t hurt to look smokin’ hot after you lose a loser. 🙂
amen 🙂
Gah! One thing I don’t like about my otherwise awesome apartment is NO ROOM TO WORK OUT. It’s a tiny studio, so no Insanity for me. Boooo!
I’ll just live vicariously through you.
Im a huge fan of setting goals. I think anger can be good motivation to certain extend, but in the long run goals & personal achievement are what keep you going.
I am all for using intense emotions to stimulate motivation and work-outs. Last year I went through one of the most difficult times in my life with quite the roller coaster ride of emotions. Despite all the support of my family and friends, working out was literally the only thing that would get me through the day. It is completely true, though, that talking to someone is ultimately the best decision in the end, but working out not only helps to release those endorphins and keep you smiling, but also it helps to relieve some of that tension that builds up when you are SO emotional! For me, Zumba has just about saved my life! I became so addicted to it (in a healthy way 😉 ) that I am now an instructor as well!!! Sorry for the novel, but this post really spoke to me.
I think anger can be a powerful motivator, but eventually you need to work out for yourself, for a goal, whether it is just to feel better or fit into a dress, go up in strength, etc. A really bad break-up is what got me into running two years ago, back then I never went over twenty minutes of running. Now, two years & two marathons later, I run for me and for the sense of power and accomplishment it gives me. Somewhere along the way I think the healthiest thing is to find a postive thing to influence you to workout.
Insanity must be a great workout! Wow! I need to try that 🙂
I think goals are imperative to training well. If I have no goal, I just run to run- and it takes the fun out of things. When I have a goal, say, a 5k in a month and a 10k in 2 (my current goal!), it is the perfect motivation!
xo
K
I think we’ve all been to the point of wanting to get on the treadmill and just run and run and run..thinking “I’ll show him what he gave up.” I know I’ve been there. Although that makes for some great workouts, I would rather exercise to make myself feel and look better for ME, not for someone else. I find it very hard to find motivation and it usually comes from a new guy in my life or something of the sort. Ridiculous, I know. If you girls come up with a way to get motivated without using anger or other ridiculous tactics then let me know! 🙂
I think using your emotions is a great way to fuel your exercise. I can’t imagine exercise making it worse, only easing the pain, your anger, your frustration, etc. In fact, I would assume that exercising is probably one of the healthiest ways to deal with anger or any other emotion for that matter.
Hi! I am a long time lurker, first time commenter. I love your blog! Question: Where would you recommend using the Insanity DVDs? I wanted to purchase them, but I don’t have a huge living room. Do you think it is important to have a large space? Thanks!
hey frannie,
thanks for saying hi! 😀
you don’t need a large space at all, maybe 5 ft by 5 ft??
I find emotions can fuel my workouts too, especially stress and can really help be a healthy release. I love sweaty workouts – I don’t feel it’s a good workout unless I sweat like crazy!!
haha nice sweaty pic!! pretty sure my shirt is going to look like that in about 30mins!! i got my insanity dvds last week and im starting today!! woooo! but kinda nervous, hope i can do it!!
pancakes look sooo good. good job.
awesome- i hope you love it, too!
Anger or any other emotion doesn’t motivate me because the two things are unrelated, to me. If I needed motivation to let the air out of his tires, anger would be just the thing! But I’m too analytical to connect unrelated ‘dots’.
The only motivator that works for me with exercise is self-love. Ditto for eating right. Sometimes we make these things about self-punishment but I don’t think that works for as long.
I think anger can be a motivational tool, but not one you want to use to sustain your workouts. I used anger as a resource to fuel my workouts- and it worked great for awhile! Got down to my lowest weight ever, much in part b/c I was working out my emotions over a bad break-up. But as I moved on from the anger, I actually found myself dreading my workouts, b/c I started associated them with the break-up and those feelings. So now I still work out, but not with as much focus, as I don’t need the exercise as a release for my feelings. I just work out now to feel good about myself and to feel like I’ve accomplished something. I’ve gained most of the weight back now too (mix of less time and intensity in the gym/not as careful with the diet), which stinks, but I’d rather have the weight back and have a mentally postive outlook than be skinny and mentally miserable.
I’m not sure that I would say I use anger as a motivator for working out, but when I’m angry, working out helps. It helps me to just push it aside. If I am working really hard, I’m concentrating on the moves or the speed, not at what made me so mad. Most often, once the workout is over, I forget about it and begin to feel great once the endorphins do their good! 🙂
Last year, I got injured for the very first time in my life: a sprained ankle in a rugby game. Instead of calling it quits and taking it easy for months, I used my anger (at myself, even though I just got tackled at an unfortunate angle) to stick to a realistic recovery plan. While I couldn’t run, I got really, really into interval and power walking and over the next few months gradually eased back into running. I know I was able to commit to it so steadfastly because I was angry that running had been taken away from me, and I was going to do whatever I could to get it back. And I did! No physical therapy sessions needed, and I’m one of the fastest on my team again. Now I use that memory to motivate me to keep up running while I can.
Also, during high school fitness tests, I made it my secret goal to beat a girl that I thoroughly disliked on every category. She never knew, but I made it a point that I couldn’t stop until I had far surpassed her. I beat a lot of boys that way too! 😉
I just ordered Insanity yesterday after seeing your enthusiasm about it all over the blog. I need to take my workouts up a level, and I have a feeling I’m going to love it!