A huge believer in science, I'm always looking toward the research that will answer these and other burning questions that spill out of my brain. You can read my past musings on over-training here. I feel that I tend to flow in and out of over-training all the time, and that explains my highs and lows.
But yesterday, a different possibility emerged that is so simple I wondered why I hadn't thought of it before. I had one of those Scooby-Doo moments where I actually hit my forehead with my open palm and exclaimed..."ZOINKES!" The earth-shattering conclusion I've reached is that the culprit for my energy swings is........
(pregnant pause inserted for effect)...................[sorry Charlotte]
BOREDOM!!
Yes party people- BOREDOM! Not a Noble Prize-worthy theory, but valuable for me anyway! And in my world, my n=1 research project is really important.
I came to my hypothesis because I had two very different workouts, two days in a row. A recap:
The LOW:
The Date: Tuesday 9.29.09
The Place: Gold's Gym Downtown LA.
The Drill: 20 EXCRUCIATING minutes on a Stepping Machine
- Time stood still: Am I done yet? oh, 18 minutes to go. am I done yet? Oh, 16 minutes to go.....
- Music: so important in a workout...I REALLY need to update my ipod. I love my music- but it's 3 years old by now.
- Heart Rate: Those low-energy days, it's nearly impossible to get my heart rate up above 120 unless I do High-Intensity Intervals: I figure that I can work hard for 30 seconds (3 or 4 times), even when I'm totally unmotivated.
The Saving Grace:
- 40 minutes of weights, including Kettlebell Swings (FUN!!!). Once I got my testosterone on, things started looking brighter and time flew by.
The Icing on the Cake:
- Sitting in the sauna and smiling at the memories from the wonderful Cucumber Caper I had there. Read here for that story.
This is the pool at Gold's Gym Downtown LA- They've overhauled the joint and it's pretty swanky for a Gold's!The HIGH:
The Date: Wed. 9.30.09
The Place: Magic Johnson 24-Hour Fitness, La Cienega. Ladera Heights/Inglewood. Near LAX
The Drill: Mark's INSANE KICKArSE kickboxing class. Read about the class and some cool peeps here.
- Just great music, jabs, jacks, kicks, squats, high-knees, pushups
- My average heart-rate is 140+. I like to keep my heart rate between 138-144, with a few High Intensity bouts to about 160. In this class, I have to consciously STOP myself from jumping around like a crazy woman or my heart-rate goes through the roof. That is because the class is so much dang fun and there is a ridiculous amount of infectious energy.
- It's ALL good- too good! The sheer number of students (yesterday, the famous Cliff and I counted 14 across and 8 deep. That's a whopping 112 people!),
- The high-fives, the "where have you been?" hugs
- The group chanting (yesterday it was "get off the floor and move your as$" and "get it, get it"- much of it is spontaneous- I don't know where the group gets these phrases, but they boost the intensity something wicked
- The drenched students and the sweat-splattered mirrors. Oh yeah.
The Icing on the Cake:
- Burn 500 calories, and you can eat a little bit of cake WITH icing! YESsss!
Not a wet T-shirt contest...this is right after class. Fellow kickbox enthusiast Coolie, instructor Mark & dear friend Ron in front of the splattered mirror. It's ok ladies...I give you permission to click on the photo to get a REAL.CLOSE.LOOK ;-)Debunking my Theory on my theory:
While I do think that boredom is partly to blame for my highs and lows, I also think that over-training might be part of the equation. For example, after I've been going like gangbuster for a number of days (leading to over-training), eventually it catches up with me and I get less-than-motivated to hit a class. If I convince myself to work-out nonetheless, then I fly solo, and my energy levels seem to be lower.
Conclusions:
- I should get my bootay to classes more often if I want that high-energy boost.
- I need to update my ipod.
- I need to remind myself that I am lucky that my body allows me to work out like a fiend until it just cries "uncle". Thank you, body.
9 comments:
I do overtrain from time to time but I am actually quite consistent. I found the balance of yoga + walking/running that works for me and roll with that. Playlists...ummm what genre are you lookin for? I only work out to urban and/or pop hits. Seriously, something about Lady Gaga and the like just lights a fire. And now if I could only get goolereader to publish my darn posts. When I saw your post pop up in reader just now knowing you use blogger and I do too (but I own my domain now) I am like WTF does G'Reader have against me?! LOL :)
Great chatting with you on email too btw :)
I need to make the connection between the exercise and the long term results of exercise BEFORE I workout, otherwise it feels like something I HAVE to do. I can go out and run 12 miles easy if I know that it's a step towards a half marathon, but I'll go insane trying to do 2 miles if it's just to get out of the house!
Sorry babe, I am the opposite, I fluctuate between UNDER training and training! :) But I agree about your boredom theory. I would love the kickboxing class. I should move out to CA and we can go togehter!
As for music, def agree with Averie, Lady Gaga is great. Weird but great. Also, Black Eyed Peas if not too overplayed, Rihanna, and of course all the timbers! :)
Yes.. definitely.
Sometimes I do the same thing week to week, and I wonder why my jeans are so tight?! Boredom. Lack of inspiration.
I feel when I combine weights, classes, overall moooveement, and yoga, I feel my best and look my best.
For instance, sometimes I go on a yoga streak, all yoga all the time, and I feel SO good for like a month, but then it catches up and I just want to roll up my mat and never look at it again. (My precious mat deserves so much better! -and so do my quads- they burn ALL the time if that's all I'm doing.)
WOWOWOWOWOW!!!! I don't even know where to begin..
First off - I just got your package in the mail tonight and I just about cried. You seriously made my entire week Deb - you are so thoughtful and so sweet to send me those goodies! You can bet I had a spoon dipped into each one the minute I took them out of the box. They are absolutely DELICIOUS!! Did you really make them yourself? Honestly I can't wait to try them in my oat bran. Hell, I think they'd go on just about anything!
I honestly cannot thank you enough!! If I could reach through the computer and wrap my arms around you I would. I will blog about it soon! Right now it's 10pm and I will probably hit the hay but you can believe your name will be mentioned in the near future. :)
Another HUGE WOW for that kickboxing class. 112 people?! Holy hell I would KILL to teach a class with that many people!
I definitely find that I get bored when I've been hitting it really hard. Then I get into a slump where I don't want to do anything, so over the past few months I've kind of been doing whatever I want. Some days it's just an easy elliptical, some days it's a long run, other days it's the TRX and then Tuesday it's hitting the weights hard. Mixing it up definitely helps and I have to remember that some days are going to be harder than others.
I laughed so hard at the SYLB playlist...that is my kind of music! I have a few Flo Rida songs (Low, Right Round, Jump), Black Eyed Peas (Boom Boom Pow, I Gotta Feeling), MIA (Paper Planes), Britney Spears (you know I'm a fan)...umm....I'll have to think some more. I hope that helps!
Thank you again for bringing such a huge smile to my face. Seriously I'm so happy right now. :)
Deb,
I have to shake things up or I get totally bored. I usually wake up with no plan, and just go with what I'm feeling that day, whether it be yoga, walking, hiking or a bike ride. With yoga, I'm a total studio hopper. Usually never go the same studio two times in a row - like you and your gyms. That helps to keep me from getting tired of the same old same old. So, yes, I say try new classes - you seem to get much more excited about them as I never hear you rave about the 40 minutes you spend doing cardio some machine. Somedays, maybe just skip the class and get outside for one of your garden walks. :)
As far as playlists go, I'm afraid I have nothing to offer. My music is not too fast paced - mostly songs that are good for yoga flows. I'm an acoustic folk kind of gal.
You crack me up Deb!! This: "Think: Timbaland, Timberlake...Anything having to do with falling lumber." was my fave. Your class sounds like a riot! I totally feel the same way about my group fit classes - just something about the mad energy!!
I'm reading a book you might find interesting: "What I Talk About When Running" by Haruki Murakami.
It's a memoir by an acclaimed
novelist who is also a runner who is very fastidious about his training.
I see it as a kind of a roundabout discussion of his writing praxis,
but it also serves as a meditation
on a lifetime as a runner.
ps my ipod has a "Caffeine Tunes" playlist and on some days, even
that won't work.
I LOVE this post! I felt like you were my twin when I was reading it! I totally agree that boredom is something that can make you 'drag' when it comes to exercise, so I try to do tons of variations on classes/video/running/gym etc! I also totally agree on the needing to update Ipod thing! Music is HUGE when it comes to working out! I LOVE your blog btw and added you to my blogroll! I look forward to reading your posts and could 'stalk' your blog for hours at a time haha! :) Keep it up girl! You ROCK!
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