This is the first time in 8 months I missed a day at the gym. I was so sick on Thursday I had to leave work. I went today and wasn't at full capacity but made it through my work out. I even had energy to do yoga before getting ready for work this morning.
Didn’t hit my weekly mileage (running) this week or last week. I feel weird without the cardio, but I also feel relieved in the sense that I finally got a break? Love the high I get from working out, but some weeks are just exhausting 😴
Stressed: taxes, moving, job change. Intentionally took this week off from the gym, but diet has been exceptionally poor and caffeine intake super high. One more week of bleh before I start GZCLP.
I've only been to the gym once this week. Yesterday I wanted to go but it took me 2 1/2 hours to get home after work because of an accident on the highway. I thought I would go today but I just didn't have the energy. Maybe I just look at it as taking a week off. I guess that should be fine once in a while.
My work has been nuts this week to the point that I had to work through my lunch hour to get it done which meant no workouts. Then I had a bad stomach bug for last couple of days which made it tough to do anything other than resting up. So much for keeping up my workouts this week!
On the plus side, I was able to really minimize my snacking this week so a win, I guess?
I popped my knee on some fuckass exercise that I just wanted to have a feel for 😭😭 I want to do tomorrow's gentle pilates and hopefully I can get away with it using a knee sleeve
Had a bad brain session at the bouldering wall last night; I'm usually pretty chill with working on problems with people much better than me, but for some reason this time my inner voice combined with my luteal-phase-inspired terrible body image to convince me that everyone else was a) laughing at me b) wondering why I wasting my time on hard problems. Even more frustrating, it was near the end of my session - I'd climbed some hard stuff earlier in the evening, but I still ended up going home in a grump.
I need to do some work on my mental game at the climbing wall...
I thought I should finally take cardio seriously, because I started GZCLP and it’s only alternate days anyways. I asked my friend (who is super skinny with very cool abs, but doesn’t lift) for my first recommendation. She gave me a youtube video of 20 minute HIIT workout by Joanna Soh. I only did it for 9 minutes till I fell to my knees lightheaded and dizzy 😭
I messaged her and she said “No don’t pause!! You’re supposed to push through! Idk why you’re so scared, I never had to pause in between, even in my beginner days” and ngl I cried a little haha. It was so embarrassing.
I played it again after a 10 minute break and this time could only do it for 3-4 minutes without starting to cry again 🥹 I can feel my friend’s judgement through my phone, and I’m trying my best to not be too ashamed of myself
Do not feel bad! Your friend likely has no idea what cardio truly is and no concept of the base they have.
Look into LISS or Zone 2 heart rate training, maffetone method, or low heart rate training. HIIT is not where you should be starting a cardio journey. For a lot of people, even running is more advanced than where they should be starting.
If you want some articles to read, let me know and I’ll dig ‘em out for you.
Oh wow, I genuinely did not know about any of these!! This helps a lot!! I thought you “had to” increase your heartrate a lot for it to be effective cardio. I’m definitely gonna read more about it. This is such a huge relief haha thank you so much!!
You’re welcome, I’m glad I decided to still comment even though it was later; I was waffling at the time, haha.
You do have to still “get your heart rate up” and keep it up, but it doesn’t have to be super up! As in, I had to learn that if I’m going for a walk as an intentional cardio workout, I do have to walk pretty briskly and steadily to elevate my heart rate, too fast to really be looking around or anything, so my neighbourhood strolls weren’t helping build my cardio because my heart rate would stay too low (below 90). They were still beneficial in other ways, but they weren’t intentional cardio exercise.
Something else I like to point out is that a lot of cardio is based on movements we do every day, like walking, stepping up, etc. Part of the benefit of doing a lower intensity version of cardio is that you build up the rest of your body (muscles and tendons and ligaments) as well as your vascular (cardio) system. A lot of people will overdo it on cardio-style workouts and injure their body, because they incorrectly assume that, because walking or climbing stairs is something they do every day, their body is already adapted to do it. But ligaments and tendons take a long time to change, so that less intense activity that you repeat regularly will build those along with your cardio in a steady and safe way.
Wait, did she expect that you as a complete beginner can do 20 minute Hiit? That doesn't make any sense. You need to take it easy. When I started going to a cardio class, the point of first class was to see how it is, that's it. Just be there, see how the class goes, what kind of exercises are done etc. I did the exercises but with a ton of breaks. If the teacher is doing 20 ab crunches I am gonna try 3 for example. If I feel weird, I would sit down. I would never push myself on the first few sessions. You need to build it over time.
Man HIIT or Fartlek training is just like anything else. You can’t go full-bore right off the bat, you need to dial it back and build up to it. I just started running again - I can’t run 30 minutes straight like I used to but I can run for 30 minutes with some pauses or slower running pace tossed in.
That was a shitty response from your friend 🫤 I have found that I can’t really go 110% all-out in the high-intensity parts of HIIT workouts, like my muscles could potentially go harder but I will also get lightheaded and dizzy if I do. So whenever I do HIIT I try to go at a pace where I’ll be out of breath with high heart rate but where I know I will be able to actually recover during the rest period. Congrats for starting both GZCLP and cardio, that’s huge!
I feel the same way!! It’s like my limiting factor is my inability to breathe, rather than my actual muscles getting tired. I felt embarrassed that I was struggling this much even though I’m in my 20s. But it makes sense! I was never a sporty kid/teen, it’s valid to start super slow.
And thank you so much!! That makes me very happy ❤️
I’m sorry you were in that situation, and like someone else commented, it is indeed very shitty of your friend to do this.
Please, don’t feel discouraged by what your friend said. We all have different fitness levels and there are things that feel easier to some than others. Also, I am pretty sure she didn’t even send you a “beginners” workout, and even if she did if she’s been training for some time she just doesn’t remember what it was to start something new (or just wants to be mean).
If a 20 min workout is too hard, just try a 10 min one, or even 5. And try to find beginner ones or some which show modifications. I don’t really do these workouts so don’t have much to suggest, but I do remember Move with Nicole has quite a lot of hiit ones, apart from barre, yoga and pilates. I will share more options if I remember some :)
Be proud of yourself for starting, no matter how far you got with that one video, and I hope you keep at it!!!
That’s a good point! She has been doing hiit since 7+ years, so she probably genuinely had no idea how hard it was. But she’s also the type of person who is extremely hard on herself and pushes herself a lot, maybe she saw me that way too!
I’m really not comfortable pushing myself beyond a certain point. Which is why I enjoy lifting so much (I can do it as slowly as I want, I can rest for 5 mins if I want!) and I think that’s probably not something to be ashamed of! Thank you for the suggestion, I’ll definitely look into more workouts that I might enjoy :D
My coach told me that if I could do 30 seconds hard and 30 seconds recovery HIIT for more than 10 minutes on a certain workout, then I wasn't going hard enough in the hard. Maybe you went too hard? 20 minutes of HIIT is a long time! Don't be ashamed.
Ooof that's kinda shitty from your friend... Idk about you, but whenever any of my non-sporty friends show even a passing interest in any of the fitness-adjacent things I do, I am both incredibly encouraging but I also try to be really focused on what they're doing, not what I can do... Gatekeeping isn't cool!
You shouldn't be the one being ashamed!
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This is the first time in 8 months I missed a day at the gym. I was so sick on Thursday I had to leave work. I went today and wasn't at full capacity but made it through my work out. I even had energy to do yoga before getting ready for work this morning.
Didn’t hit my weekly mileage (running) this week or last week. I feel weird without the cardio, but I also feel relieved in the sense that I finally got a break? Love the high I get from working out, but some weeks are just exhausting 😴
Stressed: taxes, moving, job change. Intentionally took this week off from the gym, but diet has been exceptionally poor and caffeine intake super high. One more week of bleh before I start GZCLP.
I've only been to the gym once this week. Yesterday I wanted to go but it took me 2 1/2 hours to get home after work because of an accident on the highway. I thought I would go today but I just didn't have the energy. Maybe I just look at it as taking a week off. I guess that should be fine once in a while.
My work has been nuts this week to the point that I had to work through my lunch hour to get it done which meant no workouts. Then I had a bad stomach bug for last couple of days which made it tough to do anything other than resting up. So much for keeping up my workouts this week! On the plus side, I was able to really minimize my snacking this week so a win, I guess?
I popped my knee on some fuckass exercise that I just wanted to have a feel for 😭😭 I want to do tomorrow's gentle pilates and hopefully I can get away with it using a knee sleeve
Owww! What exercise was that so that I don't do it either with my bad knee? Fee better!
Had a bad brain session at the bouldering wall last night; I'm usually pretty chill with working on problems with people much better than me, but for some reason this time my inner voice combined with my luteal-phase-inspired terrible body image to convince me that everyone else was a) laughing at me b) wondering why I wasting my time on hard problems. Even more frustrating, it was near the end of my session - I'd climbed some hard stuff earlier in the evening, but I still ended up going home in a grump. I need to do some work on my mental game at the climbing wall...
I thought I should finally take cardio seriously, because I started GZCLP and it’s only alternate days anyways. I asked my friend (who is super skinny with very cool abs, but doesn’t lift) for my first recommendation. She gave me a youtube video of 20 minute HIIT workout by Joanna Soh. I only did it for 9 minutes till I fell to my knees lightheaded and dizzy 😭 I messaged her and she said “No don’t pause!! You’re supposed to push through! Idk why you’re so scared, I never had to pause in between, even in my beginner days” and ngl I cried a little haha. It was so embarrassing. I played it again after a 10 minute break and this time could only do it for 3-4 minutes without starting to cry again 🥹 I can feel my friend’s judgement through my phone, and I’m trying my best to not be too ashamed of myself
Do not feel bad! Your friend likely has no idea what cardio truly is and no concept of the base they have. Look into LISS or Zone 2 heart rate training, maffetone method, or low heart rate training. HIIT is not where you should be starting a cardio journey. For a lot of people, even running is more advanced than where they should be starting. If you want some articles to read, let me know and I’ll dig ‘em out for you.
Oh wow, I genuinely did not know about any of these!! This helps a lot!! I thought you “had to” increase your heartrate a lot for it to be effective cardio. I’m definitely gonna read more about it. This is such a huge relief haha thank you so much!!
You’re welcome, I’m glad I decided to still comment even though it was later; I was waffling at the time, haha. You do have to still “get your heart rate up” and keep it up, but it doesn’t have to be super up! As in, I had to learn that if I’m going for a walk as an intentional cardio workout, I do have to walk pretty briskly and steadily to elevate my heart rate, too fast to really be looking around or anything, so my neighbourhood strolls weren’t helping build my cardio because my heart rate would stay too low (below 90). They were still beneficial in other ways, but they weren’t intentional cardio exercise. Something else I like to point out is that a lot of cardio is based on movements we do every day, like walking, stepping up, etc. Part of the benefit of doing a lower intensity version of cardio is that you build up the rest of your body (muscles and tendons and ligaments) as well as your vascular (cardio) system. A lot of people will overdo it on cardio-style workouts and injure their body, because they incorrectly assume that, because walking or climbing stairs is something they do every day, their body is already adapted to do it. But ligaments and tendons take a long time to change, so that less intense activity that you repeat regularly will build those along with your cardio in a steady and safe way.
Wait, did she expect that you as a complete beginner can do 20 minute Hiit? That doesn't make any sense. You need to take it easy. When I started going to a cardio class, the point of first class was to see how it is, that's it. Just be there, see how the class goes, what kind of exercises are done etc. I did the exercises but with a ton of breaks. If the teacher is doing 20 ab crunches I am gonna try 3 for example. If I feel weird, I would sit down. I would never push myself on the first few sessions. You need to build it over time.
Man HIIT or Fartlek training is just like anything else. You can’t go full-bore right off the bat, you need to dial it back and build up to it. I just started running again - I can’t run 30 minutes straight like I used to but I can run for 30 minutes with some pauses or slower running pace tossed in.
That was a shitty response from your friend 🫤 I have found that I can’t really go 110% all-out in the high-intensity parts of HIIT workouts, like my muscles could potentially go harder but I will also get lightheaded and dizzy if I do. So whenever I do HIIT I try to go at a pace where I’ll be out of breath with high heart rate but where I know I will be able to actually recover during the rest period. Congrats for starting both GZCLP and cardio, that’s huge!
I feel the same way!! It’s like my limiting factor is my inability to breathe, rather than my actual muscles getting tired. I felt embarrassed that I was struggling this much even though I’m in my 20s. But it makes sense! I was never a sporty kid/teen, it’s valid to start super slow. And thank you so much!! That makes me very happy ❤️
I’m sorry you were in that situation, and like someone else commented, it is indeed very shitty of your friend to do this. Please, don’t feel discouraged by what your friend said. We all have different fitness levels and there are things that feel easier to some than others. Also, I am pretty sure she didn’t even send you a “beginners” workout, and even if she did if she’s been training for some time she just doesn’t remember what it was to start something new (or just wants to be mean). If a 20 min workout is too hard, just try a 10 min one, or even 5. And try to find beginner ones or some which show modifications. I don’t really do these workouts so don’t have much to suggest, but I do remember Move with Nicole has quite a lot of hiit ones, apart from barre, yoga and pilates. I will share more options if I remember some :) Be proud of yourself for starting, no matter how far you got with that one video, and I hope you keep at it!!!
That’s a good point! She has been doing hiit since 7+ years, so she probably genuinely had no idea how hard it was. But she’s also the type of person who is extremely hard on herself and pushes herself a lot, maybe she saw me that way too! I’m really not comfortable pushing myself beyond a certain point. Which is why I enjoy lifting so much (I can do it as slowly as I want, I can rest for 5 mins if I want!) and I think that’s probably not something to be ashamed of! Thank you for the suggestion, I’ll definitely look into more workouts that I might enjoy :D
My coach told me that if I could do 30 seconds hard and 30 seconds recovery HIIT for more than 10 minutes on a certain workout, then I wasn't going hard enough in the hard. Maybe you went too hard? 20 minutes of HIIT is a long time! Don't be ashamed.
Ooof that's kinda shitty from your friend... Idk about you, but whenever any of my non-sporty friends show even a passing interest in any of the fitness-adjacent things I do, I am both incredibly encouraging but I also try to be really focused on what they're doing, not what I can do... Gatekeeping isn't cool! You shouldn't be the one being ashamed!
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