Goal Setting

So I started this blog with the goal to work out everyday for the 2 weeks.  I havent quite completed that task but I have exercised a lot more since I started.  I figured I would look more into how important setting goals is when exercising.  Whether it is short term, long term, specific or vague, goal setting impacts exercise.

Goal setting and motivation go hand and hang.  Goal setting directs your behavior and efforts. 

"According to the "The Introduction to Psychology," vague goals may not provide much motivation, because you won't know whether you are actually achieving your goal. Specific goals provide more motivation, because they allow you to measure your progress and take steps to plan your behavior to meet your goals. Setting a specific goal allows you to evaluate the goal to determine if the goal is realistically attainable. Realistic and attainable goals are more motivating that vague, possibly unattainable goals."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/310075-relationship-between-goal-setting-motivation/#ixzz1lS8w8pWW

 

On the other hand, the intensity and difficulty of a goal can be benneficial and motivational.

When setting goals, keep these things in mind:

• General health goals
• Weight loss
• Healthy eating
• Exercise and fitness
• Life balance (stress management, sleep and relaxation)

Basically, I think as a form of motivation we should set weekly or monthly goals to hold ourselves accountable.  Maybe run a timed mile on Sunday and then want to beat that time the following Saturday.  Or it could be that you want to exercise for at least 10 hours total by the end of the week.  Maybe a goal could be to run/walk/bike at least 10 miles by the end of the week.  Whatever it is, make a goal that you can stick to while still challenging yourself!

      

Music and Exercise

Without hesitation, I would say that music increases are exercise.  In almost every aerobic class out there, music is used.  From Richard Simmons to Jane Fonda to present day Zumba classes, music is used to enhance the level of activity going on.  For me, I find that I de-stress and move faster when I have my iPod during a run rather than the same run without my iPod.  When I used to do spin classes, the music had a HUGE impact on the class and there were some songs that just motivated us all to keep on going.

I decided to do a little research to back up my own thoughts on music's relationship with exercise.  “It can reduce the perception of effort significantly and increase endurance by as much as 15 percent.” (Costas Karageorghis, Ph.D., from London’s Brunel University School of Sport and Education).  Nicole Harmon states that "the theory is that music can prevent exercisers from focusing on the specific physical sensations of fatigue" (The Beat Goes On: The Effects of Music on Exercise).  So basically, musics main benefits when exercising is motivational tool and distraction from what we are really feeling. 

An article on ACEFitness explained that our natural instinct is to follow a beat.  Well that alone makes a big impact on our music selection. The question is, what music do we choose?  Everyone has a preference of what they listen to when they work out to but is there any science behind it?  Costas Karageorghis has studied the relationship between the two for more than 20 years and recommends the song have a tempo of between 120 and 140 beats per minute.  The article in the New York Times gives many suggestions of songs that work for different workouts.  (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/health/10iht-fitness.1.9126209.html?pagewanted=all).  

At the moment, if I had one song to choose to work out to it would be "Moves like Jagger" by Maroon 5 but that's just for now. I have never been one to make a playlist but maybe I should, less time spent hitting next during my run. What are your favorite songs to work out to?

http://www.acefitness.org/certifiednewsarticle/805/
http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/beat-goes-effects-music-exercise

Keep it positive, have fun and celebrate your darn victories! The more you think positive the more achievements will come your way.

- Lark Miller

Stress Relief

Well, as I continue on, as predicted Monday was a wash.  I knew there were going to be tough days and I am trying to avoid the excuses but its a reality and its part of the every day life of most Americans.  Tuesday was a game day for us, so I was able to get a quick mile run in (with the dog of course, still slowing me down slightly) and still have time before the game.  The hardest days seem to be when I have practice and my brother has a game, the other 3 days of the week, I should have no excuse.  

With the crazy schedule I follow each day, its easy to become stressed.  Whether its a bad day of work or lack of sleep without the opportunity to catch up, its a part of life.  There is no better way to relieve that tension and stress than exercise.  

"Being active can boost your feel-good endorphins and distract you from daily worries." -mayo clinic staff

 Aside from that, our mind wanders as we exercise and it takes the focus off the things that are stressing us out.  Its a relief from reality.  When we are busy, its easy to take exercise out of the day plan to give ourselves extra breathing room, but is this really helping?  This is always my reasoning, something along the lines of "I'm exhausted", "I just need to sit", "I don't have time to shower before the game if I exercise".  Excuses are our biggest enemies.  

Its been proven that exercise ties into stress relief, it puts a little more energy in our step each day, makes us feel good and proud of ourselves, better yet, it lightens our mood.  To make our relief from stress even more the worthwhile.  Music while we exercise can be a huge asset to us.  In my next blog, I will talk about motivational music that increases are exercise.

Examples of Exercises that Relieve Stress:

Running 

Boxing

Martial Arts

Weight Training

Yoga

*These are just a few, all types of exercise are beneficial as forms of stress relief*

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise-and-stress/SR00036