I'm going to be honest: it's cold, people! It's cold, and it gets dark early! After working for eight hours, I am just not motivated to get in a cold car, drive through the dark to a gym, work out, go out in the cold again, and then drive some more in the dark. Nothing about that is exciting to me. I need some serious motivation from November to March or bathing suit season 2013 is going to be...not good.
Enter theme workouts!
Yes, I am perfectly serious. If you've been following my ramblings, you may have caught on to the fact that I love stories. I think stories shape our dreams, our personalities, and they have a lot of influence on how we present ourselves to others. The books, movies, and TV shows that we consume can influence our clothing, hair, even our patterns of speech (there are studies on this...it's crazy). I never imagined that they could influence how we exercise, but I guess it makes sense.
When the Hunger Games came out, blogs and fitness camps advertised workouts inspired by the books/movie. People who hated working out, but loved the books, were suddenly going for long runs, taking up archery, and incorporating resistance training. It was a personal challenge to see if you could actually survive the games. Now, is this weird? Yes, kind of. Was it getting people in the gym? It was!
Why does this work? We love stories!! It's fun to go for a hike and imagine yourself wandering through Narnia, or Middle Earth. You don't mind pushing your limits if you let your imagination play too. That's the draw of challenges like The Warrior Run. You get to dress like a flipping Viking while wading through mud puddles, jumping through flaming rings, and running a 5k! Does your workout routine change when the Olympics airs? If you follow Russell Crowe on Twitter (and you should), his workouts tend to take on themes depending on his shooting schedule.
I was kind of raised on the James Bond franchise thanks to my dad. For years, I didn't like the movies because women were represented as brainless sex zombies (yeah, I said it), and men were portrayed as bloodthirsty, emotionally-challenged thugs with guns. I just don't like those stereotypes, so I didn't like the franchise. Granted, they have been getting better over the years...I think Daniel Craig actually cried in the last film, and mostly everybody kept their clothes on. Little victories! Regardless of my sentiments about the films, there is one thing I cannot deny: those Bond Girls are tough ladies. They kick, scratch, and shoot their way through very hairy scrapes, and can still rock a backless formal gown. Truth be told, I don't want to look like those twig-thin, boney Victoria Secrets models! They're lovely, but in a fight they would be absolutely useless! I want to be tough like a Bond Girl! So that's what is motivating me to play. I'm doing kickboxing, yoga, weights, cardio, and plyometrics (jump training). It's an absolute blast, I can do it in my house after work, and I'm actually motivated.
So, what will motivate you to go
LOVE
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