I just finished a workout. Today was legs. I’m doing high reps with no or light weights. My legs build muscle easily and are naturally rather muscular so I’m not looking to add any more bulk.

Often, when doing high reps, it’s easy to get discouraged. You feel the burn at a count of 6 and you’re suppose to go to 15. When I reach a count of 10, I start counting down from 5. Yes, it’s the same as continuing to count until 15, but something about mentally assigning a smaller number makes it easier to get through the set.  You’ll notice this in professional workout videos and group exercises classes.  The count is always broken down into smaller chunks and it really works! “And 1, and 2, and 3, and 4, and 1, and 2, and 3, and 4…”

I also do high-endurance cardio on certain days. This involves me running on the treadmill for about 90 minutes.  When I first started, I used to want to stop after just 15 minutes!  Now, I can push myself to do the full 90.

When I was working out at the gym, I noticed a lot of people would put a towel over the treadmill display to keep them from constantly checking their progress.  I’m the opposite.  Seeing these numbers keep me going. It’s like instant gratification.  I will look down and see that I’ve gone .43 miles.  I tell myself mentally “C’mon, you can make it to .5. It’s half a mile! You can’t get to half a mile? C’mon!” I set a mini-goal and when I meet it, I’m thrilled enough to keep going. I probably set at least two dozen mini-goals when I’m on the treadmill.  I switch between the distance, time, and calories display.  ”You’re at 238 calories burned. You can make it to 250!” Once I reach 250, I go “Well, that wasn’t that hard. You can go all the way to 300 then!” and the cycle continues.  I really enjoy watching the display change and seeing the immediate affects of my action.

If you’re ever really discouraged, try mentally changing the way you approach your workout and see if it doesn’t make a big difference for you.

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