Category Archives: Exercise

Celebrate Your Way into Working Out

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ConfettiWoo hoo! I got a 20 minute workout in this morning!

Doesn’t sound like much?

I am celebrating!

Why? Because I’ve missed my workouts for most of the past two weeks due to a chest cold.

While 20 minutes is less than half of the time than I normally spend, I did what I could do.

And it felt good!

It felt satisfying to get back to regularly moving my body. It felt like progress. It felt fun to focus on wellness.

An interruption to your workout routine is actually a key time to focus on progress not perfection.

Too often you may be disappointed, frustrated, and discouraged because you aren’t where you were or where you expected to be. It can take a few days—or even weeks—to get back up to full speed and intensity if you’ve been sick, injured, or are just under a lot of stress. (Holidays anyone?)

When you focus on what you’ve “lost,” where you “should” be, how “hard” it is, etc., you are actually getting in the way of your comeback. It will be hard because you believe it to be.

I know.

In the past, coming back from an illness might very well have sent my workout routine on the skids for months.

I would have focused so much on the negative elements of my recovery that I literally made it 100 times harder to get back into a healthy routine.

I didnt make to the gym

Think of it this way. If all you focus on is how much you are dreading your workout, how much you hate exercise, how horrible sweating is, how hard it will be—how likely are you to sustain your workout program?

Not very!  

Pretty quickly, even the idea of working out can be emotionally and physically draining. This is often the beginning of your regaining the weight you have lost—and then some.

When you catch yourself starting that negative thought spiral, STOP!

Instead, celebrate what you can do, rather than what you can’t, what you did, rather than what you should have done, and where you are, rather than where you think you should be.

Shifting your focus to the positive literally generates energy that will help you get back on track more quickly and easily. 

I also have the personal experience that exercise relieves stress, and now I use stress as an excuse to workout rather than a reason to avoid it.

When exercise feels like the very last thing you want to do, focus on the stress-relieving benefits of exercise and how much better you’ll feel afterwards.

And when you do the workout and are in that better-feeling place, notice it, focus on it, and celebrate it so that you can remember it the next time you are trying to convince yourself to go workout.

The key to getting back on track is to figure out the minimum that you can do that will make you feel like you’re making progress, and then celebrate doing that. Even a walk around the block has benefits and will help clear your mind, and it’s a lot easier to convince yourself to do than a full-blown workout.

And if you really can’t motivate yourself to get a workout in, forgive yourself and focus on doing what you can do to take care of you.

Together we can do it!

Love Your Workout?

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I just had the most fun workout!

Does having the words “fun” and “workout” in the same sentence seem like a contradiction to you?

That’s one of those limiting beliefs that is resulting in your holding onto the weight!

Who said working out had to be a drag? Or worse?

And don’t think that just because my workout was fun that it means it was easy.

An hour later and my face is still beat red and my metabolism revved. I definitely pushed it. And I loved every minute of it!

While I will share what I was doing, the most important thing is to do is find the workout that you enjoy. That you find fun. That you kind-of-wish you were doing at other points in the day.

The key to moving your body consistently is to enjoy it.

And consistency is key to long-term success.

A stumbling block for many women I work with is that they think they have to take up a form of exercise that they hate.

Depending on what your goals are, there are many ways to achieve the results you’re looking for.

For instance, I know women who are in great shape who have achieved their goals by doing everything from walking, to yoga, to tai chi. Others have done Pilates, dancing, boxing, jump-roping, and even hula-hooping. And there are many more options.

Experiment until you find the workout you enjoy.

So what was the workout I did this morning?

If you follow my blog regularly, you know I love dance walking. But heading out in the dark and cold—not so much fun.

A couple of months ago a fabulous reader and fellow blogger introduced me to dance cardio on the treadmill. Now I had spontaneously burst into dance-walking on the treadmill before—and promptly fallen off. But she pointed me to some demonstration videos and I was up and, well, dancing!

And it is intense! And fun! And I’m getting better at it as I do it!

Picking something that you actually enjoy doing significantly increases your chances of releasing the weight–once and for all.

Think of it this way. If you are starting a workout program that you hate, are dreading and despise every moment while you are doing it, how long are you likely to sustain that program?

This is another example of how harnessing your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs and aligning them with your actions is like adding a rocket booster to your ability to achieve your goals.

Find the way that moving your body feels good! 

Together we can do it!

Here are my inspirations.

Ben Aaron taking dance walking public

Dance Aerobics on Treadmill at Palheiro Spa, Madeira

Tracy Anderson Treadmill Routine with Molly Sims Part B 

I’m excited to announce that I have 3 coaching spaces open to help you love your way slim. If you are serious about transforming your mind and body, secure your spot now by emailing me at hannagoss@goss-coaching.com by November 11 to schedule your complimentary breakthrough session. These powerful sessions are available on a limited basis. Don’t wait till Jan 2 to take inspired action. Start creating the body—and life—you want today.

Don’t Hold Back

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Woo hoo! After two days of giving my squished foot some rest, I got in an upper body workout this morning.

After taking a moment to pat myself on the back for getting back on the exercise wagon, I took a look at the quality of my workout.

Hmm. I definitely held back. Out of curiosity, I asked myself “why?”

The answer was fear. Fear of hurting my foot and fear of the pain I might create.

“Perfectly normal,” you might say. After all, I did just give my foot a pretty significant whack with a grooming table.

But as Bruce Schneider likes to say, “Normal does not mean necessary.”

In this case, the most discomfort I had was putting on my shoe. Sure, I had some touchy moments here and there, but once I established a way to do each exercise comfortably, why didn’t I give it my all?

Recognizing that I was acting from the fear of the pain I might experience was one of the “ah-ha” opportunities from this whole situation.

How often have I held back from life not because of the pain I was experiencing, but because of the fear of pain?

The answer is “a lot,” and I don’t think I’m alone here.

One of the first things we often do when reaching for something new is to throw a bunch of “but what if” scenarios in our way. That can easily stop us right there. That worst case scenario is just too big a risk–and creates too much fear.

Most of the time, however, we aren’t really risking that worst case scenario. Sure, theoretically it might be possible that I could lift so heavy a weight that I could damage my foot and extend my recovery time, but how likely is that? Not very. Particularly without the warning signs of some significant pain. There’s a big difference between “Youch!” and “that hurts.”

Letting go of the fear of pain and actually embracing the pain we are facing is one way we master life. Truly living fully includes those painful moments. By limiting or trying to escape or control painful situations we limit the joyful and exhilarating moments in our life, too.

And ultimately, do I want the foundation of my life to be fear or love? I believe the stronger foundation for my actions—and therefore my life—is love.

The quickest way to shift from fear to love is to change the underlying thoughts.

For me, that means changing my thoughts about what I can do and rethinking what I am capable of. It means encouraging myself to test the limits more and not just hold back without knowing them. And it means accepting and embracing any pain I might encounter, rather than seeing pain as failure.

And these are lessons I want to take beyond my next workout.

Together we can do it!

Photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net

Are You Feeling the Joy?

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I love feeling unbridled optimism and joy! Wanting to sing at the top of my lungs and dance because it feels so good!

Interestingly, one of the places this exuberance erupts is in the middle of running high intensity intervals. Even when I’m so out of breath that I can’t sing or clap, I sometimes just pump my arms. The joy just has to be expressed!

Yes, most of the time I’m running on the treadmill at home so I have no inhibitions, but my husband will tell you that it doesn’t really matter if I’m out on the street. I’m a dance walker and runner, baby!

Perhaps it’s just endorphins. Perhaps it’s the increased oxygen flow to my brain. Perhaps it’s just the beat of the music. Perhaps it’s the series of minor concussions I had as a kid. So what! Who cares? It’s anabolic and I love it!

And it’s a gift that keeps on giving. That amazing feeling of being in love with life continues way longer than the 35 minutes I’m on the treadmill. It boosts my energy and positive feeling all day long.

What does that boost do? It makes me more loving and patient with the people in my life. It allows me to let go of little things that don’t matter. It enables me to get more done—and to do it with a better attitude.

It goes deeper than that. When we’re experiencing this kind of positive anabolic energy, it has the power to rebuild the body at the cellular level. This is why laughter is called the best medicine.

Who wouldn’t want to take this if it were a drug?

Exercise is one way I get the anabolic energy flowing. How about you? What are you doing that brings out the most joy, appreciation, and love? How could you do more of that? What impact might that have on your wellness—and your life?

Together we can do it!

Photo by www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Move Your Body to Improve Your Life

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I’ve had a few “Thank goodness I work out” moments this week. From digging holes and planting shrubbery, to moving large planters around on the porch, to having to carry my 35-pound dog part of the way home from a walk—I’ve appreciated my strength and stamina.

While studies show that exercise plays an important role in promoting sound physical and mental health, more practically, it also adds to quality of life.

From easily carrying in the groceries to dancing for the sheer joy of it, being physically fit allows you to do and be more of Who you want to be.

Ironically, this isn’t one of the many benefits of exercise that is often cited. Too often we focus on the external reasons to exercise—weight loss or maintenance, a healthier heart, reduced risk of high blood pressure, stronger bones and joints, a stronger immune system, etc.

Those reasons are awesome, but alone they may not be enough to get you out of bed to go move your body.

But what about having the energy or stamina to play with your kids or grand-kids? Getting out and enjoying a hike with your family? Taking on a do-it-yourself project around the house? Or doing anything else you might want to do, like going horseback riding, zip-lining, or canoeing?

All of those activities are easier, safer, and more fun if you consistently move your body.

Even small things make a difference to quality of life, for instance being able to easily carry a box to the attic or basement, hauling the laundry basket, or climbing several flights of stairs.

Life is easier—and just more fun—when you have a strong and powerful body that you’ve developed through regular exercise.

How would your quality of life improve if you were in even better physical shape? How could moving your body help you be more of Who you want to be? How can you use those reasons to get your workout in today?

Together we can do it!

Related blogs:

Eleven Reasons to Exercise Today

My Secret to Extreme Exercise Commitment

3 Benefits of Exercise You Might Have Forgotten About by Cheers to Well-Being

Photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net