Perfectionism

Perfectionism is unhealthy.  Repeat after me, perfectionism is unhealthy.  Get that ingrained into the brain!  Perfectionism is woven throughout my life.  If I direct it in a healthy manner, it can be good; however, normally it is not good.

I have been sick with the flu the past few days.  I'm feeling better.  I have actually stressed over my inactivity because I am a perfectionist.  Breathe.  My body needed to fight the virus, the fever, the aches and pains.  It's okay to rest when sick.

Today I'm better, and about to embark on my daily workout. What shall I do? Another area I exhibit freakish, perfectionist qualities is regarding exercise, specifically rotations. I can never come up with the perfect rotation in my mind.

I did very well when I did The Skogg System and walking.  I lost over 40 pounds doing those two things with "good" eating. I wasn't perfect with my caloric intake, but I was very good.  The little secret in this that I have seen but failed to actually "see" was the simplicity.

Keep it simple, sweetie.  Kiss.  Muah!

To be consistent, which is my goal, one must choose a fitness program that one can maintain.  I have always devised grandiose plans in my mind, then felt like a failure because I could not be consistent and perfect.  Well, a friend shared a Yahoo article with me about kettlebells.  According to a study (which I read but can't link because I read it on my school account), HIIT with kettlebell snatches will raise one's VO2Max.  That's awesome.  In the study, for eight weeks participants used a 12kg kettlebell, and for 20 minutes they did snatches for 15 seconds, then rested 15 seconds.  How easy is that.

Hello, KISS. My beloved kettlebell is making an appearance in my life again. Every other day I shall do a HIIT session with my kettlebell. I plan to Skogg first and then do 20 minutes of snatches.  SIMPLE.  The perfectionist in me can easily accomplish that.

Kettlebells incorporate both strength and cardiovascular training, so I will just add more cardio via step aerobics, walking, kickboxing and now that it's spring, biking.  Easy peasy.

In the study, the participants also did strength training and played soccer.  Well, easy peasy once again--on my off kettlebell days, I shall do Body Pump.

Consistency is my main goal right now, and I can obtain that by taking my bad traits and using them in a positive way. The perfectionist in me likes to fill in my charts and follow through with my plans.  Fabulous--so now I have a plan that I can maintain.

Time to raise the bar with Body Pump!