DAY 39: Snow White Dwarves versus ANIMAL PACK: How to keep MOTIVATED

How can THIS be motivating?! Read on

There's a lot of confusion when it comes to figuring out a way to keep motivated all the time. Anthony Robbins pushes you to put down a list of reasons why you're doing something. To list the pain and the pleasure you get out of doing something versus not doing it; To ask yourself the right questions that pushes your mind to find the right answers to keep you boosted (try "will I pull this off?" versus "how am I going to succeed?)... He talks about putting yourself back in an energized and strong state of mind – like athletes do to keep themselves in check when on the field. I use a specific morale boosting music and quotes/scenes from 300 to put me right back on track. But I've realized that when you repeat anything way too much, it loses its appeal and does't move you the way it's supposed to.

I was in a very inspired mood yesterday. So inspired that I opened facebook and invited friends to join me in training. It was the more the merrier and the more intense workouts could get. I was in a Spartan mood – don't get me wrong I still am, but yesterday, I felt it became a bit more serious. It always becomes tricky when motivation hits the roof. I know by experience that it explodes but then dwindles down. I've always seen it in design projects, bodybuilding, snowboarding, boxing, gymnastics ... and all other sometimes short or long lived passions I've had.

I don't mind training on a Sunday. I don't know what people have with the whole sacredness of a weekend. In my opinion, it's just another day. However, I didn't train yesterday. I postponed it all day because believe it or not ... on a Sunday ... I had design work to finish. Plus I had to respect my woman and give her the light of day when she was waiting to spend time with me on a week-end. As we came back home at 10PM, I ate some fruit to boost me up again; I wanted to complete a P90x Shoulders/Chest/Tri routine. I did 2 minutes of it then just turned off the TV. I hadn't sensed it but 5 minutes later I suddently had another one of these "chab'it hawa" crises and it spread all across from my left shoulder to my lower lungs/left hip. It was really painful and happened because I still was careless about covering up. Sweatshirt is on starting tomorrow. No more air conditioning period. I classified skipping yesterday as circumstantial – but was it really? I mean if I was so motivated, how come I didn't just put everything aside as I usuallly do and kick the shit out of the training!?

I woke up today and had the solution to all of it. Back in uni days, when Tariq and I used to train, I used to always do the same thing when I lost motivation or when I got TOO intense: make it as if the training was just a part of my daily routine. As if it were NOTHING. "Just another university course I have to attend, a 6 credit course albeit, but just a course" or "just a part of my day". Believe it or not, all the pressure, all the tension, the deadlines, the extra nutritional mambo jambo focus... etc. Nothing would matter that much because it's just a "something minor and routine on my to do list, when the time to train comes, I just do it and get it out of the way". Imagine how much pressure that relieves, especially on days like Leg day where fear actually grips me from the day before because of how intense things will be. As I said before in one of my posts, the nike+ chip is going to make me way too competitive and the stakes are going to be so high that I'm going to litterally exhaust myself and that's what I had started to do.
Yes, the pressure is on. I only have 27 days till D-day. But the more I put pressure on myself – "I'm not losing weight! My abs aren't showing enough! I'm not buff enough! ... etc" – the more I'll think and the less I'll enjoy the process and put all of myself into it. The intelligent thing is to do whatever I have to do. Assess progress once a week, set a plan for the next week and a rough pacing for the rest of the month and keep on going. I'm bulking up now but I gotta keep lean and not amass fat, HENCE I reduce my carbs; if things still don't workout I'll consider a fat burner but I have another week to care about that so I should shut my brain and do what I have to do.

That said, I'm going to design all day long, all happy and jolly like a snow white dwarf. Shoulders/Chest/Tri seems very very far now. When it comes at 6:30, I'll simply do it (like a fucking Spartan), but then I move on. Same thing for walks/jogs in the morning. No Nike+ necessary. It's me, Karly and the open road. I'll play it by ear and will just have fun.

To illustrate my point of view, the video right under was what used to motivate me the MOST in my bodybuilding days. It was all about the "shut the fuck up and train attitude". Train and get bigger and stronger. I loved it. To be honest I still do but haven't been around the sport for a while. My body in all cases isn't used to that kind of training anymore – I'm not sure if I miss it or not. It still impresses the shit out of me though. Do I still wanna look like that. I didn't a week ago. But hitting the hard weights and the pump it gives me always fucks with my brain. Anyways, here's an example of RAW motivation. (check out the animal pack ads by the way. They are AWESOME!)

One of my favorites. Check them out here

The Vid below that however is another way to keep going. Just get as happy go lucky as possible after you've set your plan and goal. Keep the extreme mindset ONLY WHEN TRAINING. The rest of the day should look like that.

"Hi-Ho!" everyone!



Yes. No "Haous" today. Just "Hi-Ho"! ;)


HI-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!