Workout confusion

I'm not sure why, but for the past few years (I was going to write 2 or 3, but that's a few, right?) I've been sporatic about my workout plans. It's been driving me crazy. Except for a few focused rotations, I'll do some workouts for a few weeks, then will get bored or distracted and move onto another plan (or non-plan, just doing whatever I can talk myself into that morning). The best I did was my periodization plan I did with Cathe's workouts for 6 weeks, and my few Slim Series rotations getting me ready for my trips to Beachbody.

I used to plan out rotations for 4-6 weeks -- or even 12 and would stick with them religiously. Nothing got in my way. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor even a vacation or sickness would keep me from sticking with my workouts. (Okay, maybe a few illnesses did, but even as sick as I'd be, I'll still do a light yoga video or meditation CD so I could feel like I was doing something).

I remember lugging my full-size step and risers into my mother-in-law's house (along with weights) and doing my workouts before anyone else got up. One Christmas vacation day, I slept a little too late and had several nieces and nephews joining me for a Tae Bo workout -- it was pretty fun. I also remember calling a hotel before a family reunion to see if they had a TV and VCR I could use in their fitness room. They didn't, but they told me I could bring mine in (we had a TV/VCR combo we plugged into a car for trips -- long before those little DVD players were so hip -- which btw we've never purchased -- we just make our kids look out the window and enjoy the drive now). But anyway, each morning of this reunion, I'd lug the TV into the fitness room from my car so I could keep up with my rotation.

What ever happened to that dedication? I think I started questioning my sanity at one point - -like does it really matter if I miss a few days? Well, yes and no. No, probably not in the overall scheme of things -- I could pick up where I left off, but sometimes my cardio capacity would have faltered or my strength and flexibility gains. However, mentally, I do think it makes a big difference. Once you break that stride, it's hard to get back into it at the same pace as before, or even to get back into it at all.

I think I broke my stride when my allergies and asthma got really severe 3 1/2 years ago. It was before I learned about raw foods and my allergies were controlling my life. I was frustrated that I couldn't keep up with a rotation, so I learned to be happy with what I could do whether it was light yoga or just a little cardio. That's healthy to learn to go with the flow, but I miss my old pace. I've never really regained it. Even when I did my 16 week periodization Cathe plan, I was regretting it at times. I went through a few slumps of "Do I really have to keep doing this?"

Another contributing factor may be that I have so many workouts to choose from that I'm often wondering if I should switch gears to something else. I have yet to find the perfect plan for incorporating cardio (step, kickboxing, and rebounding), yoga, weights (traditional and functional fitness), and Pilates without spending 2 hours a day doing it (and feeling a bit scattered). I have to narrow it down and that gets frustrating. Yes, I want it all!

I've thought of getting rid of some of my workouts so I'm not longing to do something else once I've started another plan. But whenever I've done that in the past, I end up buying or trading for those workouts again. There's actually a Video Fitness term for that -- it's called trader's remorse or seller's remorse. So I'm better off keeping something I will likely want to do again.

Hmm . . . I really think the key is (think, think, think) to keep my eating on track. When I don't, I get sick or I want to sleep in more. That's the biggest interrupter to my workouts. I get pickier about my workouts and tend to bail on what I'm doing. So I think I'll go with that for now -- come up with a plan that I really think I will love for even just the next 2 weeks (until Thanksgiving), eat my best, get to bed at a 1/2 decent hour and see if that will keep me happy and going for awhile.

My biggest regret over the past few years is that my cardio capacity is nothing like what it used to be. I want to be able to do an hour long advanced step workout without wanting to quit at any point. I want to even go on for another 1/2 hour if I feel like it. And boy do I miss sweating. I just don't sweat as much as I used to because I don't work as hard. So that will be my goal for the next 2 weeks.

My plan will go something like this:

W -- Yoga
Th - Cardio
F -- Weights
S -- Cardio
S -- Rest

M -- Cardio
T -- Yoga
W -- Cardio
Th -- Weights
F -- Cardio
S -- Yoga
S -- Rest

M -- Cardio
T -- Weights
W -- Cardio
Th -- Yoga & a nice walk (Thanksgiving Day)
F -- Yoga & walk
S -- Yoga
S -- Rest

I'm just allowing for keeping it easy while traveling. Gone are the days of bringing my step and weights with me!

I'll be back to report my progress. TTFN!

P.S. (If you want to check out this workout planner program that I have pictured at the top, here's the free trial for Raquel's Workout Log
I downloaded it a few weeks ago, but haven't had a chance to fiddle with it yet. I need to though before my free trial is over! I'll get back and share my impressions later on. So much to talk about, so little time!)