Now we’re getting into the grind… the workouts are getting longer, the weights are getting heavier, and we’re feeling more and more tired after we finish.

Have you ever just had an overall bad day? I worked a very long day one Wednesday and barely had time to run home, change, and get back to the gym on time… I was just tired. I sat at home for a moment wondering if I should just skip the workout. I convinced myself I’d feel better, because I’d work out all the stress.

I got to the gym and started strong, determined to crush it, and I just felt… weak. Every weight was too heavy, though I’d used it before. Every exercise was too far, too strenuous, and too much. I got done running a mile (which is one of the few things I tend to shine in at these workouts) and the coach, Terrence, said “you’ve run faster than THAT!” Which I knew. I was so disappointed in myself with how that workout happened, that I was biting back tears. The negative self-talk was strong.

After the workout was completed, I was walking back to the locker room with another one of the members from Team Jade, Caroline, and confessing my bad workout and lost it. I started tearing up. One of the things I love about this program is the support. Not only did Caroline try to boost me up by telling me that having this bad workout was better than not having worked out at all,  she listened to the word vomit of rant I had as to why I had such a long day and everything that could have caused my “bad workout” (including, being that time of month). She was so sweet, and even after we left, she messaged me on Facebook later that night to check up on me.

But having that bad workout day definitely is a thing for everyone at least once in a while over the course of the workout. Besides just pushing past it, what can we do to make it better?

I asked other people in the program if they’ve experienced “bad” workout days. Margie, from team Maroon, said just this past Tuesday, she had one. She thought her “bum knee and poor food and water consumption earlier in the day, prior to [the] workout” were to blame.  Lindsay, one of the class instructors at the Riverplex and a Royal Blue Reset participant, said the first challenge (rowing) was really hard. She says “I compared my time to my fellow team members and beat myself up for how I did next to their times. I felt pretty embarrassed considering I used to teach Body Attack! I felt I could have done so much better.”

But what Lindsay says next is, I think, the KEY to the whole “Bad” workout thing. “I took a step back and reminded myself that I was essentially starting all over again. My strength certainly wasn’t going to come back overnight. And what mattered was that I beat my own personal time… that helped.” It’s that whole positive self-talk. It’s something we talked about at the VERY first Wellness session. Positive self-talk is the difference between good and bad days. It’s telling yourself that you’re DOING it, and even if today wasn’t your best, it was a thousand times better than sitting on the couch. No matter what had happened or how stressed I was going into the workout, I did something that day to make myself better. It’s exactly what Caroline said to me, too.

I think for all of us to combat these days, if we’re struggling with the positive self-talk, we need to be vocal about our day, because there are a dozen people who have not only had a day just like the one you’re having, but are willing and ready to BE your positive talk!

Having support: The SINGLE biggest factor in workout success! I <3 these groups!

Whether or not you’re doing the Riverplex Reset, I want to hear about your workouts! Feel free to email me at [email protected] and give me a snapshot of what you do that works for you, what doesn’t work, and struggles you have! I can extend this support group beyond just the Reset! When we help each other out when we all need it the most, we all WIN!