Pushing Yourself Out of Your Comfort Zone

I love a tough workout, a dripping in sweat, struggling to breath, can't quite piece together a sentence kind of workout. This was not always the case. Believe me when I was 208 pounds I convinced myself that I was so unfit that I was going to have a heart attack if I broke a sweat, I feared my knees were going to buckle underneath me and I'd be forever strapped to a wheelchair. Well my friends none of those things happened. I certainly recommend you get your doctor's approval before starting any fitness program and I'm sure 99% of you will hear you are good to go. No more excuses!

You have to learn how to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. At first walking into a gym is enough to elevate your heart rate, a walk on the treadmill will get the blood pumping...a run? Forget about it! I love a challenge and had no idea I had such a competitive spirit. It's like watching The Biggest Loser and seeing morbidly obese people push themselves to run a marathon, to give it everything to win a competition and I always wondered, if they are so competitive how did they ever get to be 300, 400, 500 pounds? I bet they were like me, they didn't know they had it in them until they took that step to change their lives.

I want you to find that desire to change your life when you are working out. Don't focus on the pain, focus on how good you are going to feel when its done. When I am out for a run and my mind is starting to wander into the "I can't" zone I focus on how great its going to feel to get home and tell my husband I ran 10km faster than I had before. The look of pride I see on his face is one I still struggle to see on my own when I look in the mirror. Embrace vanity, I post on facebook and twitter my workouts and how hard they are. I do this not only to motivate other people but the feedback I get pumps me up to push even harder the next time. People love to cheer you on, brag about the 15 minutes you completed on the treadmill, the extra mile you clocked on the bike, yell it from the rooftops!

If you are finding it hard to get that fire burning in your belly to push yourself beyond your comfort zone I'd like you to consider a few things:

1. Hire a personal trainer. Even if for only a few sessions they can push you to try new things and show you how strong and capable you are.

2. Try some fitness DVDs. There are some great DVDs on the market which require little to no equipment. Having someone else tell you what to do can give you the kick-start you need.

3. Join a group fitness class and stand at the front. Nothing motivates me more in a kickboxing class than having an amazing instructor, wicked music and standing right up front knowing I better give it my all because there are people behind me watching.

4. Write down what your fitness goals are and what you are going to do everyday to bring yourself closer to those goals. Carry it with you always.

Now get out there and kick some ass!