Do any of you remember what it was like to work out without Fitbits, heart rate monitors, Garmins, or for those of you on Weight Watchers, ActiveLinks?
I do. It was awesome. Working out just to get myself moving, and once I started classes at my gym, have fun!
Then I invested in a Polar and it took away from the fun.
It was great to see how much I was training and felt awesome to see myself hit awesome numbers night in and night out. At the same time, I felt pressure to get to a certain number every time and felt like a failure if I didn't. Yes, I thought 419 calories in a spin class was horrible.
So this week, I decided to throw it back and work out without a Polar.
It came partially out of the thing not working since Sunday. It was also me being tired of feeling pressure to hit a certain number every time. It was that reason that I stopped tracking my Centergy classes. I wanted to focus on how good I felt instead of just a number on a wrist watch.
So, I was Polar-less this whole week. Let me just say it was the best feeling ever! I felt so free and happy in the gym for a change! I was able to focus on how I was feeling during the workouts themselves instead of just a number. I forgot how much of a warrior princess I felt in my Kick class or how strong I felt during the climbs in Ride.
When it comes down to it, isn't just getting up and moving worth a lot more than hitting a certain number every time? This last week made me realize that it is!
My friend Emily posted a question on her Facebook page that asked what our successes were this week. I said mine was working out without the Polar and enjoying it.
This was the response I got from her:
"Good for you, girl! I think that's a great step in making fitness a life-long love and habit. You don't want to feel like you have to hit a certain number each day. JUST LIVE IT
Now that I think about it, that was what I wanted all along. I wanted to just step into the gym or go on a run just to enjoy and live it! When we become to focused on numbers (this goes for just about anything), we tend to lose the real focus of why we're doing what we're doing. As long as we move and enjoy how we're doing it, we're still burning more calories than the people sitting home, eating crap, and watching TV.
In the end, that feeling beats any number on a little wristwatch computer.
I found out that my Polar probably needs a new strap, so I will be without it for at least another week. Honestly, I'm in no rush to get it back. I'm enjoying this whole "Just live it" thing in the gym. When I do start using it again, I'll use it to track, but not make it the focus of the workout. It's nice to know where you are in a workout, but it's also amazing to just live it too.
Do you use any tracking devices during your workout? Do you find it harder to enjoy a workout if you do?
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