Per my usual Friday outdoor workout theme, this afternoon I took Harley for a hike. We went to Mount Madonna Park to do the same hike we ventured through recently, and I quickly remembered why we’ve been going at 7 am and not 2 pm… it’s damn hot around here!
I’m a complete wuss in the heat. It just sucks the life out of me. I’m not alone, as Harley has little endurance in warm weather too…so we were quite the pair today! Besides it being hot and the sun being strong, I worked out my legs at the gym yesterday and they’re feeling pretty damn achy today. 30 minutes into the hike, already dripping with sweat, I debated whether we should just turn around and call it a day. I was thinking that just an hour is okay with me. I had my iPhone music shuffle on, and just then, the Alabama Shakes song ”Hold On” came on.
Harley powering through our hot weather hike
I remember listening to that song a lot last year when my hubby was deployed. Back then, hearing you gotta hold on to me meant to just keep pushing through the deployment. Today, the song symbolized me holding on and powering through my sweaty hike. With that, I kept on walking, repeating hold on in my head as the mantra of my workout. Coincidentally, the next song to come on was ”Carry On” by Fun.
A little while later, we hit a shady patch where Harley was playing a game where she’d speed ahead so she could lay down for a few seconds while I caught up, and the incline wasn’t as rough on my sore legs. By that time we were cruising! It’s funny, I always feel like I have to work my body harder in the heat, but I never realized that my heart actually really does work harder during warm weather workouts until I got a heart rate monitor. Today’s hike, which was the exact same loop that I did once before, took the same amount of time, yet I burned 150 more calories than last time. Good stuff!
With some AC on in the car during the ride home, ice currently on my sore muscles, a frozen berry bowl post-workout snack, and an electrolyte replenishing drink, I am now feeling good and definitely am glad I kept on moving and didn’t let myself turn around!
Side note: I picked up some locally grown strawberries and sweet cherries at the little farm stand on my way home. Unlike my new love for cherries, my obsession with strawberries has been going on for a longgg time. I know what I’m eating for dessert tonight!
Question: When you’re having a rough time, whether you’re struggling during a workout, with a relationship, your job, issues with family, trying to lose weight, etc., what mantras do you like to repeat to yourself?
Besides telling myself to just hold on and take it one step at a time, I also like repeating You’re stronger than you think and Fear less, live more – a mantra that I took away from my interview with Sarah Reinertsen.
Have a great weekend!
Great job pushing through! I usually just tell myself that I will feel so much better when I get it done…physically and just the sense of accomplishment that I did what I set out to do.
I so wish we had a place to hike. I would go ALL THE TIME.
I still need to get a heart rate monitor…thanks for the reminder 😉
Love the new look of the blog!
Thank you!! I hear ya, as you can tell from my frequent chatter about hiking, I take advantage of living in a great area for it right now and go hiking all the time! Yes you should, I think you’ll love using a heart rate monitor like I do.
During hard workouts I always repeat in my head NO EXCUSES!
Good one, I love it!