February
Motivation, Jelly Phase, & Fitness Spells
Fitness Stone: Carnelian
It’s easy to get excited about starting at the gym or with a new fitness class, but sometimes remaining motivated can be a bit of a challenge. It’s often this first lull that stops people. The question this month is: How do you stay motivated? There isn’t just one way to remain motivated, there are multiple methods and little things that you can do.
Ways to Stay Motivated for Fitness:
Create a new music playlist.
Invite a friend to go to the gym with you.
Set small, easy to reach goals for yourself.
Sign up for a virtual race.
Find a sale and pick up some new gym clothes.
Start using once-a-week measuring to monitor your progress like a scale that also measures body fat percentage.
Find a fitness app with daily routines you can try.
Log your workouts, food, and water with MyFitnessPal.
Pick up a fitness magazine for inspiration.
Try a pre-workout mix for an energy boost.
Plan a vacation a few months down the road with the end goal to simply “look and feel better than how you currently are”.
One of the first things I do, if I feel a little unmotivated, is to spend a few days working on a new playlist. I have two types of playlists: cardio and weightlifting. I tend to run along with the speed of the music, so it’s higher paced and loaded with bands like The Prodigy, KMFDM, and Juno Reactor. My weightlifting music tends to be slower with a mix of metal, industrial, rock, and anything that has a solid beat.
Small goals are a great way to become motivated. Maybe you want to lose 5-10lbs this month. Maybe it’s going down 1% in body fat. Perhaps it’s running a whole mile without stopping. Perhaps you want to move up 5lbs with lifting. These are all very accomplishable if you stick with it. These small goals can get you through to a bigger goal of getting vacation ready!
Sometimes purchasing new workout tights or a fitness tracker or signing up for a virtual race or even trying a pre-workout can be enough to get you back to the gym. Pre-workout mix is a drink mix that you take before you workout. It’s designed to give you a little extra boost of energy. Yes, they really do work and they run from $25-60 depending on brand.
For the technology-inclined, check out fitness apps, bluetooth scales with body fat measuring, virtual races, and MyFitnessPal (as a general food/exercise/water) tracker online and as an app. You might even want to try MoonRX.com or some sort of astrology-based fitness routine. Google it. You’ll find a handful of options.
Jelly Phase
This isn’t always talked about, but it’s something everyone notices when they start to workout...The Jelly Phase. You might be starting your second month of working out and you’ve noticed that you’re just...are you flabbier? What is going on?!
Congrats! You have reached the Jelly Phase!
What is going on is your fatty areas are warming up. Your metabolism is on the rise and it’s trying to burn through that fat. It’s a good thing because it means you’re doing it correctly. The bummer part about this phase is that you become increasingly aware of your fatty areas that now shake like jelly.
Keep going to the gym. You’re doing it correctly. The only way to get through the Jelly Phase is to continue to workout and keep your water intake high. Water will help to flush out the fat. Eating healthy will help your body continue to burn the fat and build muscle after the gym. Before you know it your pants will begin to sag and you’ll have to buy a smaller pair. Nicely done!
This month’s stone is Carnelian. Carnelian is great for power, ambition, and action. You are sure to feel a physical energy boost if you carry it in your gym bag or add it to your bottle of water. Since this stone is an energy powerhouse, it’s wonderful for the second month of working out because it will keep you going. Don’t fall victim to the second month stop. Keep going, you’re doing it!
Encourage Weightloss Spell
This spell only works alongside actual exercise, so think of it as a workout booster!
You will need:
Cauldron or Ramekin
2 Tealight Candles
Dressing Oil
Herbs: Dill, Rosemary, Thyme
Water
Pin or Nail
Fill the cauldron with ¼” of water and place one of the tealights in it. Light this candle. This is where you are currently. Focus on your goals of eating healthier, losing weight, and exercising more.
Using a pin or nail, carve the word “weightloss” on the other tealight candle.
Mix the three herbs with a teaspoon of dressing oil while focusing exactly on what you want. Have an exact amount of weight or size you want to lose in mind.
Keep focusing on exactly what you want while you dress the candle with the herb/oil mix.
Place this tealight in the cauldron and light it.
Spend some time intensely focusing and meditating over what you want. Once you feel satisfied that you have successfully cast your spell, set the cauldron with the candles in a sink or out of the way so they can continue to fully burnout. This can take 3-4 hours.
Just Do It Aromatherapy
2 drops Black Pepper Essential Oil
2 drops Lime Essential Oil
1 drop Wild Orange Essential Oil
1 drop Frankincense Essential Oil
Add to an aromatherapy diffuser for an invigorating aroma that is sure to motivate you.
Health Goth is a regular article that focuses on health, fitness, and how it relates to pagans and heathens. Any questions or comments can be sent to the author, Jessie. #FitWitch #PowerliftingViking #HealthGoth