This is making shift happen, and I'm your host Jen Katz. Over the years, I've coached hundreds of clients find their ideal self through the way they nourish their bodies and minds. And now I'm here to help pass on these same strategies to you. So let's stop the madness and get your results once and for all. Let's go. Hello, Fam, It is that time of the year when biking season is upon us for most of us, especially here in the Northern hemisphere. And sometimes our gym workouts just fall
to the wayside. Because, I mean, all a minute, we wanna spend more time out outside. I wanna spend more time outside. Totally get it. I totally fill you. So a common question that I get this time of year, especially when folks are getting into a little bit of bunk, which can happen seasonally is jen, what the hell do I do? When I'm just not motivated to work out when I'm not motivated to ride. You know, what
are some things that I can do? And that's what I wanted to do for this episode because I wanna help you out. 1 of the things that I often find. Is that sometimes we might have, set our expectations a little bit too high. You know, maybe we're getting out of winter, getting out of the fog of spring and the spring showers and all this other stuff kinda still rubbing our eyes, getting the sleeps out of our eyes. And it dawn on us, You know, like, hey, it's bike season. Holy Hell.
I wanna I wanna start biking more and you go you make the plan to go from 0 to hero is what I call it. And you're going from 0 days a week of riding to, like, you wanna do 6 days a week of writing, maybe 7. And sometimes that's just not realistic. You know, you're not setting some realistic expectations for yourself. Even if your friends are maybe riding that
much. And that's the thing Is sometimes we get a little drunk by this concept by this idea of seeing our friends and seeing our fellow racers and people on our teams and in our circles, we see them putting in the miles day in and day out throughout the week. And we're like, oh, man, I wanna do that. Right? I mean, hey, I get it. I've I've been drunk that as well, and I wanted to do that as well. And you know, sometimes we just have to set better
expectations for ourselves. We're all different. We're all individuals we each have a unique schedule, a unique set of expectations for our workload for our personal life, and, you know, for anything else that you can imagine. Whether we have sick parents, sick family members that we're caring for or a sick friend that we're helping or an injured friend that we're helping, this can change, you know in... Oh my goodness. If you have children on top of
it, that's going to change. If you're a single parent, that's going to change your schedule in availability. Alright. So your 24 hours is going to little look a little bit different than my 24 hours and vice versa. And we have to respect that. So whether or not you're seeing someone else that's in enjoying 6 days a week on the trail or on the gravel roads, hey, it's fine, but I want you to continually remind yourself. That you need to set realistic
expectations. You know, set some realistic realistic goals for yourself, don't go from 0 to hero and expect yourself to ride 6 days a week when maybe you haven't necessarily been doing that instead. What I recommend is starting off with a couple of days a week, You know, trying to get at least 1 day a week riding it, get a couple of days a week beyond that, get a, you know, add, keep adding on the more consistent you are. So if you're consistent,
you met your goal that week. Great. Try adding on another day. But don't set yourself up for failure and set yourself up for an unrealistic expectation by setting this high standard that you really have to strive for. And then of course, it leaves you frustrated and burn out and angry at yourself when you don't necessarily meet the number of days that you were hoping to. And then that that perpetuate the problem
that perpetuate the circle. And then before you know it, you're just going down the drain of your sink. Alright? And and you feel helpless and you feel even more frustrated, and then you just end up not doing anything at all. That's that's what we wanna avoid. The same can be said for days in the gym. Now, as a primarily a strength training coach that is my forte. That is my passion.
As someone who has done strength training for, you know, I'm gonna be 45 this year, which is really hard for me to say because I feel like I'm, like, 30. I've been training so I was about, like, 8, and, you know, you can do the math so I've been training for well over 35 years, and time and time again, I will I will say this with certainty. Even with strength training, you don't wanna go
from 0 to hero either. You're just going to be setting yourself up for excessive sore, you're going to feel like your legs are too heavy and they're not capable of doing what you want them to do when you're on the bike. And that's 1 of the biggest reasons why people stop strength training is because then they overdo it. They keep doing massively massively heavy weights close to their P r, close to their hundred percent Max and things like that. If you if you pay attention to that, of
course, not everyone does. That's fine. But If you do that urine and year out, your body doesn't necessarily have a time to take a little bit of a collective break. So when bike season really ramps up and your miles really ramp up, there isn't necessarily a need for you to lift excessively heavy weight
unless that is part of your sport. If you're an Olympic weight lift, for example, and you are still competing in competitions for Olympic weight lifting or you're a cross athlete and you're still lifting heavy, and you're still wanting to get to semi finals and the crossfit games and so on and so forth. Then yes, you are going to be the exception to the rule. However, this is not going to be for
everyone. Alright? And I wanna make that especially clear that it's really nice to lift heavier in the fall winter early spring. When you can really, really focus on building strength and hyper... Hypertrophy, but I don't know why that was a really difficult word for me to say just now. But, you know, during the off season quote unquote for for strength training, try to focus that on your biking, you
know, a little bit more. Getting some more miles and but then make the expectation 1 to 2 days of strength training a week. I wouldn't necessarily even say more than 3 days a week, not really necessary. How However, if you're unable to get on the bike or get out on the trail, if you don't have an indoor trainer to train upon, things like that, then, yeah, getting in this into the gym 3 to 4 days a week is going to be beneficial
for you. So by all means do that continue that, especially if you're doing that in, you know, the the fall winter, early spring range. Right? But I will say with certainty that you can really maintain your strength and still maintain power increase power and all of that with a nice minimum 1 to 2 days of strength training per week. And I I say this time and time again to my dread strong athletes. I see this time and time you get into myself. You know, here
I am. I'm training for lead events. There are longer endurance events, which I'm not used to. And, you know, I'm still trying to maintain 1 to 2 days of of week of of strength training sessions a week. I will say personal experience. Of course, I'm in n equals 1. So please know this is my experience. This is what I have
gone through. Your experience might be different. But I will say collectively, what I've seen over the, you know, almost 20 years that I've been coaching is time and time again, my clients do feel better when they are maintaining strength at least 1 to 2 days a week. Especially if they are an endurance athlete. You know, my iron ironman athletes, things like that that I worked with 3 years. I will say my personal experience is the same. Because I've actually tried. I I do
have a coach lover her to pieces. Shout out to Kim, if you're listening, I love you. So, you know, Kim and I have been working together for, a, little less than 2 months now. And I will say, you know, she's great. She's also a power lift. She... So she understands my propensity. My love for strength treating. But she's a 7 time led finish her. And, you know, she again, also really finds the benefit of you know, including string training with cycling, you know, with my my intervals
and things like that. Now in the last 3 weeks, my strength training has gone down to 0, only because my focus is primarily on cycling. However, I tried it and let me just tell you it's kind of embarrassing to say. I'm such a meat head. Let me just tell you. I I missed strength training. Like, it it it made me sad not to strength train. Like, I became kind of a debbie downer. And And plus, I also started to just kinda feel, like a couple things start to, like,
creep up a little bit that I... And these are things that I managed to to diminish because of our strength training and and doing a lot of single leg work and things like that. It I couldn't help, but just be like, oh, can I can I, you know, add my stuff? And, of course, she's she's awesome. She's like, yeah. Dude. Add in whatever the hell you need. You know what you need. Do it. And I told I was like hey, I'm not gonna be lifted heavy. Like, I'm not gonna be, you know, going ham.
On my dead lives and doing over 200 pounds or anything like that. So I I just went ahead and got back in, did some upper body stuff. Because, I mean, let's be honest, a little bit of vanity shirt but honestly, it makes me feel so much better. It makes my shoulders feel so much better, and I just feel happy. It's a type of feeling that I am not able to replicate on the bike. The bike brings me so much joy so much happiness, but man, moving my joints through their full range of motion.
Does something for me. And that is because on a bike, you're not moving your joints through their full range of motion, and you know I am a cyclist. I'm not downing. Any type of folks who do a hundred percent cycling, you know, year round, But by all means it's fantastic. If that works for you great. I want you to keep moving. But there's something to be said about moving your joint through its full range of motion.
It just feels good. It also feels good to the joint, especially if you are pre t or all are already at art, then, yeah, it, you know, it helps move that s fluid in your joints, and it's just going to help making you keep making you feel greasy as 1 of my clients likes to to call it. He loves feeling greasy, and I get, like, I I love it when my squats and my dead feel just greasy. Like, they feel good. You know? They feel right. They're moving like butter.
And that's 1 of the reasons why I do really emphasize trying to get those 2 weak. 1 or 2 days week of strength training in. Every week, regardless what what are whether you're training for a marathon half marathon or you're doing marathon bike rides and a hundred mile bike rides or just your local, you know, 8 mile fast as hell lap.
It doesn't matter. You know, some sort of strength training is really what's going to be beneficial for you because it is going to be resistance training that does help build up strong bones makes you feel really good and gets those joints moving through their proper ranges of motion. It also helps increase your stability on and off the bike, which helps further prevent any type of bone breakage and things like that from falls and and whatnot, especially as you do age.
So even if you're in your twenties and you're listening to this, you know, episode and you're thinking oh, that's not gonna beat me. Let me just say it's really good to put in your investment in your strength training now early on. That way, when you're in later life in your later years, you don't have to worry about it as much. That is 1 thing that I'm I'm seeing because I'm kind of at that age. Fortunately, a majority of my friends and people in my close circle do already do strength training.
But for those that are not doing active strength training at this time. I do notice a difference in their in their movement. And they... And I'm only seeing this because they have brought it up because they notice it too.
And this is when they're starting to reach out to personal trainers and things like that, which I love, You know, I love that they're making that effort because there is that difference and you can kinda see it in your in your friend group, if you really look around you and look closely, you know, just those folks that that do keep moving their body. However feels good for them, and then the folks that maybe don't keep moving their and just kind of, like, oh, my knee hurts.
Let me just stop moving together. That's a whole other story because that's something that I'm very passionate about. Because I have family members who've have experienced that as well and, you know, folks in my in my close circle who have autoimmune illnesses and are managing their movement with those illnesses in mind. And it's something that's very personal to me.
So I am on a soap box for a reason because I do want folks to try to keep moving and try not to be scared if they ever hear the words bone on bone, you know, when the doctor's talking about their knees or anything like that. I mean, that is such an archaic statement. That should be eliminated for from physical therapists and medical practitioners
all over, really. Because it it elicit too much fear for people because then they hear bone bone and oh, I'm just gonna stop moving, and then they give up and then we see reversal in their movement. And I've I've seen it time and time again, and it's really hard to get folks out of that hole.
It's possible. I've had a handful of clients over the years where I have worked with them and have worked with our physical therapist and medical practitioners to to give them and give get that bridge for them between, you know, not moving at all, and I'm being scared, unfortunately, and and being fearful of movement to then moving, and then, oh, then they feel good. So or they at least feel better. You know, they're still going to have some level of pain.
Everyone's pain tolerance is different, but they're at least moving and and aspiring to to have a long a long life that is full of health which is good. So first things first, Yeah, Set realistic expectations friends. You gotta do that. Set realistic, you know, things that are going to be not 0 to hero. And aren't vague, you know, like, hey. I'm just gonna work out more. No. U. I
want you to be clear. I want you to pull out your your calendar on your phone or a paper calendar whatever the hell you use, and I want you to write in and schedule and block out those workouts. Okay? Now, the next thing is of course, try to try to create some sort of routine around those realistic expectations. Alright? So Once you put those things on your calendar, great. Make it so, make them like a standing meeting for yourself, don't cancel on yourself, But
then what is a routine around that? That can get you ready to to get out the door and do your thing. Do your bike ride, do do your do your workout. So maybe that's putting together your bike or even just having your bike on your car if you work from home and you're able to. You know, I've discovered that I'm able to creep my bike. My car is far forward in the gear... In the garage as I can, and I can actually put my bike rack down and load up my bike. So it is ready to go.
Yeah. And I know it sounds silly, but that saves me a good couple of minutes right there. You know, I already have my tires aired up. My my chain is greased I do all of that the day before or early in the morning when I do plan on writing that day. So again, choose what's good for you and what works for you, but do create some sort of routine around putting your water bottles together, getting your gym clothes or your bike clothes or bike equipment helmet, shoes all that stuff.
Get that stuff together. Whatever it takes, but get consistent around that because the more you can kinda get a routine in play, the less knows you're going to have right And by nose, I don't mean the nose on your face. I mean the n o, you're gonna have less likelihood of saying no to yourself and canceling on yourself. Know, because you know... Hey, the only thing you need to do is get changed. Right. You just need to put the clothes on and hell the door.
Next thing is get a buddy I'm real big on a, workout buddy, some sort of accountability buddy, a riding buddy. I've personally have been doing a lot of my training solo. And it's making me really sad to be honest with you. I can't wait to be doing with Silver rush here in a little bit just because I'm hoping to get some more training in with who wanna do a little bit more longer rides with me because man, training by yourself. I mean, I can do it, and I do it. It's fine. But
It's just not as fun. Like, you know, I like shooting the shit with my friends. I like, giving them a hard time. I like getting hugs. I love getting pre ride and post ride sweaty hugs Like, it's amazing, and it makes me feel a lot more connected to people, and it makes me feel just connected to the people that I... That I love and enjoy being around. So get a workout, buddy because guess what? On those days that you wanna cancel.
Alright. Even if you have the bike loaded up in your car, you tired, mean your period started, you didn't eat enough that day. Whatever the excuses that you're giving yourself right. And I'm only saying that because I've said those exact things. I you're gonna be less likely to cancel on them, like a friend and accountability buddy, than you will on yourself. Alright? So get a damn work workout buddy, Get a damn ride buddy. Whoever it is. Get them to be in alignment with what you wanna do
and just show up because... You're not gonna wanna cancel on them. At lisa, I hope not, unless it's like, you know, a dire situation. Now, the other thing that, I wanna round out this with there's number 4 is Remember your why. Alright? Remember why you wanna do the damn workout and the ride and all of this stuff to begin with. Like what is it? Does it make you feel good? Does it make you feel like you're going 1 step closer towards your goals or whatever it is? I want you to remember why
you wanna do this thing. Because if you can remember your why and really attach your values to that and just remind yourself of that. Then you're gonna be less likely to cancel. You're gonna find a little bit more motivation to do it. Alright? And in in tandem with this concept. Is to remind yourself how you feel after you do the thing because I you know, I can maybe count on 1
hand. How many times after bike ride where I've felt like utter, rubbish, and I just didn't wanna do anything, you know, and I just... I didn't feel happier for having ridden. You know, and this these are the couple of times when I've, you know, had to go to the to get stitches, or I've had to, go to the air because I thought I was having a stroke. It was actually heats stroke. This is eons ago. Was in my twenties. I was being stupid that day. You know, like, I can literally count on
1 hand. Because even on the days that I've bumped my living ass off. Alright? And I've I've had a 1 way ticket to Bon city. Even on those days when I I've completely ba and felt like shit on that ride. I still was excited that I got my ride in. You know, And I was still like, hey, dude. You know, impacts yourself on your back. Like, high fives to to myself for showing up on the ride and still doing the thing anyways. And and and feeling good because you know what? After a bike
ride, I don't know about you. But after a bike ride, I feel like I can breathe I feel less stressed. I feel just I feel joy. I don't even know how to explain it and same thing with gym workouts. Like I just feel good afterwards. I feel yummy. Like I feel like I've given myself the love that I needed to give that day. Alright? And that to me is what is incredible. And I... So remember your why of why you're doing the damn thing. Right? But then also remember how you feel after you do the thing.
Because man, even if you are just chasing that feeling afterwards, especially if you've had a rough day or you had a rough day the day before, you know, if you're a morning workout person, you work out at like, 5AM. It doesn't matter what time of day you're working out, but just remember how you feel afterwards. You know, remind yourself how you feel afterwards. And there's a feeling of accomplishment. You're just
going to feel better. You're going to have those nice little happy hormones raging through your system. And I will go ahead and say if you're men treating individual and maybe you're cramp a little bit or you have a little tummy ache or something sometimes getting some sort of movement, you know, in your hips and that side to side pedal or side to side movement of a run a running stride or, you know, pedal stroke or at the gym, doing, you know, hip thrust us or squats or dead lift or something
like that. That is what's going to help you know, alleviate or reduce some of your cramp and things like that if you do experience that if you are men treating individuals. So maybe that's a little bit of a more motivation there. And then last but not least, man, motivation. Let me tell you. It is it is a fleeting white rabbit. Alright? I think we rely a little too much on motivation to get going when it's actually the other way around. We have to take action and then
we start to feel motivated. It isn't always that we've don't... That we have to feel motivated before we take action. It's the actually taking the action is what is going to make that motivation really kind of kind of fly, you know, and and really elevate the experience and make you feel motivated from that point forward that day. So take some sort of action. Alright? Even on the days that you're just saying no. No. No. I don't have time. I'm too tired I'm cramp. I didn't eat enough.
Whatever it is. I want you to put on your gym clothes or your bike clothes or whatever and get your ass on that bike or at that gym, and I want you to just start moving for at least 5 minutes. Tell yourself, hey, self, I'm just going to move for 5 minutes and then go forward from that and see how that feels once you get those few minutes under your belt. Because even yesterday, you know, yeah, personal situation. I started my
period. Yay. It's... I have 1 or 2 days a month where I am just useless human being. Like, I just... I'll still work and everything, but I'm am not feeling good. Like, if I could just take Pto day I would. And I I guess I could, because I do have... I do have my own business, But, you know, I don't wanna let win down. Right? And I... I have athletes dependent on me. And
so I I still work. That's sometimes Just work from the sofa or a work from the couch outside or just something, you know, just because I'm like, 0III melt. I melt into the sofa. And you know what? I didn't really wanna ride my bike. But I I just told myself I was like, damn, Just get on the bike. It's it's a freaking endurance ride. Just do the thing. You know what? I felt a million times
better after... After I did. In fact, I felt a million times better after I was on the bike for I'm, I'm not even kidding you for probably like 1 to 2 minutes. And I was like oh, my god. It's already starting to make my cramp feel better. Like, this is great. And that friends was a reminder of everything that I share with you all. Alright? So even for me as a coach, I'm doing this close to 20 years, we need those reminders because he is hard motivation. Again, it's
this fleeting feeling. And all often, I think we depend on it and we lean on it, and we just have to keep reminding ourselves that we have to set realistic goals expectations. We we should try to create a routine to make that... Make it happen, You know, get the gym bag packed, get the bike packed up. You fill your water bottles, whatever. Try to reduce the friction doing the thing. Get a workout buddy. Get a ride buddy. Whatever. You're not gonna cancel on them. Alright?
Put the stuff on your calendar. And then, of course, you know, try to figure out your why and remind yourself of why you're doing it and how you feel afterwards and then just remember you've got to take action before you can expect motivations to just miraculously appear. So that's all I've got for you today, friends. I hope you found this episode useful. And I would love to hear from you.
So reach out to me on Instagram at shift human and performance and give me a little shout on this post for any of my post. You can Dm me too. I don't mind slide in my dance. It might end up in spam if I don't follow you, so I apologize. But I do check my spam folder pretty regularly. But, yeah, I would love to hear if you have any topic suggestions or if you have anything that you would love to hear me talk about or any people you would
love for me to interview. Please do make the connection with me because I am lining up some interviews here for the summer. On that note, I hope you enjoyed today's episode, please like subscribe and share, and I will catch you next week. Bye friends.