My Workout Playlist & Weight Struggles

Let's start this with a long disclaimer (there's tl;dr down there somewhere). I've not been to the gym since... 12th March 2020. I was loving the progress I'd been making: lifting heavier weights than ever before on the dumbbell bench press, actually doing cardio, sled pulls and all that fun stuff. I was generally feeling better in my body, losing fat and fitting into clothes again too. My diet was better as well.

Then I became ill with nasty sinusitis just before the pandemic lockdown happened. Whilst I really wanted to get back to the gym when they reopened for a few months, I frankly didn't want to risk it. I've worked out at home on and off since late-March (mostly off). I've missed exercising, but I can't seem to get back into the rhythm of it. It's very different working out at home when you're used to grinding through the hardest reps with your best friend, screaming the number of each rep at each other and getting those looks.

Long overdue medication that affects my appetite and makes me dizzy (definitely not a motivator!), as well as being more sedentary has led to me gaining 30+lbs since September alone. This is on top of the 20lbs I was already overweight by, so it feels like a huge uphill battle to lose weight. I wish I was dealing with the "quarantine 15"!

I'm now covered in stretchmarks that remind me every day of the body I've managed to eat myself into, and the painfully tight clothes I've eaten myself out of. It's not great for my mind. I'm a comfort eater at heart; it's always so tempting to eat all my feelings as 18 years of disordered eating have taught me. But with this new medication, my body no longer tells me when I'm full, so it's an extra reason to work on reining in that bad habit! Diet has always been my downfall.

Tl;dr and all that: I've been struggling to motivate myself to get moving as life feels like a lot right now, and so does the weight I've got to lose. Sometimes, making baby steps is the best you can hope for, and that's what I'm aiming for. I'm around 7lbs down, and trying to make smarter choices whilst attempting to forget that huge mountain that I need to climb.

One thing that's a huge motivator for me when it comes to anything is music. If I manage to battle my brain and body into wanting to exercise, whacking on an amazing playlist full of songs I love always helps me get it done and not feel too terrible whilst doing it. I'll even feel great doing it.

I review my gym playlist a couple of times a year to add in new stuff I've found. I also love listening to it during my brisk walks to and from work, making a visually boring walk more enjoyable. It's also a handy motivator for whatever is needed at the time too: cooking, cleaning, generally getting stuff done! It even helps to cheer me up a bit on those crappy days.

So, here's my very sexy workout playlist. It's primarily different varieties of metal, with some rock thrown in too. There's lyrics to get you amped, pounding drumbeats and killer guitar solos to boot. These songs make me feel (almost) invincible and like an absolute warrior woman when I'm lifting heavy weights. I used to listen to some of these songs back when I enjoyed running (before my sciatic nerve gave up on me) and this playlist is absolutely great for that too!

Disturbed are the mainstay on any workout playlist for me; it's hard not to feel motivated when you're listening to their music. There's a couple of instrumentals thrown in too; I hit my deadlift PR to Requiem for the Living! The guitar on that track is absolutely immense.

I also love songs like Avantasia's where I can get lost in the storytelling, making those burning muscle periods feel shorter. However, there is always the chance of forgetting your sets or reps when you do this, just make sure you do an extra one or two if you lose count!

I hope these songs make you feel as powerful as they make me feel, and motivate you to move more! I hope they motivate me to move more too ;)

You can find reviews of metal and rock albums on my profile, so please take a look at those if that interests you, and perhaps you'll be able to find some new music you love. Thanks!