The secret is… exercise is hard.
We have all made new years resolutions and pacts with ourselves at some point. "I'm going to get off my ass and do something every day (except for Sunday)" Is what I usually say to myself. Reality is, this is a hard thing to do.
It's not luck, it's hard work.
You don't know how many times I've been told how lucky I am. Lucky that I never got obese and have a huge journey back to being fit. Lucky that I have good genes and am therefore not overweight.
WRONG!
It takes a great deal of effort. It wasn’t luck. It's not my genes and it's not easy.
I was out there doing the things all those years. It was always a choice. It has always been hard and its never too late to start. If anyone has seen some of the women in the RAAF, you will know what I'm talking about. Gaining a RAAF ass is a thing.
Consistency is essential.
What these people don’t see is me busting my ass every morning. I guess the hardest part about exercise is remembering to do it every or most days. It doesn't have to be a long session, but it has to be done.
It is extremely hard to get up and exercise in the morning, but I find the afternoon a lot harder. Once I get home from work, I usually make a beeline to the couch and there I stay.
Set a time, get up and get it done. Even if it is just 15 mins. It makes me feel better during the day with more energy and alertness. And the best thing is, I don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the day.
My fail story:
I joined a gym at the start of the year, in hopes of committing to a routine.
To begin with, I would get up and go to that 530am class. Then a few weeks in I started going to the 630 am class instead. After a few months, I was at the 9 am class only every second day. Sometimes I would get there late and just do my own thing for 30 mins instead of interrupting the class. I found the classes were not well-timed for my schedule.
When winter came I was maybe going once a week. I wasn't inspired enough to go back to the 530am classes. It just didn't work for me any more.
My redemption:
I had tried, failed but refused to give up. I assessed where I was at with my fitness and decided to start on a new journey. I looked at all of my objections to going to the gym:
Weather; It was cold, so getting changed and going outside in the morning was harder.
Convenience; I needed something convenient as I don’t have a car. I also needed to be home with the kids in the morning before taking them to school.
Timing; I didn’t want to be locked into a timed schedule.
I then looked at what I enjoy the most with exercise:
Classes; so I don’t have to think about what to do next.
Variety; to keep it interesting and keep muscle balance.
Types; Weights, cardio, weight-bearing, whole-body workouts.
Once I figured out my objections and likes, I decided to make a home gym where I could follow YouTube workout clips. My home gym is not luxurious but it does the trick. I'm now back on track with my morning routine. I know my inspiration is here now but may wane in the future. When it does I will reassess and start a new.
"The only real failure is if you don’t get back up when your down."
Be realistic:
A home gym is not for everyone. Know yourself, sometimes the act of going to the gym is what you need to get inspired for exercise.
It is hard to keep yourself motivated. Sometimes you need to be held accountable to help motivate you to get there. The feeling like you are going to let someone down if you don’t can be all-powerful.
3 Tips to stay motivated:
Convenience - Ensure your place of exercise is easy to get to
Accountability - Keep yourself accountable, journal your workouts or get a workout buddy
Enjoyment - Make sure you like what you are doing, if you don’t like it you won't do it
Unfortunately, you've just gotta do it.
The benefits of exercise are broad. It is not hard to see why exercise is a critical healthy choice to make. If you find that you are not feeling great after exercise, maybe your not minimizing your objections? or maybe you are not doing something you enjoy? Let me know your success and fail stories with exercise.
What objections do you have?
What do you enjoy the most when exercising?
Let me know your success and fail stories with exercise.
Comments