5 Tips To Be More Consistent With Your Workout
I know. I know. It’s not a new year and here I am writting about being consistent with workouts! Who am I? Listen, sadly, most people fall out of their exciting new year’s goals by the second week of February. So if you’re anything like the rest of us, you might have already given up on your goals or you might feel like a bear; being woken up out of its Winter’s Hibernation, and you feel, lo-key lazy and ashamed of dropping off on what you set out to do…
But what if we don’t shame and instead re-direct our thoughts and intentions to starting over and in a more gentle sort of way? I know most of us have already given up on our fitness goals. But let’s not. Okay. Here I am posting a photo of me in my favorite walking gear, taking charge of my DAY. Not YEAR. Let’s just win today, shall we? Let the rest of the year worry about itself.
You and I don’t need a NEW year to re-align with our (very excited about all things, NEW-RESOLUTIONS-NEW-YEAR-NEW-YOU), vibes! Listen we get to decide to start over if we need to and not because the world is telling us to, but because it just feels good to re-commit to doing something that is going to help our mental health, physical strength, vitality, and overall mood. If you’re anything like me friend, you might have perhaps fallen off the horse from those really cool commitments you put on yourself in January, but if you’re anything like me, friend, you are also in the pursuit of a life of intention and delighting in the JOY of personal power and the choice to enjoy your everyday life! I want to challenge us to align with that spirit of new hope we had in the new year and give our good habits a healthy shock to come and wake up again, NOW that the weather is a little more forgiving!
SHOP OUR FAVORITE WALKING GEAR
Five tips to encourage your pursuit of living the healthy life you’ve imagined!
1.- Let Go Of Perfection
I know this is easier said than done. It’s a work I am still doing with God, so I don’t come to you having done all the work necessary to be freed all the way from perfectionism or with flippancy, but rather, an invitation to freedom for us both. Freedom that starts with awareness of the trap of perfectionism. We can start living in a different place where we look for progress rather than seeking perfection. We trap ourselves in the illusion of perfection, and in our workout, we find that if we don’t do the RIGHT workout in the rigid manner that we must and don’t see results right away, then we might as well not do it at all. If you and I have grace and compassion for ourselves that can trickle into our workouts; we can then do them imperfectly more often, than perfectly NEVER. When I was stuck in the illusion of perfection, I was a slave to a boxed-in way of thinking about exercise and that left me not desiring to move my body. Let me invite you to the freedom of accepting to be flawed and accepting that even in our flawed state we can still have a great, meaningful life full of joy! I just did a podcast that I think you might enjoy if you struggle with perfectionism or feel flawed. Check it out!
2.- GIVE YOUR BRAIN AND SOUL A STRONG WHY FOR YOUR WORKOUTS
As I’ve reshifted my mind about what exercise means to me, I find that the motivation to work out is now much deeper than “looking perfect.” When I exercise out of love and respect for my body I can feel such a different desire than when I’m trying to punish myself for “eating badly” or for not fitting into my pants. It’s been a very long journey for me to come to a healthy place for food and exercise and I can tell you this. Finding a WHY for myself that had nothing to do with my exterior being made all the difference. I noticed that physical movement was a gift that God had given me and that there are SO MANY BENEFITS that have nothing to do with my appearance. My mental health, I experience less anxiety and depression if I move for 20-30 minutes daily even if it’s a walk! I find myself less critical and find joy in making wholesome healthy meals when I am in the groove of moving! It all works together! What can be your strong WHY? Journal it out!
3.- EMBRACE INTUITIVE WORKOUTS
I have been so delighted by this new way of thinking about exercise and it came about because of my toe surgery! I had an ingrown toenail and had the most painful surgery and infection after surgery that made me re-evaluate why I move and HOW I move and WHEN I move. I realized that listening to my body that day and asking it what it needed THAT day made my workouts way more effective AND ENJOYABLE. And don’t we find that when we actually enjoy what we are doing we are more prone to stick to it? Yes! Friend. I dare double dare you to ask yourself what it is that you need today. What does your body feel like and can you think of any exercise that you maybe haven’t even been given a chance that might be a good fit for your lifestyle right now? I am excited to learn how to play pickleball soon with my husband and it’s something I never thought I would do. But it sounds fun and I will do it on the days when my body feels energized and ready to smash a workout like that. However, on days when I’m on my monthly cycle, I tend to now go for light stretching, walks, and some days NOTHING. I am finding the intuitive notion inside me that guides my body with what it needs with both food and exercise is wisdom from above. I hope this helps you as much as it has me!
4.- THE GOOD OLD’ “5 MINUTES IS BETTER THAN NOTHING” TRICK!
Listen, you have never met a person who geeked out over hacks more than this gal! And oh my gumballs, I love this hack so much. It works on almost every level of life. Some time is better than nothing at all when it comes to you practicing good habits. But I found it to be revolutionary in my workout STARTS! Who can tell me here that the most difficult part of a workout is actually the starting? Right?! YES. Once you’re out the door or at the gym, you’re there! Listen our brains can be tricked by this good old trick. Say to yourself, “Even if it’s five minutes it counts. Go on a five-minute walk. Run on the treadmill for five minutes. Do 5 minutes of jumping rope.” Listen, this is the best trick in the books. If you start you will totally go longer than five minutes, on most days… One day for me, it really was a five-minute walk and that was all I could give that day and I was okay with that. This is where being gentle and kind and celebrating the small/big wins is important!
5.- CELEBRATE EVEN SMALL GAINS OR WINS
We often over-deliver and never stop to even say congratulations to ourselves for all the work and diligence it took to get to a certain point. Right? Why are we so stressed out to do stuff and then when we get there, we have no room to pause and say, “Wow! That was a BIG deal no matter how small the win, you did that! Celebrating in 5,4,3,2,1?” But I challenge you and me to stop and celebrate more often. To celebrate the EFFORT, not the RESULTS. I think we’ll be in a better place in our physical fitness journey if we said. “Hey, girl, hey! You put that running shoe on so well this morning! And you even did your left. Atta’ girl! You just did that! Oh yeah!” Remember fun? Yep, I do too, where did it go? Oh, we have to make our own fun now and our own celebration of the tiny, but impactful ways we keep showing up for our lives. Yes celebrate even the small gains or wins in your life, especially in your pursuit of becoming more consistent with your workouts. It will matter. What you do today to win today for even just five minutes matters! You matter.
You are becoming a person who will be consistent by being consistent, inconsistently. Did that make sense? haha!
So CONGRATULATIONS! I’m cheering you on beloved friend. I believe in you and the very best of you do too! See you next time!
