I received this message today:
“I have seriously been struggling to workout at all since COVID and shelter in place. Before, I worked out 6-7 times per week. I was training for my 4th marathon. Now, I think I’ve run 4 times since March and zero strength training. I cant decide if I should spend the money buying dumbbells. Will I even use them? I think about how I should workout everyday, and then I just watch Netflix and drink wine instead. Please help!”
Here are several tips I give my own clients and you now what? Only certain strategies work with certain people. It REALLY does come down to your personality, your mindset and your perception of exercise!
TIP #1: Schedule your workout in your calendar. Be specific. List it out. Write “I will start with 10 minutes of mindful movement on Monday, September 21st.”
TIP #2: Get an Accountability Partner. If letting others down makes you squirm, having a buddy to hold you to your exercise goal is key! Find a buddy who will give you the nudges you need to stick to your exercise plan!
TIP #3: Maybe you are the type who just HATES HATES it when someone tells you that you HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. Even if it is your own self, saying YOU HAVE TO EXERCISE. If you build a sense of freedom around working out and begin to switch your mindset from have to TO want to and exercise is not exercise but MINDFUL MOVEMENT, this just may be the internal brain light bulb that goes off – having freedom in how you move your body and when you move you body could work for you. Put a bunch of different activities into a glass bowl and choose one randomly each day. Make the connection in your mind that your movement (exercise) is of value to you just as your healthy body, strong mind and gracious soul is of value to you, so is fitness. Think “I value fitness, so of course I exercise!”
TIP #4: Be clear with YOUR WHY. WHY exactly do you want to workout? Connect your inspiration with clarity – get SUPER CLEAR on the REASON or REASONS that make you feel, really, really, REALLY good. When you can connect these dots, you’ll more likely WANT to do the thing – to exercise!
Let me know YOUR tips when in a fitness funk! 💋
