Take it easy and take your time getting Fit and Healthy.
Extremes won’t get you the result you’re looking for – Consistency will!
Who has joined a gym or started a Couch to 5km program only to end up disillusioned, broken, and unable to sustain the commitment?
ME…… I started so many times on my fitness journey, only to find life got in the way, memberships cancelled, running shoes retired and motivation zero.
Why…. Why is it so hard to stay motivated, how come it is so easy to let it all go?
Most of the time it is because we have lost the enjoyment, or we never really had it to start with. Sometimes it’s because we have become injured from overdoing it, or it is not a priority compared to all the other things that need to be done in your week.
It is a vicious circle. So many of us get injured or lose motivation in the first few months of training and we stop.
What if you avoided these injuries? What if you made exercise a priority and enjoyed it?
How do we make ourselves enjoy something that can often be uncomfortable or hurt?
I will tell you that after 10 years on my fitness journey, I still have to force myself out the door to train on most days! Having said that, once I am out the door, my mind shifts and I end up enjoying the training, and feel fabulous for the rest of the day.
I have also experienced many days and weeks that I have needed to back off training, allowing myself time to rest, recover or allow something else like family or work to be a higher priority for a short time.
I say ‘a short time’ as I make my health and fitness a high priority so I can continue to enjoy life as much as possible.
How do I stay motivated long term?
Firstly, don’t think long term. Break it down, think in terms of days and weeks. Create a realistic schedule that will fit with this week’s other commitments and make time for your 4-7 sessions of some type of physical exercise. Find the time, don’t allow excuses, and before you know it week one will be completed.
During the first few weeks focus on finding the time and making exercise a priority. An example could be:
· Monday – 45 minute brisk walk with a friend
· Tuesday – Gym or a Class 30-60 minutes
· Wednesday – Bike ride /cross trainer in the gym for 45-60 minutes watching your favourite Netflix show
· Thursday – Walk/Run intervals in the gym on the road or trail 45 – 60 minutes (your hard session for the week)
· Friday – Rest Day
· Saturday – Gym Class or weight session 60 minutes
· Sunday – Walk with a friend 60-120 minutes
A variety of activities and participating in Social Fitness is so important for most people to enjoy their exercise.
In my experience, most people really do want to make exercise a priority, but after a couple of weeks of training they have a hiccup – their children get sick, they go on a holiday, work gets crazy.
It is normal and there is nothing wrong with missing a week or a few days. The secret is getting back into routine as soon as you can, and recognising that a week or a few days does not make a significant impact on your fitness level.
That guilty feeling will last no time if you return to exercise as soon as possible after your time off. However, if you drop the exercises long term, your self-confidence, guilt and fitness will once again return to where you were a few weeks or months ago.
Remember life is a journey, not everything stays the same. Your fitness levels will change in conjunction with other commitments and priorities in your life and that is ok. Most of us are not elite athletes and just want to maintain a healthy active body for as long as possible
Every session helps, all those small workouts and walks accumulate to help build sustainable and long-term fitness. If you can keep up your initial routine of fitness for four to six weeks you will feel stronger and healthier and possibly see some positive body changes. You will also have started a new habit that you will want to continue.
Gone are the days where we need to smash ourselves or trainers should be ‘smashing’ people, especially those just starting their fitness journey. Teaching clients to take their time, having patience with their bodies, learning or relearning new skills should be the first priority of training, especially as we get older.
A moderate, consistent and safe workout practice is going to produce results that may take a little longer to notice, but will be more sustainable and enjoyable in the long term.
Moderation and consistency apply to starting all new physical activity. None of us can run 5km or cycle 20km without first conditioning our bodies. If we do run or ride these distances in our first week, there is no doubt we will usually injure ourselves or be so sore we can’t walk or ride for days and we are put off training for weeks.
Learning to be a little uncomfortable
So how do we learn to like the feeling of being uncomfortable when training? It takes time and consistency. Our body thrives on moving and our cardiovascular system loves to be worked. For many of us, it is a foreign and uncomfortable feeling to experience breathlessness or sore knees and hips, and accept that it can actually be good for you.
We need to challenge our physical capabilities to get stronger and fitter. It is the physical challenge of sustaining a higher heart rate for a set period of time or creating microscopic tears in our muscle that actually helps us to build strength and endurance. You need to get comfortable with the feeling of being uncomfortable in order to get healthier and fitter.
How do we differentiate between the good and the bad feeling of being physically uncomfortable? This can be difficult at first as it can all feel bad! If you gradually challenge the body you will learn very quickly what is working for your body and what is too much.
Employing a trainer to help you kick off a safe and appropriate fitness program could be one investment that will help you reach your fitness and health goals long term.