As humans it is important to move our bodies.
AND most habits will NOT stick if they involve suffering. (some people do okay with suffering however if you are here, I am willing to bet you are not one of them)
There are so many ways to exercise in a way to improve health, and/or change your body shape and/or shift your mood.
Big takeaway: Keep looking and experimenting until you find a way a way that works for you.
The Ways:
Running
I read Shape magazine and decided I was a runner. I kept that habit (obsession at times) for almost 40 years. I had to retire it because my body didn’t want to do it anymore and I still miss it.
Weights
When I became a personal trainer at age 27, I started lifting weights consistently and for real.
I loved it. AND it has changed many times in the past 25 years. More below.
Outside outside outside!
I live in a mountain town in Idaho and I am so so so lucky.
We have trails everywhere so I mountain bike, hike and walk in the most beautiful places that are RIGHT outside my door.
Winter sports = snowshoeing and split-boarding (which is a snowboard you can climb mountains with)
Best exercise partner of all time: Lucky Freebird, The Plotthound who lives to be outside.
The Hows:
Strength Consistency discovery
My former workout partner and I trained together 2-3 days a week for over 17 years. She pushed me and strangely enough, I found that fun.
I also taught strength training and I CANNOT teach or coach what I am not doing so I stayed consistent.
At the same time I let go of my gym, my workout partner had a few knee surgeries and next thing I knew, I was not working out consistently.
This was baffling.
So I did the habit thing.
I set goals, created emotion, put it on the calendar, connected to movement I liked. I could NOT stay consistent.
Baffling.
Until I found another workout partner. Then another. Now I’m reunited with my first workout partner of all time ❤️ and
FINALLY
I’m again consistent. I need another human to stay consistent strength training even though I KNOW what to do and I like what it does for me, I have to have another human there.
It has to be fun
There are so many cool things to do outside here and yet, if it isn’t something I consider fun, I just won’t do it.
Skate skiing is an excellent workout. I’ve tried to pick it up twice, including buying all the stuff, lessons and going for it. It just isn’t fun for me. I’m out.
Mountain Biking has been touch and go however I need something to replace running. I have been determined to make it fun. I go slow, walk places that scare me, use music when its safe enough and it’s becoming fun so I’ve stuck with it. (plus I invested in a nice enough bike so that helps a ton)
Life’s too short not to enjoy the exercise habit.
Keep looking until you find how to make something fun.
NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE
Sometimes the exercise habit takes a bit to become fun.
I make a point of noticing what I do like about some of the new things.
Mountain biking as mentioned above has not been an easy restart for me after the ease of running so I NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE things like this when I get out there:
Ohmydog- it’s so beautiful
Oh wow I feel great now that I finished.
YES! That short short ride is perfect.
Then when I start hemming and humming about getting out there again, I connect to those emotions, feelings and memories to continue to pull me out on the trail.
The Ugliest parts
The dark side
My running became a massively unhealthy addiction for a few years before I blew up.
A few things I believe:
Over-exercising is not health.
I am not the judge of if someone else is or is not over-exercising. It is self-diagnosed (like alcoholism)
If exercise is making the rest of your life unmanageable, then that’s a good place to start getting curious about if you are on the right trail.
The Lucky Factor
Lucky Freebird is my outdoors workout partner. I enjoy my time out there with him so much…
AND
He has had more than a few injuries which throws me for a loop. I quit going outside (it is not as fun without him) and my mental state declines. This is something I manage and honor and royally meltdown about.
Not perfect around here at all.
Life Lifes me
I personally find it impossible to be BALANCED in all days.
I need to be balanced over the week and sometimes the month.
Trying to fit everything into every day doesn’t work for me so some days I move more than others and other days I sit more in front of my beloved laptop and do things like this.
That may or may not work for you, learn more about yourself and you’ll have a much easier time finding movement routines that work.
This still frustrates me at times so I still get a lot of coaching on continuing to connect to how I can best support myself in all my human inperfections.
How it is now (mostly)
FREEDOM
I love being outside.
I love being in the gym.
I love that I am able to be unscheduled and can maintain enough consistency to make my life work and feel healthy in my body.
Some weeks I move more than other weeks.
my big tools
If I miss a lot of days due to the Lucky factor or work or something then I pull up these tools:
💥 I create a new playlist
💥 I look through my phone pictures so I can remember how fun it is out there in the mountains
💥 I connect with a workout partner (there have been a few since Heidi so I sometimes have to reach out to someone new)
💥 I get a new book and throw it on and start with just a walk
💥 I throw money at it with a new class or new clothes or new shoes- mixing it up helps.
💥 I make it smaller. Just move a little bit… today. Then NOTICE how it makes me feel better.
💥 I connect to WHO. I. AM. which is someone who loves to take care of her body.
💥 I do not force myself to do things I just do not want to do. I coax, bribe and cajole myself. That works better for me.
💥 Notice. Notice. Notice is the BEST for consistency!