I am passionate about exercise and all things regarding mind-body wellness. With the new year soon approaching, many have started setting new fitness goals for 2020 which is great! I say there is no time like the present time to begin a better path to health and wellness so why not start right now? I don’t know why we have to set a date such as the new year to begin something new. I have found procrastination to be a slippery slope. Telling ourself…I’ll start Monday or after I get through the holidays is just a way to delay what can be done now. So why wait till the new year? What about today to begin taking steps to get healthier?
HIIT training has given me great results. Very efficient workouts.
My rule of thumb on moving the body is to start wherever you are, whatever level of movement you can do, but most importantly…..just start. I’ve always enjoyed working out and even on days I don’t feel very motivated to do it, I focus on how good I will feel after the workout. It’s my belief that in times of not feeling very motivated to workout, I focus on doing what I know is best for me and not depend on my temporary feelings. If I’ve made the commitment to myself to workout, it doesn’t matter what I FEEL like doing. I keep my commitment to myself, show up and do it to the best of my ability that day.
My love for excercise and movement started as a kid and how much I enjoyed playing sports. As far back as I can remember, I have loved running, being active, competing at team sports, playing and pushing myself to become better than I was the day before. Even when sports ended for me after high school, and I entered the working world, I jumped to the next activity that spurred my interest. Over the course of my adult life, I have kept active by running, walking, yoga, lifting, and even aerobics way back in the day! I know many of us remember the 80’s and 90’s and the emergence of spandex and leg warmers in those aerobic classes! One thing I know for sure is that moving the body consistently gets results for better health. Let’s me share some tips on how to get into the routine of moving the body on a consistent basis.
- Have a planning day each week. On Sundays, I look at my calendar for the week and I make appointments for myself on when my workouts will be. That is my time to better myself, focus on my health and set myself up for successful workouts by scheduling them. Know what kind of workout you will do each day. I write down as many specifics as I can on my calendar like the type of workout I will do and how long.
- Routine, routine, routine. If you workout in the morning, set out the clothes the night before. I set a glass of water by my bed at night, so I’m ready for hydration as soon as I sit up in bed. If your workout is later in the day, pack your workout clothes and take it to work with you. When I used to do workouts after work (which is not my prime time…I’m a morning person) I made sure to have a healthy pre-workout snack on hand to eat at my desk so I wasn’t starving when I got off work. It gave me a little energy boost to have a solid workout. I have learned morning workouts are best for my body but everyone is different on when the optimal time is for them. When your schedule forces you to workout at a naturally non-peak time for your body, that’s when it is even more important to be prepared and set a routine so you give yourself all the advantages you might need to get your workout in.
- Rest and Sleep. I do this very well now but I didn’t always use to follow this rule very well. Now, I make sure I get between 7.5 and 8 hours of sleep a night…consistently. I think consitency is key. So even on weekends, I rise early about 5 am each day which means a pretty early bedtime for me most nights. On weekends, its more like 6-6:30 am on a Sunday. Regardless of your times of going to bed or waking up, just know the body needs its sleep. For most individuals that means 7-9 hours a night. Sleep is when the body recovers. The brain and nervous system really need this down time to operate at its best. If you are in a stressful season of life, I cannot emphasize how important sleep is to your well being. Back in the early days of adult life, mom life, career building, and so on, I was the “burn the candle at both ends” kind of girl. Sleep wasn’t a high priority. My workouts were defiantly harder to do when I wasn’t giving my body enough rest. My health took a little bit of a beating for the years I pushed myself so intensely but I eventually learned how important sleep is to my health.
- Start where you are at and do something, anything, that you find enjoyable. If exercise is challenging or a bore, ask yourself how do you feel once you are done? Do you feel a sense of satisfaction? All I know is that some movement is better than no movement which is why I always encourage people to just start and move your body and get some excercise in every day. The body wants to move, stretch, bend, reach and feel good. Health is our natural state. Your body and mind want to grativiate to things that’s make it feel better.
- Don’t underestimate how important moving the body is for our mental and emotional health. I cannot say this loud or often enough. Yeah, its nice to feel a certain way when we move in our body and not carry around unnecessary weight which makes it harder on our body to function at it best. But seriously, let me tell you that I believe the main reason to keep our bodies moving and exercising is to reap the benefits in our brain and mental health. The brain is the command and control center of our bodies and emotions. The endorphins released by excercise is what our bodies want and need to feel good. Exercise is a great way to reduce and manage stress or anxiety. That reason alone is enough to want to stay consistent with it.
Currently, my workout each week consists of a blend of HIIT training (high intensity interval training), lifting weights, yoga, running and walking, stair work, and I recently started Pilates. I’m 49, so what works for me to feel best now and get the results I am wanting to achieve is different from what kind of workouts I did 10 years ago. I have found focusing more on resistance training, lifting, yoga and the high intensity interval training gives me the most benefit and results. I seem to get more calorie burn and muscle definition from this. I no longer spend long periods of time on cardio machines and I even run less than I used to. Getting to know your body and what works for you based on what stage of life you are in, is part of the fun and part of the process of fitness.
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In another blog post, I want share how exercise can be such a great catalyst to move through difficult stages of life or grief and anxiety. I know from personal experience what it is like to be so distraught, grief stricken and numb that I physically couldn’t do over 5 minutes of exercise even after working out my entire life and being considered a fit person. Just getting myself to walk back into the gym was a huge deal at that time of my life, only to find myself walking back out the door of the gym 5 minutes later. I’m telling ya straight from a chapter of the “been there done that book” moving the body opens up so many other ways the body needs to heal. I hope this really sinks in for you how exercise is equally beneficial for both the body and mind.
I want to emphasize how important it is to listen to your body at every season of life. Our bodies are very smart and tell us what we need to know if we intuitively listen to it. So let me wrap this up by saying…If you are struggling with excercise, don’t give up on yourself. Don’t cheat yourself from being all you can be. You can live each day in a strong, healthy body and with a clear mind. You were made to do great things in this life and your body is the vehicle you are given to do those amazing things in. Honor your body and give yourself the gift of exercise and movement this holiday season.
Keep moving and shining brightly my friends!
