We all know it. As well as a good diet, we need regular to exercise to stay healthy. So why does it sometimes feel so hard?
My thought is this: there is too much focus on the word 'exercise', and not enough emphasis on the word 'FUN!' If you think of exercise as something you have to do, rather than something you want to do, you will continue to have the struggle with your own mind each time as to whether you even go in the first place. All of us have felt it at some stage. The feeling of not wanting to go, not wanting to start. Wanting to stay in bed in the morning or lie on the couch all night. I get it and oh I have felt it too!
It is not always as simple as to Just Do It (sorry Nike, I love you otherwise). You have to want to do it. If someone were to tell me I need to exercise more, my next move would most likely not be to go and put on my joggers. It's like when someone tells you to calm down when you're angry. Yep, it has the opposite effect! It has to come from you.
For a period of time, I recently stopped exercising almost altogether. I felt flat and unmotivated. Of course there were external contributing factors, it wasn't just about physical fitness. But I needed a boost to get me back into action. What I was doing wasn't working, so I had to try something else. Something fun. That something else was Zumba (you've all seen the infomercials, and maybe you've even bought the DVD, but I much prefer a class to dancing at home by myself)! I have done it before and loved it before, but not for quite a while.
So the first step was finding a good class. My googling lead me to the website Ditch The Workout, Join The Party, where you can search for and find a class near you.
The second step was breaking the cycle of seeing movement as something I didn't want to do. That first class back was really not easy. I was just going through the movements, hoping for adrenaline or endorphins to kick in like I know they had before during a Zumba class. The reason for this is you actually have to re-train your brain to think positively. I got lucky and found an amazing instructor with such a positive aura (Angelina at Northside Fitness Centre in Dickson). She is bubbly, upbeat, fun, wears inspirational tank tops and is always smiling! I had a feeling this class was the one to help get me moving again. I made a pact to myself that I would go again the following week, knowing the hard part was over and I would probably enjoy it more next time, as I had done in the past... and I did!
The third step was adding the class I now think of as Get up and Dance Fridays into my weekly routine. What has kept me going back every week? The feeling of pure joy and euphoria that I now experience every time I go. I look forward to that time of the week when I can dance and feel free (and also negative thought- free!).
Finding the right kind of movement that you actually enjoy will have you excited to get there, feeling good while you do it and you will leave feeling better than when you arrived.
This can also change over time. Something that worked for you this month may not work for you next month. I personally get bored easily so mixing it up ever so slightly is key. Do what you feel like doing, whether it be dancing, bike ride, lifting weights, yoga, team sports, running, jogging, surfing, swimming, skipping, rock climbing, hiking, you name it!
Do what works for YOU!
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