I’m writing this in January, typically a month that sees many people hit the gym or sign up to fitness programmes with great enthusiasm and gusto, only to lose their mojo by Valentine’s Day.
I’ve frequently talked about disliking the idea of ‘new year, new me’ and am a firm believer in incorporating regular exercise and movement into one’s life to enhance health (mental AND physical) rather than as a punishment for indulgence or to change one’s body shape.
This week has been my first full week back teaching since the Christmas break and there’s been a lovely enthusiasm for the glow and endorphins as well as comments on the lines of ‘I feel so unfit’ or the noticeable DOMS, inevitable after such a break – these from those who ARE regular movers. So, how about those put off before they’ve even started? Those for whom it’s not yet a habit? To go from nothing to an entrenched habit is a big ask and it’s not unusual to hear of bold, sweeping goals however I’d advocate a slower start, perhaps taking smaller steps than you might expect.
So here are 5 tips on finding (and maybe even keeping) your movement mojo:
- Don’t worry about being a beginner – just start to consider yourself as an active person. Walk every day if you can. Stretch, breathe, take the stairs instead of the lift. If there’s a choice of movement over being stationary, take it. Find a ten minute online workout and give it a go. A walk round the block rather than a few minutes scrolling. You’ll start to feel the benefit I promise. If you have any specific injuries, conditions or concerns, seek advice from someone who knows their shizz.
- Sounds obvious, but ditch any exercise you don’t enjoy and find something you DO like. Just because your friend loves a 10k run, doesn’t mean you have to. Try out a new class, see what sparks your joy. Quite often one enjoyable activity will lead to another as confidence grows so don’t be afraid to try something new (I am currently getting great joy from adding a dance class to my week and seeing my co-ordination improve as the weeks go by – good for my brain as well as my body, not so good for the people next to me as I am still developing my skills!)
- Plan it – if you just try and ‘fit it in’, chances are that you will find a different priority when the time comes. Put in your diary when you are going to move and be realistic – if you’re not a morning person, maybe ditch the 6.30am slot and go for something more palatable.
- Make it easy and simple to get going – put your kit out ready, fill a water bottle and when you’ve done it, allow a dopamine moment of ticking a self congratulatory box (mentally or in real life!)
- Miss a session? – don’t sweat it. There’s always another day. It could be tomorrow or later that day. Missing one planned session is no failure and does not a couch potato make! It’s life. Move on to the next day, the next session and remember to see yourself as an active person. If you forget to brush your teeth one morning, it doesn’t mean you will never do it again (I hope!)
Please do remember it’s never going to be an all or nothing situation, not for my tribe of busy, life filled people. It’s got to work for you and it MUST be enjoyable!
If I’ve piqued your interest , I’ve linked below a super simple 10 minute workout lifted from my Online Members’ Hub to get you going. 10 minutes (well, 12 actually, but near enough!) click the URL under the video cover…
