This is day 25 of my commitment to myself to be consistent with walking daily. As excited as I am about the accomplishment so far, let me just tell you a sistah is tired. Each day is different in terms of how I feel before during and after my walk. Some days I’m gung ho, other days I am crawling out the door, but one thing that has been “consistent” is that I’ve been consistent in getting it done!
Today was one of those days when I crawled into the gym. I’ll spare you all the details of my day, but let’s just say I had to use a crowbar to fit it in. Once there, the workout was AWESOME, but getting there took some effort. While walking I thought about a question that was posed to me about how to become more consistent. The question came from my friend Dee…Hey girl ! She wrote:
“Since this bad winter I have struggled getting back to my consistent workout. What can you suggest I do to become more consistent? I have taken clothes to work, wind up not going to the gym or out running. Tried early morning workouts and this whole year I have had trouble getting out the bed. Don’t know what has changed, but I know that I need to get my behind back in gear.”
First let me say, I love getting questions and this is a great one! I can so relate, because it took me a minute to get my rear in gear, and even though I am focused and committed now, IT IS NOT EASY!!! But in thinking about this question and my own experience, here are my suggestions:
Set a “no excuse” goal for yourself. This is something I do every time I need to jump start myself. For 30 days, I commit to working out every day…no matter what! It’s something about declaring “NO MATTER WHAT” that inspires me. Perhaps it’s the thrill of the challenge, I don’t know. But when I refuse to let whatever the excuse is stop me, it empowers me to forge ahead.
Do something fun and something you enjoy. My fun thing of choice is Zumba. I love me some Zumba! Now will Zumba alone get me to my goal…probably not, but it will keep me moving! Because I teach it twice a week, I know that at least I will get a workout in, two days out of the week. That is why I intentionally decided to teach…I knew it would hold me accountable.
In the beginning, make it easy. For me the thought of getting out there to run, after taking almost two years off from it AND gaining back 40 lbs. is daunting. That’s why I chose to start with something easy and basic and “walk” my way back to fitness. One I’m conditioned to daily movement, then I’ll start running again.
Focus on one day at a time. Sometimes when we look at the “big picture” it can overwhelm us to the point of paralysis. Rather than thinking about “all the days” you have to workout…just think about today. What can I do today that will help me to reach my goal? Do that thing…just for today…and when tomorrow comes…do it again
Push past the resistance. Resistance is the enemy within and a form of self-sabotage. You “want” to do it, but everything within you goes to work to block your efforts. When I feel resistance raising its ugly head, I make it a game by challenging myself to push right past it. I put on my “Super Stacey” cape and kick it right in the butt. Now I’m not going to lie, sometimes it fights back and wins, but on those days when I am “aware” of what’s going on (and that’s the key)…it might be a struggle, but I take home the prize.
JUST DO IT! I know this sounds so cliché’, but the truth of the matter is, that’s the only way to get it done. There’s no magic wand, no motivation fairy dust, no one who can do it for you. Make up your mind right now that you’re going to do it and then go to work to make it happen. You can’t wait to feel like it, because even if “that day” comes, it darn sure won’t be a daily feeling.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again…just don’t give up! Every day won’t be perfect and that’s okay. If your plan to run 3 miles turns into a 1 mile walk, that’s okay…give yourself credit for what you did accomplish and plan to do better tomorrow.
This all sounds so basic and simple, but I think we can all agree that it’s not easy. If it were I wouldn’t have anything to blog about…LOL. But here’s what I know for sure…when you are ready…you will do it! It really boils down to making up your mind to do what you say you want to do and recognizing that you’re doing it for your health and for a better quality of life. I don’t know about you, but even when I find myself moaning and groaning all the way through my workouts, I always feel 150% better afterwards AND without a doubt it beats feeling run down, guilty, and tired, any day!
Dee says
Thank you Stacey for those tips. I will stop beating myself up for not meeting certain goals and start looking at my workouts in 30 days or even 7 day increments. For every week and day I commit to workout I will use a visual aid to mark it off. It will truly come down to pushing past my mind and feelings telling me “I’m too tired today lets go home!” If I can commit two years without a problem continuing should really be easy. The hard part is starting the journey now it’s time to make the journey fun and keep it moving forward
Stacey Strickler says
Dee, you are so welcome. You said a mouthful about starting being the hard part. But once you get started, just focus on one day at a time and like you said make it fun! You got this girl:-)