Find your fit
We all know exercise is good for us - we’re bombarded with information about the importance of keeping active, but sometimes this can actually put us off doing what we know we should! Keeping our bodies moving not only helps our physical health, increasing the fitness of our heart, but also helps to boost our mood. We know we should be doing it - but how?
When we focus on what we ‘should’ be doing we tend to feel a huge amount of pressure. Consider the following 2 sentences. I should be doing some exercise every day. Or, I could be doing some exercise every day. What response did you get with each? Which are you more drawn to? Swapping the word should, to could, removes an element of judgement, and therefore makes it more appealing! When we think about the ‘I shoulds’, we are judging ourselves, and comparing ourselves to others. Who is it who says we should? And why are we listening to ‘them’? These are the questions our brain will ask when we start telling ourselves we ‘should’ be doing something. Which instantly gives us space to start coming up with some excuses! I could, however, is only on you.
When you decide you could do some regular exercise, what would you LOVE to do? What floats your boat? Do you love to dance? Or swim? Or walk out in nature? Again, there are MILLIONS of exercise options out there, but when you focus on the, ‘I should do cardio because it burns more fat’ or ‘I should lift weights to build muscle’, rather than ‘I really fancy joining a boxing class’, we are more likely to come up with excuses. If you can’t imagine anything worse that going for a run around the park, then firstly, you will avoid doing it all costs, but even if you do manage to get yourself out there, you’ll hate it while doing it! Focus on what excites you - what tickles your fancy? Move your body in a way that feels good for you.
This can be all sorts of things, and doesn’t have to be formal. You could simply park your car a bit further from work and walk the last little bit, or take the stairs rather than the lift. Even getting up and walking a lap around the office every now and then! Or dance around your room to your favourite playlist. Simply keep your body moving, and keep it fun! This may mean finding a friend to exercise with.
And don’t be afraid to try different things - what you think you might enjoy, may not be all it's cracked up to be! If you try a dance class for example, and didn’t enjoy it, that’s OK! Try something new! There are a lot of options out there, including a lot of online resources. YouTube is a great place to start, with all sorts of classes you can follow along with. Start small, set yourself an achievable goal. Maybe start with a 5 minute workout at home. Then work your way up towards something bigger. When you set yourself something small and achievable, then you are more likely to accomplish it. When you accomplish it, it feels great! Then you feel encouraged to do more!
So, to cut a long story short - get moving! Move in a way that feels good for you, and not because you should, but because you could!