They say that love can move mountains. Well, if you discover an activity that you love, it can convince you to move more, too — even if you’ve never enjoyed exercise in the past.
During your OYNB challenge we ask you to set yourself a physical challenge, preferably something that gets you to focus on your fitness as a priority. For many, this leads to some head scratching. What is the best physical challenge for me? You may not have much experience with exercise and feel concerned how you will keep yourself motivated to stick at it. The best way to do this is to discover the activity that makes you tick.
Setting your goals
For many of us, the beginning of the year is a refreshing start. An inspiring time where we feel like we can accomplish everything we set our minds to and take a leap of faith we never imagined. With motivation and good intentions high. It’s common for people to come with a simple goal of losing weight.
So many of us go all out and go from zero to 100mph so it’s not surprising we fall away from our good intentions just a few weeks into the New Year, research shows just 9% of us achieve our new year’s fitness resolutions. People also tend to think that it’s achieved just through eating better or exercising more, that is definitely true and a great start but to make a real change you need more.
Creating a routine you can stick to
So if this is the year that you want to get back to a fitness routine, one that not only helps you make exercise and good nutrition part of your everyday life, but one that helps you improve every aspect of your life how do you make this a reality? They say that love can move mountains. Well, if you discover an activity that you love, it can convince you to move more, too — even if you’ve never enjoyed exercise in the past.
The hardest thing about fitness goals and the reason so many people fall off the wagon is that people focus on something meaningless like a number on the scale. You need to ask yourself how will this change my life? Give the goal meaning. For example, I want to feel more confident dating, I want to improve my back pain, or I want to be more active and enjoy weekend bike rides my kids.
Finding your passion
When it comes to our work and hobbies, most of us understand that if we’re going to stick with something and get good at it, we need to have some passion for it. Yet few people apply this concept to their fitness pursuits: Instead, they slog through routines that bore or frustrate them when they could be enjoying fun, active pastimes that engage their bodies and minds, and stoke their spirits.
I think most people define exercise far too narrowly. People assume that enjoyment is irrelevant, and that exercise is something we may not enjoy but is good for us, so we must do it. Think outside the gym, maybe in the past you loved riding your bike, gardening going for hikes. All those hobbies count as exercise if you do them deliberately and at an intensity that gets your heart rate up and your muscles working. Don’t overlook fun activities because you don’t consider them fitness related.
Say you go out for a run, and you find it painful and boring you’ll assume you hate exercise because you hate running. This is the mistake many people make when it comes to fitness: People assume they dislike all exercise because they haven’t found that one thing that really inspires them. And that’s a shame life is too short to hate what you’re doing.
Three questions you need to ask yourself
To help find your perfect exercise match it requires both self-reflection and experimentation. Here are 3 questions to help you get a better understanding of where your own true fitness passions might lie.
1. What were you passionate about as a child?
Were there sports you enjoyed playing when you were little? Did you dance? Climb on monkey bars? Swim? Jump rope? Perform gymnastics? Try to recall what active pastimes gave you the most satisfaction.
2. Where are you most happy?
Think about the places you like to be. Are you more comfortable outdoors or happier at home in front of the TV? Nature lovers might find their fitness passion for local hiking or biking trails or working out in a park with friends. If you are happier alone watching TV or listening to music, you might be happier training using an online app.
3. What are your fitness goals?
Give some thought to your reasons for exercising. Are you interested in getting stringer or dropping weight? Do you have a specific goal, like running your first 5K, benching a certain weight, or doing a pull-up? Are you just looking for enjoyable activities that get you moving?
Knowing your goals, and gearing your activities toward them, helps ensure that your workouts are both satisfying and successful in their outcomes. Because if you’re trying to lose weight but pursuing a low-intensity routine more geared to general health, your outcomes are unlikely to feel 100 percent rewarding. If you’re trying to manage stress, training for an ultramarathon may not be your best bet.
Now what are you waiting for get off your butt and go have some fun!
Liz Barker founder of Fit for Living offering fitness and wellness coaching and retreats. Fit for Livings uniques coaching programs take a 360 degree approach to wellbeing looking at exercises diet, lifestyle and sleep. If you would like to find our more Liz is offering a free 20minute video or call consultation. To book email [email protected].
An entrepreneur and former senior oil broker, Ruari gave up drinking after excessive consumption almost cost him his marriage, and worse, his life. Going alcohol-free improved his relationships, career and energy levels, leading to him founding OYNB to provide a support network for others.
