My neighbors that drove down our road the other night probably thought I was a little crazy. It was after 7 PM, and I had supper cooking in the oven. I was also prepping the next day’s supper on the stove. I had been in front of a computer screen most of the afternoon, and I really felt the need to get in a workout. What did I do? I took to the driveway with my phone in hand and a timer set at 5-minute intervals to remind me to check on the supper. At first, I wasn’t really sure what my workout would be. I opened up Pandora, because music just makes it better. My go to music for an intense workout was playing. What’s my go to you may ask? The truth is, I love Christian rap when I need a pick me up! At that point the tone was set. I started off down the driveway at a brisk walk. Then I made the turn and jogged back up the driveway. I alternated walking and jogging, skipping and side shuffles, and then decided to add arms. That’s probably where the neighbors thought I had lost it!
Let's Go!
At that moment though, I didn’t care. I was in the zone. This was my moment to unwind, to do something positive for my mind and body, and to gain strength in the process. As I started out, I was tense. I was feeling the pressure of the day and knowing at 7 PM it was time to eat. I also needed to finish some housework, feed the animals, and prepare for a good night’s rest. I noticed something, though. As I walked, jogged, and moved to the beat with arm exercises, skips, and shuffles, I was feeling more alive and energized. I allowed myself to just live in the moment and release the tensions. You know what? It felt amazing.
You may be wondering, “Ok, how do I get to this point? There is no way I’m jogging and certainly not skipping down a driveway.” The answer is baby steps. Even though I have been active for the majority of my life (thank you, Dad, for instilling that in me) there have been times that I was back at square one…taking baby steps.
Are you able?
First of all, in order to be involved in physical activity, you have to be able. The truth is some of us have limitations. Some are not physically able to participate in high intensity workouts, and quite honestly, sometimes we don’t feel well enough to participate in exercise. One of the moments when I was back at square one was when I had a partial thyroidectomy. My anxiety was through the roof, I was struggling with panic attacks, and some days the extreme fatigue made me feel as though I couldn’t function. At that point, addressing the root of my problem was more important than running and skipping down a driveway. A slow walk or stretching would have to be sufficient as I made the necessary dietary and supplement changes to get my body the nutrients it needed during that time. Being honest, that was hard. I had just been in a place where I felt as fit as I ever had been to the point of feeling my weakest. I also felt back to square one when I broke my foot last year, but that’s a post for another day! If exercise has not been a part of your life or you are dealing with a medical condition, it is best to speak with your physician about your ability to incorporate exercise into your life. Once you know you have the ability, sometimes it takes working through the feelings and mental side of exercise to make it happen.
Find What You Love
Next, you have to find what you love. Do you love walking? Dancing? Running? Weight lifting? Body weight exercise? HIIT? Yoga? Burpees…ok, does anyone really love burpees? Or a combination of them all? The truth is, if we don’t love it, we probably aren’t going to do it. Everyone has different likes and motivators. I am motivated by a challenge, so the exercises that I do sometimes change depending on the challenge I am focusing on at a given moment. Some people do better working out with friends or at least having a group they are accountable to. The point is, find something that you enjoy doing and will be motivated to incorporate in your life. It doesn’t matter if it’s having a dance off with your kids or taking an evening walk after dinner, being active is shown to improve mental and physical health.
Make Time
Then we have to make the time. Yes, this can be the hard one. We lead busy lives and finding time between shuffling children to school, work, after school activities and sports, cooking supper, and falling into bed exhausted can be the most difficult task of all. We normally will make time for things that are important to us. Sometimes it may mean being the mom or dad that walks around the ballpark or field while children are at practice. It may mean grabbing a quick workout during your lunch break or getting up earlier to get those active minutes before they are stolen later in the day. It’s ok to have those times in our lives where we struggle with consistency. I’ve been there too. We want it and strive for it but just can’t seem to get the time to reach our activity goal. The important aspect is that we try. We also need to show ourselves grace when we are in those extremely busy times in life. That doesn’t mean that we lose sight of our goal. It just means that we are not going to put undo stress on ourselves for not being as active as we would like.
Accomplish It
Finally, we just have to make it happen. We are cleared and able to do at least some type of physical activity. We have decided what we will enjoy. We have carved out the time, and now the opportunity has arrived to put it all into practice. Guess what… You might start with a bang and then your motivation wanes when you get sore. Maybe you get discouraged because you aren’t making as much progress as you would like. DON’T QUIT!!! You are going to have hard workouts. You are going to get discouraged. You are going to get frustrated, feel like it isn’t making a difference, and want to quit. DON’T GIVE IN! If you do, you miss out on what you can gain from perseverance… the mental fortitude from overcoming, the physical strength and endurance, the confidence that comes from overcoming something hard, and the pure joy and relief like I felt last night as I hopped, skipped, shuffled, and pretty much danced down the driveway. It was exhilarating, and I want you to have that same feeling! It’s so worth pushing through those tough times to have moments like that. I know it can be hard, but the benefits are so worth fighting through the hard and making time in your day for physical activity.
Yes, You Can!
I realize that incorporating exercise into your day may be easier to put in writing than actually make happen in a day. I also realize that obstacles arise, we find an area where we are vulnerable, and we hit places that can be mentally and physically hard to push through. I understand all of this because I’ve been there myself. What made the difference for me is I’ve had a great support system in my life. I know, however, that without their encouragement and sometimes unwanted nudging, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Over time I’ll be sharing some stories of my growing pains with the hope of encouraging you because that’s really what I’m passionate about…Encouraging you to reach the goals that right now may just be a wish.
