It’s Time to Let Go of the Excuses
How many times have we heard about the importance of exercise for our physical wellbeing. We have heard how it strengthens our bones and our muscles, our heart and it lowers our blood pressure.
Research has also found that it also improves our mental health. Exercise helps us to clear our minds, allowing us to be more productive at work with improved clarity and focus. And the endorphin release we get when we exercise improves our mood, leaving us feeling happier, which also leads to higher workplace performance.
For those of us who do or have exercised regularly know what all of these benefits feel like. I have known it my whole life. I played multiple sports as a child (and still do) and I worked out at a gym daily, for 20+ years. I always loved the way I would feel afterwards! I was happy, I had more energy, I was also extremely productive!
So, if we know all of this, then why don’t we commit to exercising regularly? Why is it the first thing to fall off our calendars? Why do we feel like it’s self-indulgent to exercise?
When I became a mom and was working full-time in high-tech, my number one excuse for not exercising was that I didn’t have enough time and my number two reason was guilt - for doing something for myself when I could be with my kids. Does that sound familiar to you?
To address the first reason - No Time: It’s true, we have a finite number of hours in our day and certain things take priority over our time. If exercise helps us feel happier, physically stronger and provides us with mental clarity and focus, so we can work more productively and efficiently, why aren’t we making it a priority? A workout no longer has to mean 60-90 minutes at the gym. There are so many options now for a 20-minute cardio/strength/HIIT workout that you can do from your home that gives you everything you need in a workout. Exercise can also mean a 30-minute brisk walk (with a friend or neighbor) at the beginning, during or end of your day. It’s that easy. When we shift our priorities, we make the time.
To address the second reason - Guilt: Self-care, the bucket in which exercise falls into, is a BASIC NEED. There is no room for guilt. We need to shift the mindset to believe that self-care is equivalent to putting a roof over your head and food on the table. If you don’t take care of yourself first, then how are you going to have the stamina, the wherewithal, the drive, the energy, day-in and day-out, to give to your work, your kids, your spouse, all while enjoying doing it. We only have so much to give before we need to refill our own tanks. Why let it run empty? Keep it filled, so you can give your best self to the things that matter most in your life.
You may have started to wonder how do I go about doing this:
1. Shift your mindset: it starts with you believing that you deserve this. Believing that unless you take care yourself first, you will be doing everyone else, who relies on you, a disservice. Sit in a quiet place with your eyes closed and visualize what it will feel like to take time for yourself. Take 10 breaths, breathing in this new way of being.
2. Find the thing you like doing: because if you do something you dread, you may do it for a couple of weeks, but then you will stop. You may even want to think back to your childhood - what were the sports you loved playing and look for them in your local area.
3. Block time on your calendar 3 times per week: Once it’s on your calendar, then meetings and appointments get scheduled around it. Even go as far as making it a different color like RED, so you can visually see that this is an important event on my calendar that cannot be changed.
4. Remember your WHY: When we are reminded of why we are doing what we do, it gives us the energy to keep doing it. Find an object, screen saver or quote that is a reminder to you of why you want to/need to exercise. It will keep you motivated during those times when you are wavering.
So, in summary, let go of the guilt, make exercise a priority and start yourself on the journey to being your best self!
Tanya