October 20, 2014
Hi Everyone,
If the rain has you feeling down today – may I suggest a four minute pick me up – watch – and maybe even sing and dance along to – “Singin in the Rain!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmCpOKtN8ME
Feel Better?? I do….!
Ok – back to exercise motivation. Week four of our series. You have a clear vision of where you want to be, and confidence that you can get there.
Lets spend some time looking at what gets in the way….
One simple and obvious fact is that you can’t get over an obstacle until you know what it is.
As I talk to patients I am constantly amazed at how the real barriers take time to surface in our conversation.
A patient might say “I don’t have time to exercise” or “I don’t have anyone to exercise with”. As we chat, we discover the real barriers. We then make a plan that considers those barriers. I can see the shift in their face as we create a program that really meets their needs.
So take time today to peel back the layers of that onion. As yourself, what is REALLY going on?
Here are some I have come across:
- Safety concerns– not wanting to go exercise alone for fear for personal safety
- Fear of injury
- Balance issues
- Pain or fear of pain
- “Exercise is a reminder of how out of shape I am”
- Fatigue – ie: untreated sleep apnea, anemia, lifestyle, etc.
- “It’s not like it used to be” – Having a strong exercise or sports background but what you used to do is not comfortable for your body right now
- Low stamina – getting short of breath easily. (Truth – avoiding exercise will ONLY make this worse!)
- Not worth it – “I used to be able to run five miles – now I can only do 10 minutes of walking – it’s just not worth it” (Truth – it IS!)
- Not seeing “results”. That usually means that the scale does not go down with exercise. (Truth – the scale is only ONE measure of success on this weight loss journey. This barrier is a very common one that we have addressed before. See previous emails or email me for more thoughts if you find this is a big one for you)
- Getting on and off the floor is painful, difficult
- Myths – it has to be hard, no pain no gain, I have to sweat, I need to exercise at a gym, etc.
- Boredom
- Sweat
- My spouse/friend is a marathon runner and keeps pushing me to run
- Not having exercise cloths that fit
The thing is, when we know what is REALLY stealing your motivation, we can make a plan that you are motivated to do. It might mean changing where you exercise, who you exercise with, what you do, how long you do it for, and how hard you push. It might mean a new way of thinking about exercise.
Either way you slice it – when you tackle real source of low motivation- magically more motivation to exercise will appear.
I have seen it happen.
Take the time this week to uncover what is really stealing your motivation. If you are stuck with a solution to try, email me and I will send you some ideas. If you have ideas, post a comment.
Keep Moving, Be Well
Janet
Keep Moving Weekly 