It’s time for Spring Training 2023!

Each year on Keep Moving Weekly we turn the struggle with motivation to exercise through the winter into Spring Training. We do it right before daylight savings time to be ready for that sudden change in daylight.

Spring is that great time of year when you WANT to get out and do stuff! But if you have been hibernating all winter, your “use it to keep it” body says “Nope!”.

This year, let’s add another layer onto that body training, to ensure your Spring Training keeps you mentally and emotionally fit all winter long too.

We are dealing with what has been lost as a result of the pandemic, in addition to the ‘normal’ life challenges. Winter can be a great time to recharge. Exercise that is not just for your body, but for your mental and emotional health too can be an all in one tool you can use to emerge in springtime feeling stronger all over.

1. Ask yourself what you need most right now . Just brainstorm and see what comes up. Better sleep so you have more energy? Calm anxiety? Feel more hopeful, less depressed? More confidence you can move with less pain?
2. Choose a type of exercise that gives you that. It comes from knowing how to exercise in a pain-free range, at a level that gives you energy and you enjoy. We often need to get creative, but there are many options out there, so don’t give up hope at this step. If you need help, post a question in the comments and I’ll offer some suggestions.
3. Put that exercise at a time of day when you could use it most. Maybe at the start of your day, or before dinner, or after brushing your teeth. Think of it like a vitamin you are taking to treat a challenge you are having right now. It may not be the cure, but if it helps even a little, you are moving in the right direction.

REMEMBER: Consistency is more important than intensity or duration! That ‘use it to keep its body and brain’ need constant reminders of what you want to keep. Even a few minutes a day is enough of a reminder!

Before you turn your clocks this weekend, make your Spring Training 2023 plan. Writing it down and sharing it with someone are two ways to boost your self-motivation to put it into action.

Post your questions and comments and let’s support each other to keep moving and be well this winter!