photo credit: Rennett Stowe via photopin cc
I’m going to talk about the elephant in the room. That is the idea of being uncomfortable or rather, the discomfort with feeling uncomfortable. All too often, people have every good intention of being successful with starting a regular exercise program. They have clearly identified why they want to get active, they have support systems in place and they have a backup plan for when circumstances get in the way.
So where do these good hearts go wrong?
They have not prepared themselves for the “uncomfortable-ness” of physical activity. I recently read an article about a woman who began running at the age of 48. She was told by her doctor that she would never be a runner yet she went on to become a champion of ultramarathons in her age bracket. When asked about how she felt when she first started running, she said it felt horrible and that she can empathize with people who hate the feeling of exercise. She says that you have to get beyond the yucky feeling part. It takes a bit of time, patience and acceptance of where you are in your fitness journey. The other thing she said that sparked my interest is that her friend who encouraged her to begin running in the first place was so much fun to be around that she just wanted to hang out with her. She was able, then, to find her fun in fitness.
If you find yourself struggling with maintaining a consistent exercise program, here are 3 tips to chew on.
Go easy on yourself. Anything you do is better than nothing at all, remember? So no more hate talk and show yourself some love! Create some positive affirmations that you can repeat to yourself when you are feeling funky.
Find your fun. Ease up, sister! For lasting commitment, there has to be some sort of good feeling in the behavior of exercise. While you may not technically classify exercise as fun, you should be able feel the good vibes, man. Especially when it is over. Many live for the moment that the workout session is done!
Learn to embrace the “yuck” factor. Sometimes it just feels icky to start moving. Your brain is protesting with all the things you should be doing instead. Shut it off!! Tell yourself it feels good to feel so bad! Play the mind game of getting your thoughts off of what you are doing. Listen to your favorite, podcast or book while moving your body. Even highly active people report feeling less than enthusiastic on certain days. You are not alone. Get used to the feeling, accept it and keep going. It does get better.