Moving your body means loving yourself. However, the word fitness can be daunting, intimidating, and overwhelming, right? We know we need “Fitness” but where do we begin? Not everyone is gym junkie, yogi, runner, or cross-fit guru and for most of us, it’s hard to know where to begin. Walking into a class or into a gym for the first time or even the first time in a long while can be super scary. Setting out to go for an attempted jog/run can even stir up insecure thoughts. We get it. So here’s the thing, let’s create FREEDOM from that word fitness and that word exercise. First, let’s adopt the word movement! From now on, that’s our word.
So how do we get moving? Most of us fall into one of these categories below, and we have some tips for you!
You’re feeling….
You have no clue where to begin with exercising. It’s never been a part of your life before. You don’t know what it’s like. Everything out there seems intimidating. Perhaps physical activity was a part of your life, but it’s been a long time and you are afraid that it will be hard to do and that is scary.
What to do….
Take a deep breath. We all begin somewhere. Give yourself grace. And erase the word exercise from your brain. It’s time to add some movement into your life. This can be as simple as beginning to go for a walk in the morning.
Setting a time goal of 15-30 minutes or a distance to a specific street or a certain amount of blocks. Challenge yourself to ONLY take the stairs at work, even if you need to wear your sneakers to work with your cute business attire- imagine the respect if anyone catches you when they see you swapping your shoes at the top of the stairs. Remind yourself this is for you!
You’re feeling….
You’ve got a plan. You start adding movement into your life, but then one day you can’t fit it in, so now you’re out of your routine. You feel like you’ve blown it! So you quit.
What to do….
You try again! Give yourself grace and show up for yourself! Going back to that mindset of… do you cancel on your friends or meetings all of the time? No! You have an obligation, a responsibility, and loyalty to show up for. It’s on your calendar, you show up! Obviously, sometimes things really do come up, but what do you do? You reschedule! Do this for yourself. Write it on your calendar this half hour, hour, or even fifteen minutes that you will set aside for yourself to MOVE! And on the days that you feel like you’ve “blown it” and you’ve messed it all up so you’ll just start again on Monday… erase that concept! You start again tomorrow. Remind yourself that you did not blow it. Maybe you needed a day off, some other balance in your life. That’s okay. Because the whole point is to love on yourself and give your body and your life what it needs. YOU are the most important person in this equation of YOU!
You’re feeling….
You’re afraid to be seen working out. You’re afraid to wear your workout clothes in public or in front of others. You’re waiting for change physically so you can start moving.
What to do…
Girl, love yourself. And what is one of the best ways to do so? Love yourself in your own skin and give your body what it’s asking for! And your body was created to move! Remind yourself that waiting for physical change to get moving… and you’ll probably be waiting around for a while. Yes, you’re eating better, you’re feeling and seeing some changes, but your body wants to move! This is the last part of the puzzle piece. If you’re self conscious in your workout gear, wear something that you feel more comfortable in. If you’re too afraid to walk into a gym, class, or be seen in public walking/jogging/running, try a workout DVD or youtube video in the comfort of your own home. You can’t wait for that physical change to happen to get moving- your movement will become the physical change, you’ll begin to see it, and then you’ll be ready to add more movement in other places down the road. Baby steps are okay!
