Sustaining the spring in your step
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The sun is out, the mercury is rising and the threat of summer is well upon us.
Whether you’re anxious about shedding some layers of clothing, or just excited to be able to get out and exercise in the sunshine, many of us experience a little boost of motivation with the arrival of Spring; however, motivation is often fleeting, and while it may be a good launching point, is generally not quite enough to maintain a healthy lifestyle. So, here are my tips for maintaining your fitness mojo, through to summer and beyond:
Do seek instant gratification
Wait… what?
You heard me. While instant gratification is often viewed as a bad thing, the simple truth is that you’re a whole lot more likely to do exercise if you get something from it immediately, rather than some long-term reward.
There are a plethora of benefits that we get from exercise, but it’s important to think about what it really means for you. I know that when I exercise, I immediately feel energised, happy and I manage my stress better. That alone is often enough to get me out the door and moving.
Do get specific about your goals
In the same sense, “being healthy” is probably not enough to motivate you to exercise regularly. General health and wellbeing is important but it can be more beneficial to focus on specific goals that you can attain over short term, medium term and long term.
Some examples might be running a certain distance, doing a certain number of push ups , competing in an event like Miss Muddy or losing a specific number of inches off your waist circumference.
Similarly, don’t just pick goals that are based on aesthetics. It might be nice to have a six pack and while you may get some gratification from it, unfortunately it probably won’t last for long (no matter how many selfies you post). Plus, these kinds of aesthetic goals are not always easily achieved depending on your body, and it can be disheartening to not see the results you’re after.
Pick a goal with something that has a little more meaning and is more applicable to your everyday life – something that’s going to help you play with your kids, breathe easier on your weekend walks with your girlfriend, give you more energy and focus at your work, and make you a happier human.
Do find some activities that you love
When people say “I hate exercise”, I think “really? You hate walking, running, surfing, lifting things, yoga, team sports, dancing, pilates, swimming, hiking, kayaking… everything?”.
You probably don’t, in fact I bet you have a memory of exercise that you hold pretty dearly. Maybe it was when you were in school taking ballet classes, or that time in your twenties when you played social netball. Reflect on your life and how you most enjoy moving your body and do that.
If walking is your thing, check out our list of the best walks in Canberra.
If you haven’t found something you enjoy, get out and explore! There are so many different activities to choose from. Have a look through our fitness roadtests, get onto Google or talk to friends and colleagues.
I’ll tell you now, you’re a whole lot more likely to continue to exercise when you see it as something fun and a gift to yourself, as opposed to a chore. At the same time, remember that often our enjoyment increases as we see benefits and become better at certain activities so give yourself some time.
Do record your progress
Sometimes it’s easy to get frustrated when you feel like you’ve plateaued or you’re not seeing progress like you used to. At these times, I like to look back at my journey and see just how far I’ve come. There is a whole bunch of different ways to do this.
If you’re an apps kind of girl, check out our Five running apps you should download now, or get onto the app store and find something that works for your activity. You can choose from many that count your steps, use GPS tracking to log your distance, or simply allow you to record your reps or activity for the day.
You can even get apps like MyFitnessPal which will allow you to enter your food for the day and count your calories to give you some awareness about how much you’re consuming and burning.
Another option is to use a diary or journal to record what you’re doing and how you’re feeling. This is a good tool to keep track of your progress not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. Plus, it gives you the freedom to record your details however you like – whether it’s your waist circumference or the kilometres you rode on your bike.
Don’t overdo it
If you have been couch bound for the whole of winter, it’s going to be incredibly tough on your body to be hammering out gym sessions 5 or 6 days a week straight off the bat.
Remember that especially if you have been in hibernation mode, any physical activity you do is going to have significant benefits on your health (and help you lose weight if that’s what you’re hoping to achieve).
That means that even if you’re doing a few walks and maybe one or two gym visits a week (or group sport, or yoga, or whatever floats your boat), that’s a good place to start.
It’s cheesy but it’s true: this is a marathon, not a sprint. We’re talking lifestyle change and long term health benefits. If you start overdoing it by overtraining your body and really cutting calories, you might see short-term benefits but eventually you’ll probably experience exhaustion and more than likely plateau – and then what will you do? Exercise more? Cut more calories? Don’t make this mistake.
Don’t be unrealistic
It’s nice to have ambition, but it’s important to be realistic about what’s achievable for you personally, with your body and within your lifestyle.
When I say lifestyle, I don’t mean that you enjoy eating chips while watching The Bachelor – that’s more of a lifestyle choice and if you’re reading this, probably the kind of behaviour you’re looking to curb. I’m talking about whether you have a partner, kids, a full time job, or any other kind of commitments.
You have to work around these and get smart about how you’re going to fit your exercise in to make it a permanent and important part of your life. This doesn’t necessarily mean spending hours at the gym if that doesn’t work for you.
Consider things like getting off the bus or parking further away from your work to enjoy a 20 minute stroll (or cycling to work), squeezing a gym session in your lunchbreak, playing with your kids in the park, waking up an hour earlier to go for a run or go to your crossfit class.
The other unrealistic trap we can fall into is choosing the wrong kind of role models. This is especially true in the era of Instagram when we are regularly bombarded with images of photoshopped celebrities and models.
It’s nice to have goals but if you’re going to go down this road, make sure that you are realistic about it. That means that the tanned girl with DD breasts and a teeny tiny waist is probably not your girl if you are pale with a more athletic build.
Pick someone with a body shape similar to yours or better yet, just focus on being the very best version of your beautiful self and noticing the positive changes that exercise brings to your own body and mind.
Don’t forget to prepare for obstacles
Life happens and things come up. It might be something like that last minute meeting that was scheduled right when you were planning on hitting the gym, or maybe it’s more emotional or physiological – you’re too tired, sore, or feeling flat.
I have two good strategies you can use to combat this. Firstly, plan ahead and negotiate with yourself, by using the “if, then” principle. For example, “if I’m too tired to do my gym session that I had planned, then I will just show up and do what I can”. This is a good way to make sure that you’re still staying active and not forgoing exercise completely, while being kind to yourself. This is also a good strategy to stay in control of your diet.
The other strategy is to make fitness a genuine priority in your life. If something is really important to you, then you are a lot less likely to drop it when life happens. Prioritise your health and wellbeing, communicate that priority with your family and loved ones, and when things come up view it as a challenge rather a roadblock.
It’s also important to remember that motivation and mindset will take you so far, but some days it just comes down to discipline. Show up, do your best, make the most of it and enjoy yourself!
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