Yes, we’re nearing the end of 2020. The New Year is almost upon us. Traditionally millions of people will make resolutions in a couple of weeks all about how they are going to change their diets and exercise more.
A lot of those resolutions will turn into perceived failures because they will have been created out of a negative sense of self, not out of true readiness to change.
How about, instead of making it a resolution, you go ahead and decide you deserve to feel good and we’ll create a real plan aimed at that goal?
Great, now that we’ve decided that, we can move on.
Here’s what I want you to know: there is no one size fits all workout plan out there.
I’ll say that a different way: just because someone else loves to workout doesn’t mean you will. Just because someone else likes a type of movement doesn’t mean you will. You are unique. Let’s treat you that way.
I always like to share the story about how, in college, I lived across the street from The University of Michigan Rec Center for 2 years and literally never stepped foot inside of it. It looked like so much effort!
I’m not a naturally sporty person. When I played soccer in high school, I was better at attacking the opposition as defense than kicking the ball, and I was quite literally the worst person on my 9th grade volleyball team. I also don’t have a competitive bone in my body.
Working out did not come naturally to me. At 35 I got called out by a friend for being out of breath after walking up a small hill. At 46, I have more strength, endurance, and muscle definition than I’ve ever had in my life because I learned to make changes at a pace and in a way that worked for me. When my husband and I climbed a glacier in Iceland he could barely move the next day and I only had a little stiffness in my calves that worked itself out by breakfast (I admit, I was a bit smug).
I’m going to tell you some of the most important things I’ve learned over the past 11 years.
1. Start small.
If you think you should be able to start working out 5 times a week when you haven’t been to the gym in the last decade, you are about to be very disappointed. Begin with small realistic goals.
Do short workouts daily, or on planned days. You can always increase the time later.
When I began the only workout plan that ever worked for me, I started at 10 minutes every day. I was 35 at the time and had never kept to an exercise plan for longer than 2 months.
I did everything from 10-minute videos On Demand (I hadn’t discovered YouTube back then), isolated arm, ab and leg days, and we even pulled out my husband’s Total Gym that came with a guide that I learned from.
After one month I was amazed to see quad muscles forming. That was my motivation to keep going. I realized I could actually change the shape of my body! That might sound like a “duh” sort of statement, but it was mind-blowing for me at the time.
I was then able to increase to 15 minutes, 20 minutes, and so forth. A few years later I was doing 3-hour workouts at my favorite Pilates and yoga studio – and by age 44 I was back to one-hour workouts when I finally admitted that I was pushing myself too hard.
Another way to start small is to build up your expectations from a slow, realistic pace. Commit to one day this week. Do that for a few weeks, then add a second day. Do that until you’re comfortable, and add another day. If you get stuck at a certain number of days just go with it. That’s probably your current threshold. Honor your body’s instincts.
2. Try different things.
Not sure what you like to do? Start trying stuff. Always hated weights? Don’t start there. So many people give up on working out because they keep trying to do stuff they hate. Stop it! Do what you enjoy, then you’ll be able to maintain.
I won’t bother listing everything I’ve tried over time, but here’s a little taste: I learned that I love yoga, hate HIIT. Learned that I love Pilates, hate bootcamp. Love planks, hate crunches. Love the elliptical, hate the treadmill. I bet you have your own list or can build one pretty quickly.
I know a woman who kept going to the gym with her very enthusiastic fiancé and hated every moment of it. She felt uncomfortable, out of place and self-conscious. She kept going, but it was torture. Then she was gifted a 2-month membership to Orange Theory. She couldn’t get herself to waste the gift so she reluctantly walked into an Orange Theory studio one day. It was still hard mental work, but she did it. She even committed to herself that she was not allowed to talk negatively to herself during the classes as she would outside of them. It was life changing, and she now craves her workouts.
3. Listen to your body.
You have a wonderfully unique body and it needs to be treated as such. You will be able to do things that other people can’t do, and you will never be able to do some things other people take for granted. That’s okay. Your value is not determined by what you can or cannot do.
As I write this, I have a bum shoulder. I tweak it every now and then. This time I didn’t give it the rest I would normally give it, and I’m paying for it. I didn’t listen to my body. I am now. The rest of this week I will only do yin yoga or restorative yoga to give my body a break.
A friend of mine who is crazy competitive ruptured her calf at the gym. She was not listening to her body and the result was that she couldn’t work out for 6 months. Talk about consequences matching the crime.
I once pretty much slept through a yoga class. I would get up and do a flow now and then, but I was exhausted and shouldn’t have pushed myself to work out that morning to begin with. I’m just glad I didn’t snore.
4. Missing one day, a week, a month or even years doesn’t mean you can’t start up again.
Stopping your workout routine because you missed one day is like getting a hole in your tire, then getting out of the car to stab the other three tires.
One day is not a sign of failure. It’s one day.
I was terrified to go on vacation once I had a workout routine in place. I was so proud of myself for what I had accomplished up to that point and convinced that going on vacation was going to be the death of my routine because I didn’t have evidence to trust myself. I got right back into it when we got home, and have never doubted myself (on this subject) again.
I know plenty of people who work out while on vacation. I’m not one of them. I have all the best intentions and find that lying around is way more enticing. And I always get right back on track when we get home. You can, too!!
If you follow these 4 lessons, I promise you will be surprised to find out that you too can be a “workout person”.
I’ll even give you a bonus: Know why you’re working out. If it’s to keep up with the Joneses you won’t keep it up. If you’re trying to get in shape for someone else or for an event, you won’t maintain it. If you’re doing it because you think you’re supposed to, it won’t be sustainable.
Do it because you enjoy it and you will begin a new routine that will lead you to your goals.
(BTW, most of us don’t like going to work out. I’m one of the most vocal, but I can tell you I’ve never regretted doing a workout, and I have regretted not doing one.)
Routines can be tough to commit to when you don’t have support or accountability. As a coach I often help my clients identify their behaviors, create a plan that matches their personality, and provide them some accountability that helps keep up their motivation. If you need the same, you know where to find me!