How to stay motivated to move more consistently.
Do you like the idea of being able to exercise consistently, but shudder at the thought of getting started?
We know that exercise is a necessity for living a healthy life; but did you know that it’s also good for:
Our body
It helps prevent diseases and helps manage type 2 diabetes
Reduces stress, which in turn has a huge impact on our health.
It helps maintain strong bones and muscles to hold our skeleton up
It can reduce the risk of some cancers.
Our mind
‘Creates opportunities for socialising and meeting new people
Helps develop and maintain physical and mental wellbeing.’
It helps reduce stress levels, which in turn reduces blood pressure.
The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care advises that adults should be exercising at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly.
But did you know that exercising 10 minutes consistently a day is far better than exercising once for longer on the weekend? To read about “Effects of Long versus Short Bout Exercise on Fitness and Weight Loss in Overweight Females” click here.
I recently heard some tough love from Social Curator Jasmine Star saying, ‘if you don’t have time for something, instead of saying ‘I don’t have time,’ rather say, ‘it’s not a priority.’
While Jasmine was referring to business, I thought this very appropriate to apply this to exercise.
‘‘Yikes!’’ you say, ‘’but exercise is a priority.’’ Then I say, own it and do it.
Let’s be honest here, motivation to exercise is not enough to keep you exercising. Consistency will.
12 Minute athlete Krista Stryker states ‘By learning to reframe your idea of what exercise is, you can hack motivation, break through plateaus, and make exercise fun again.’
I asked real women (yes, with real families and real jobs), who make exercise a priority, how they do it and these were their answers:
Beverley, a businesswoman, wife, and mom to 2 teenage girls, puts aside an hour every weekday for her exercise starting at 6 am daily before the household wakes up.
Beverley feels that if you put aside time later in the day, then there are too many distractions. She exercises to release the feel-good hormone, endorphins. She calls her workouts maintenance. Beverley combines weights, core and walks.
Julie, a declutter coach from Space and Time, wife and mom to teenage boys, exercises at 5h40 each morning. Julie says that ‘’exercise sets her up for the day. It’s like mediation.
As a clutter coach, working in peoples’ homes to help declutter and organise can be quite physical Bending, lifting, crawling, and stepping over things so it is important to stay healthy so I can do my work’.
I asked Julie what advice she would give someone who is inconsistent with exercise, and her reply ‘’just do it. Anything, something small, something fun and do it often. Don't like to run - then walk, don't like HIIT training - try aerobics, want to do it alone do it, want to join a group. Do it. Do something.’
What advice would she give working moms?
‘Spend 30 minutes sitting down to work out the 5 main priorities in your home and work life.
Look at ways you can let go of all the other "shoulds" in your life so you can concentrate on these important things. Once you have set these important priorities, let go of any physical objects in your home that do not move you closer to these priorities.”
Perhaps you know of someone that exercises regularly. Ask them how they do it. I just know that if these busy women can do it, then so can we give it a go!
So how do you even get started?
But first, I do love a stat result. Did you know that too many Australians are not active enough for various reasons, including poor health, injury and lack of time?
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Bureau of Statistics research found that in Australia:
55% of adults do not meet the physical activity guidelines
44% of working-age adults spend much of their work day sitting
the diseases most closely linked to physical inactivity are diabetes, bowel cancer, uterine cancer, dementia, breast cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke.
National Health Survey results for Physical activity showed that
Only 15% of adults (18-64 years old) met the physical activity guidelines, and 17.2% of 65-year-olds and over met the 2014 Physical Activity Guidelines in 2017-18.
55.4% of adults undertook 150 minutes or more of exercise in the last week, excluding workplace physical activity and this increased to 65.5% when workplace physical activity was included.
24.9% of adults undertook strength or toning activities on two or more days in the last week.
26.1% of older adults (65 years and over) engaged in 30 minutes of exercise on 5 or more days in the last week.
43.7% of adults described their day at work as mostly sitting 22.8% described their day as mostly walking, 19.5% as mostly standing and 13.6% as mostly heavy labour or physically demanding work.
67% of adults were overweight or obese.
47% of Australians had one or more chronic conditions.
Just under half (47.3%) of Australians had one or more chronic conditions such as mental and behavioural conditions, back problems, arthritis, arthritis, asthma, diabetes, vascular disease Osteoporosis - many of which could be improved or avoided through regular exercise.
However, only a minority met the physical activity guidelines with 15.0% of 18-64-year-olds and 17.2% of 65-year-olds and over meeting the 2014 Physical Activity Guidelines in 2017-18.
Of course, COVID has challenged many people’s health, leaving the need to exercise way down the list.
An Ausplay study found that almost 3 in 4 adults stayed active in 2020.
Here are some simple actionable steps you can take to make exercise a lifestyle and invest in yourself to keep exercising even when the couch is calling.
Tips # 1 - Firstly, visualize the fit, strong, healthy person you want to be.
Do you want to be a person that is able to walk up a flight of stairs without becoming breathless or do you want to be able to play with your kids or grandkids without feeling exhausted?
Then make small changes to become that person.
To become that person you have to step out of your comfort zone.
Tip # 2 - Change your mindset on how you see exercise.
If you’ve had a bad experience with exercise, be mindful of how you are speaking to yourself about exercise. Avoid using words like ‘I have to work out.’
Remind yourself about the benefits of exercise and how good you’re going to feel afterwards.
Also, remind yourself how exercise is going to benefit your life, i.e. you get to play with your children or grandchildren or play with your dog.
Exercise is not a punishment to your body.
Remind yourself that ‘you get to work out’ not ‘you have to work out.’ Being able to exercise is a privilege denied to many.
Think of your exercise as ‘me time.’
Exercise is not about burning calories or about looking good, that’s an internal reason for outward appearance. You need an internal reason like feeling strong, healthy, and confident by exercising.
Cecilie Thørgersen-Ntoumani, professor in the psychology of physical activity and health at Curtin University is quoted saying;
"When we exercise for appearance reasons, it's often to get social approval, so it's more external type of motivation,"
But it's not going to be the one that keeps you going in the longer term.
Internal motivators can be things like enjoying playing a sport, valuing the health benefits of exercise or finding joy from the social side of being active.
For me, I find my back hurts less when I move more and walking among trees brings me a peace that my living room can't replicate.’.
Dr Williams, from the University of Tasmania, suggests you ask yourself, "What do I want to be fit enough for? To be able to do?"
Keep your eye on your ‘Why’. Simon Sinek talks about knowing your ‘Why.’ Is it to fit into that bikini in summer, to have more energy to be productive at work or have enough energy to play with your kids or grandkids or do the things you love without tiring, or simply to be able to move better and have stronger bones?
Tip # 3 - Forget about the ‘all’ or nothing approach to exercise.
You can sabotage yourself by saying ‘I don’t have an hour to exercise, so I won’t.’
Studies have shown the benefits of shorter 10-minute workouts or micro or Nano movements, I mention more about this here.
Tip # 4 - Give yourself grace. If you miss a workout, do it tomorrow.
Don’t beat yourself up about missing it, it’s ok, give yourself some grace and then let it go. Life happens.
On the other extreme, because you’ve missed out on your workout, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water i.e. don’t throw the rest of the day away i.e. eat badly because you missed your workout.
Take action the next day to make movement a priority. You deserve it!
Tip # 5 - Write your intention to exercise down.
Writing down and telling people about your intention has been shown to improve follow-through based on the psychological principle of consistency.
It doesn’t help to only think about it, it will stay in your head and not turn into action unless you say it out loud or write it down.
“Goals without a plan is just a wish. ”
Author James Clear of Atomic Habits states ‘A study in the British Journal of Health Psychology was done to build better exercise habits over 2 weeks. It was found that 91% of people who planned their intention to exercise by writing down when and where they would exercise each week ended up following through.
Meanwhile, people who read motivational material about exercise, but did not plan when and where they would exercise, showed no increase in exercise.
Another helpful tip is from James Clear who recommends habit stacking, for example, attaching an exercise to something you are already doing. He uses the example, ‘When I shut down my computer, for lunch I will do 5 pushups.
You are more prone to succeed if you write down your intentions, your when, how and how many repetitions of an exercise you will be doing and place them where you can see them daily, like on the bathroom mirror, where you brush your teeth or on the top of your laptop when you close it or. etc.
On the note of writing down your goal or intent as I like to call it, try to use each intent, and break it up into smaller, bite-size increments using the S.M.A.R.T acronym i.e. Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Timely. Forbes writer Annable Acton added ‘additional tricks in order to make your goals stick and make sure you stay accountable to them. You can read more by clicking here.
Tip # 6 - Personalize your workout for YOU
There’s no one-size that fits all exercise program. Not everyone is athletic. Do what you love doing. Is it cycling or walking with a friend or spouse? Dance class? Group fitness classes?
Know your workout personality: Do you prefer to work out alone or with a friend? Could you have some one-on-one time with your husband or partner and catch up on your day? Or do you need time alone to recharge while out walking?
Find out what really works for you, your needs, your schedule, your body and your mental health.
Commitment creates consistency.
You need to believe in yourself and show up for yourself, just like you do for every other person in your life.
Tip # 7 - Start small
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits states that if you are just starting out, start small by only putting your workout clothes on.
Motivation to do something only takes you so far, making it a habit or being consistent does.
Motivation is tied to how we feel. Stop looking at the hour you don’t have to exercise and look at the 10 or 20 minutes that you do have to exercise.
If you find making time to exercise a pain, think about how you can do intentional exercise throughout your day.
I previously wrote a blog about ‘Simple sneaky ideas to get you moving.’
Tip # 8 - Find a time that works for you and be consistent
Find the best time that suits your energy, schedule and ability to be consistent. You will be more likely to exercise if it's a convenient part of your day.
If you’re an early bird:
Exercising first thing in the morning will provide lasting energy for the day.
Be organized by having your workout clothes ready the night before, and sleep in your workout clothes if need be.
Put the alarm out of arm's reach.
Have an exercise plan for the week ready: if you only have 15 minutes to exercise, but spending 10 minutes scrolling through YouTube to find a workout is a waste of precious time.
If working out at home, have a space cleared just for exercising.
If you can’t work out in the morning and do work out after work, do so before family evening commitments.
Keep a change of workout clothes at work to change into and head immediately to your exercise destination.
If the thought of exercising after work is the last thing you want to do, say to yourself, I’ll just go for 10 minutes. More than often, once you’re there, you will probably do more than 10 minutes.
If you walk, walking outdoors midday will give you the best sun exposure for maintaining vitamin D levels.
If you still have school-aged kids, walk from school after drop off or place a pair of walking shoes in your car, arrive 15 minutes early for after-school pickup and walk.
Exercising after work will help you unwind and take your mind off your work day. So do something that you enjoy.
Tip # 9 - Commit to your workout like you would a doctor’s appointment
Whether you are working from home or from the office, have your workout day, time and location settings on your work calendar.
Have a recurring meeting on your calendar with a reminder at for example 4h15, to give you time to shut things down for the day and get changed and out the door to exercise.
If working from home, use your lunch break to exercise.
Tip # 10 - Show up for yourself, as you would for a best friend
‘’Nobody likes a flakey friend, don’t do that to yourself. If you said you would work out, be a person of integrity and do it.’’ - Dr Morgan
Tip # 11 - Have a variety of options to exercise, not just at the gym.
You can exercise anywhere, think outside the box, be it at your desk; leg extensions, squats, pushups, or triceps dips, taking the stairs, walking the escalator, doing wall squats while brushing your teeth or walking while making calls or having walking meetings.
Tip # 12 - Find an accountability partner, but don’t make it to the gym itself.
I’ve heard of so many people who, at the beginning of the year sign a yearly gym contract, only to stop going by the end of February.
Instead, find an accountability partner, be it a reliable friend, partner, kid, parent or dog. Knowing that they’re waiting for you to show up, is a huge motivator.
Tip # 13 - Plan ahead for success
(a) Have structure to your training.
At the beginning of the week, plan your workouts and then write them/schedule them in your diary. That way you know exactly what you are doing and where you will be doing them each day, leaving no time spent scrolling through social media to find the right workout e.g.
Monday's full body workout - gym,
Tuesday and Thursday are arm days, at-home workout
Wednesday and Friday are leg days, gym
Saturday and Sunday are active rest days: have some fun; go for a family walk, stretch or do some foam rolling - outdoors.
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”
(b) Pack your clothes the night before or pack a week's worth of clothing into a gym bag if going to the gym.
Doing this helps reduces overwhelm of what to wear, decision fatigue, and wasting precious time and also reduces the necessary steps to take action and to succeed.
This limits excuses that you forgot your clothes or shoes, or you don’t feel like going home to get changed.
If you have school-going kids and either do morning drop-off or after-school collection, pack your walking shoes in a bag and leave it in your car. Either walk once you’ve dropped the kids off or arrive 15 minutes early in the afternoon and walk.
Tip # 14 - Have a plan B
If you are time-poor and can’t make it to the gym, do a 10-15 minute workout at home. Try something you haven’t done before strength training, or Pilates mat, yoga, Tabata or LIIT (Low-intensity interval training), or do a Pilates ball workout. Go for a walk outside.
A Harvard study showed that ‘Walking for 2.5 hours a week—that’s just 21 minutes a day—can cut your risk of heart disease by 30% and has shown to reduce the risk of diabetes and cancer, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and keep you mentally sharp.
Create a positive feeling about going for your daily walk: Catch up with a friend on the phone, listen to your favourite podcast, take the dog for a walk too, and listen to nature. Enjoy your ‘me time.”
To download your free Personal Walking Plan, click here.
Tip # 15 - Keep it simple
“ Simplicity breeds consistency.”
If you feel some resistance, it’s probably time to tweak your exercise plan.
Reflect on why you feel resistant and how you can make it easier.
Tip # 16 - Give your brain clear, specific instructions
Dr Morgan says that ‘your body will do what you tell it.
Listen to the thoughts you‘re telling yourself. E.g. Your reminder has gone off, you think, I don’t really want to exercise. It’s no surprise that you don't work out as you are literally telling your brain you don’t want to go, and your brain followed what you told it to do.
Two words you must avoid that have to do with limiting thoughts: don’t and can’t.
Instead say, I don’t care if you don’t want to go, shut down your computer or get out of bed, put your workout clothes on and work out.‘’
Tip # 17- But what if I don’t want to exercise?
Or when there’s something more important than exercise, Dr Morgan said to ask yourself, ‘am I making this decision for current me or future me?’ Most of the time, unhealthy choices are for instant gratification.
Dr Morgan says ‘Exercise is not going to happen if you do not have a system i.e.your exercise needs to have a date, location and time on your work calendar. Women often prioritize other people's wants and needs before their own. That must stop.
When you take care of yourself, your mind, your mental health, and your emotional and physical health, you’re going to be able to take better care of everyone else in your life. You CAN NOT pour from an empty cup.
Think about how good you would feel and how much more energy your will have after exercising.
Dr Morgan says ‘’Think about a time when you regretted going for a walk or doing a workout. Now think about a time you regretted skipping one.
Think about how you’re going to feel after your workout. This helps spark a little motivation to take the first step.
Think about the positive ripple effect exercising has on healthy choices for the rest of the day.
When you miss a workout that you are meant to do also has a ripple effect. You feel guilty, out of integrity, be more critical of yourself and probably go home and emotionally eat that night, because I blew it not working out.
Your exercise routine will change based on life circumstances (COVID proved that)
There will always be a reason not to work out. You have to find a more important reason to work out.’’
Tip # 18 - 2 minute rule
And if all else fails, use the 2-minute rule. Anybody can do anything for just 2 minutes. This comes from the Atomic Habits, by James Clear:
Only focus on the very thing you have to do, to get your workout done:
I.e. shutting down your computer, getting out of bed, turning off the tv or simply just changing into your workout clothes.
Don’t think about the whole workout, just the first step to get there and master that decision to help you follow through.
Tip # 19 - Incorporate active rest days.
Your body needs time to recover between workouts to recover and repair from your workouts.
Instead of going to the gym or doing a home workout, take the family and dog for a walk, stretch, or do some foam rolling if needed.
Tip # 20 - Make a positive declaration over your body
Your words create your reality. Your tongue has the capacity to speak life or death over you. Words have wings. So speak life!
If you want to reach your fitness and health goals, be vigilant about what you speak about your body.
Instead of using your words to describe how you feel, use your words to change how you feel.
Because let’s face it, you wouldn’t talk to your best friend that way.
“Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.”
Use your words as a tool to reach your goals.
“I am strong.”
‘’I am healthy.”
‘’I am beautiful inside and out.”
‘’I am radiant.’’
“ I am full of energy.”
’‘I am disciplined with exercise.’’
“I’m lean.”
“I’m radiant.”
“Look how far I've come. This is not a race, but a journey.”
“Keep moving forward, step by step, I’ll eventually get there.”
“Small, consistent steps over time will lead to massive change.”
Tip # 21 - Celebrate little wins
Even if it’s just celebrating because you drank your quota of water today, you went for a 10-minute walk or you did your workout today. A win is a win. So celebrate it!
This is an internal celebration of an external accomplishment. You don’t need to wait for someone to compliment you for working out. It’s between you and you.
Be proud of yourself.
Which one of these tips are you going to try?
Once you’ve made one tip a habit, i.e. you do it without being consciously aware that you’re doing it, then add another one or two more. Drop me a comment below, and share which one of the above you are going to try. I’m rooting for you!