Commit to Fit
So you’ve made the decision to commit to fitness or at least thinking about it. Yeeessss!! I’m jumping up and down excited over here! (Hopefully you are too). It’s a big deal and big step that you’re taking not just your physical health, but your mental health seriously.
Working out is a commitment and like most things that require commitment, there’s some work going into it. I wish I could tell you there wasn’t, and it’s going to be a piece of cake. I’d be lying to you and that’s just not my style. It’s almost like as soon as you’ve felt you made that decision- the world throws everything it can at you to derail you. Can’t control those other factors but we CAN find a way to work with them.
First things first- I’ve always said schedule your workouts- make a time and commit. It’s as important as anything else on your schedule or your kids, family’s, or whatever schedule you regard as incredibly important. Play around with times that might work for you if there’s a few different options. Please be patient as you are trying to find something that works. In an ideal world, I would work out before work first thing in the morning. I get to bed late, and I already wake up before 5 a.m. just to get ready for work. Waking up at 3:30 a.m. isn’t really an option I’m open to at this moment. So working out after I come home and change my clothes is the next best thing! It works pretty well. How I got to this schedule leads me into the next point.
Communicate your needs. We’ve shifted dinner back some because my kids are older and can still finish dinner before bedtime. It took a hot minute to get this situation worked out. I would originally skip work outs because I would be rushing to get dinner on for everyone and make sure all the after school commitments were handled. Although my husband was helping with dinner during this time, it’s just not my thing to work out after dinner and that was the only option I had with how things were set up then. So with some communication my husband still helps but he either snacks or has adjusted his lunch time back to make up for the extra couple of hours until dinner is ready and the same goes for my kids that they get to have a later snack to hold them over, so I’m not making dinner first thing when getting home. I'm using that time to work out.
Make a goal of what how many days a week you’re going to exercise and a minimum amount of time per day if you’re creating your own work out plan. Start reasonably. If you’re starting from zero- maybe start with two or three days for at least 20 minutes. Then set a time to re-evaluate in a month. If you’re inconsistently working out, set a goal of a consistent 4 or 5 day a week goal for maybe a minimum of thirty minutes. Set your re-evaluation time to look at what can be changed and how you’re doing.
DO NOT cancel your workout unless you HAVE to. Like don't cancel because you just don't want to. Like… emergency only cancelation. Your house is flooded, someone is going to the emergency department, etc. It sounds extreme and I’m not trying to offend anyone with these examples. I’m making the point that most people cancel their workouts for reasons they shouldn’t, like we’re tired, we didn’t plan well, oh this opportunity just popped up and I didn’t feel like working out so I’m going to do that! If you do have something pop up that really is conflicting- reschedule the workout at that moment to meet your goal you’ve set for yourself. Shorten the workout if you need to, but don’t skip it completely- I’ve had to do this many times. Instead of a full hour of warm-up, workout, cool down, I shorten my workout but increase the intensity. There are ways to work with some things that pop up unexpectedly the you don't have to miss something else you want to do. My uncontrollable obstacle is traffic takes waaayy longer than normal. This causes me to adjust the length of my work out. There may be some days you have to skip a workout. Just reschedule as SOON as possible! Maybe convert your rest day to a work out instead since you had a day off already.
Understand there is no rush. If your goal is weight loss- it is still going to take time. Even with better eating and a consistent work out schedule, it is going to take time to see your results! That’s ok. I know we all want to lose that weight by the end of the month just in time for that wedding or important event. You can probably make some progress in that time, but a 20 pound weight loss isn’t the best option. If you’re losing that much weight, it’s probably not from a healthy method. Take the time to make the changes that will keep you where you want to be by sustaining a healthy lifestyle.
So…. Who’s getting ready to commit to fitness?? Sparkle Up Buttercup!
