These last few days I have not wanted to get up and go workout or even take a walk. It hit around 40°f outside where I live, but the sun did not want to come out and play and if it did, then it was 13° to 16°f with windchills around -20°. But what was my reason for not wanting to get up and go workout if that's indoors? Do I even need to give one - you all know how it goes:
The bed is warm, and I found my comfy spot It's a day off where there are no expectations to jump out of bed, or do anything at all
"There's always later, or maybe even tomorrow"
I work out all the time, who cares if I miss today? Or
I've been working out consistently every week for the past however long, who cares if I miss today? Or even better -
Who will know if I miss today...?
Whatever the reason or let's call it whatever it is - an excuse, we can and will produce. We all do it, no need to feel shameful while reading this. And yes, even I, who loves to work out, felt this way. The last few months have been harder than ever if I'm honest.
I have mentioned in other posts about having coaches, and mine are primarily fitness, but they use that as a vehicle to steer individuals through obtaining other goals in their life at the same time. They align the individual's life this way and focus on what the person enjoys doing step-by-step. Everything in our lives is connected, whether you want to believe that or not, but if you don't believe it, I'd really like to hear you out on it. (But for now, I'll move along, and we can elaborate more later. ) However, for myself, I find this kind of accountability to be extremely helpful when you have stopped and restarted with losing weight or hitting a specific metric or goal multiple times, or you're just trying to be an overall healthier/happier person long-term. And having someone to help you with accountability prevents you from being stuck - I didn't say from getting stuck, that depends on you, but should you genuinely want the assistance, they will help pull you out of that mud pit every 1, 10, or 20 times you trip into it. And don't be put off by the fact that your coach, may have 1+ coaches themselves. In fact, they should because that proves they want to continue to progress and be better as well. And when they are better, they can train you better. It's a circle of life! Great coaches do not think they are the end-all, be all of fitness or life - they just have some gold wisdom from the experiences they've had and want to share it to avoid others from being discouraged or stuck where they were in life. Totally acceptable kind of "cheat sheet" if you ask me 🤗
So then, why wasn't I motivated to work out?
Listen, I am one of the most encouraging people I know, but also the worst self-critic, but I think I'm getting better (I'll check in with my Coach this week on it haha continuous goal). As I've written about learning to be OK by saying no to other people and situations, we must learn to say no to ourselves, and this is one of those times.
No, I will not lay in bed instead of working out
No, it doesn't matter if I have no other expectations. I have goals and they are important to me so I will get up and go work out (if they aren't, ask yourself why they are considered "goals")
No, I don't "work out all the time" that is a self-destructive habit of justifying this isn't important and creeping up to deter me from moving forward
No, it does matter if I miss today. While nobody else may know, I will know, and I will be disappointed. Therefore, I will not set the tone for my day this way
Then what helps me to continue going with my fitness goals? A few things:
1. Understanding the differences between -Inspiration - Motivation - Discipline, which one I do need, when do I need it, or can tell which one is lacking:
a. Inspiration is more of a feeling for wanting to do something
b. Motivation is the "why" behind an action someone takes
c. Discipline is the practice or actual follow-through
So, when you review those definitions, discipline would be the most important because that is the one that will get you clear results, or success towards any goal/focus. Inspiration is the least important out of all three (3), but I won’t say that it’s not important at all. Why? Everyone gets inspiration to exercise and eat healthy time to time, but inspiration can be fleeting if you allow emotions to solely run the show. It’s good to get a balance of all three (3)
2. Having trackable progress and accountability. I know some people tend to make fun of those who use fitness tracking devices or apps for their nutritional intake, but why? If you are trying to do something or acquire a goal, how do you measure your progress - if you're truly serious about doing so? Maybe the people who make fun of this don't have a tough time with their nutrition or exercise that they feel they don't need to help anyone who might be struggling; therefore, don't need to even attempt to understand, but who knows, so back to myself --- I'm a data girl. I like trends and when I can track what I'm doing, trend it and see what's working or not, then there are no discouraging surprises if I gain a little weight back or something isn't happening as quickly as my brain expected it to. Plus, data doesn't lie unless you lie and skew the statistics you've first entered and then, you should be discouraged.... from lying. Otherwise, enter everything and just keep progressing. That's it - they're numbers and it's science. Again, that's where having a Coach is nice and when you take progress pics, they help advocate for you when your brain won't. Especially when you can reach out to them and tell them how you feel, and they will talk it through. A great Coach doesn't shame you; they guide and help you. And as for the rest of the people, they're being ignorant so just ignore them. Brilliant, and easy!
3. Finally - HAVING FUN! Yes, this is my ultimate goal this year, to do everything I want to accomplish in a fun way. If I'm not having fun, what is the point? I hate being miserable, negative, and disingenuous; therefore, I will not do anything that contributes to any of that.
So, to wrap this up, you're not always going to be inspired, motivated, or even disciplined, life happens. But also - nobody is perfect, so stop shaming yourself for that. If you do give into your thoughts and miss your work out or eat more calories than you should, don't ruminate on it and continue to have a dreadful day. Instead, you can either reschedule the workout for later in the day and look forward to it, or you can decide that tomorrow's another day because you already have it scheduled anyway. As for the calories, just get back on track. The lovely thing about eating is we have multiple meals in a day, so just make the next one better. And if you feel that you trashed dinner, guess what? In less than 12 hours, you'll have breakfast :) Just don't get stuck in that rut and miss or trash out two days in a row. Everything in moderation, my friends! However, if you do start to see yourself digging that rut, reach out to someone and talk about it, AKA: get outta your head! Start finding what works best for you in making those health and fitness goals, and then get to crushing em! Maybe even get a coach... I might know a girl who may or may not be getting into that :)
Remember: It doesn't have to be miserable or dreadful and you don't ever have to do it alone, we got you!
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I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic - feel free to post below 😎
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