Where do I even begin?

You want to make a change but you feel stuck!

• You’ve always wanted to get started on a consistent wellness journey but haven’t, 
• you’re active but not nearly as much as you’d like to be, 
• you were extremely active but then life got in the way and you’ve fallen off the wagon. 

We all fall into at least one of the above categories. Let’s not even front, life comes at you hard and juggling all the responsibilities of our families, careers, social lives, we feel inundated to say the least. So, who has time for movement/fitness and isn’t even trying to factor that into our lives, something of a luxury or for those who are better off? Not at all! The more you consistently dedicate to a lifestyle of movement the MORE energy and clarity of thought you will have to dedicate to your other pressing priorities in life – but more on that later on. This time we want to understand how best we can get started or resume an active lifestyle.

1. What is your goal?– Simple question and so, give it a simple answer. For example, “I want to dedicate 20 minutes every day to moving my body for better health”. Good! Done! Always remember, keep it simple! We need not overcomplicate the goal especially if we find the task to be somewhat daunting. We build up in steps over time.
2. Why do I want to make a change? Nothing is perhaps more important than solidifying WHY you’re deciding to make a change in your life. It must be concrete and impactful to YOU! Perhaps it’s ‘I need to make changes to my health because my annual physical gave me some alarming results’, or ‘ I loved how I felt when I committed to regular physical activity and need that structure again’. It must me a ‘why’ that is front and center on those days that you don’t feel like taking that 20-minute walk or that yoga or HIIT class. It’s the statement that will help you to drop all excuses.
3. When can I fit this in?You have a goal in mind and why you want it, so now, when are we going to get this done? Again, this is a HUGE factor! If you can find a block of time in your schedule that is untouchable, when distractions are at a minimum and you can stick to it daily, you’ve struck gold! That may mean waking up 30 minutes earlier on mornings than the family and taking a walk/jog/run, riding a stationary bike, doing a fitness class on YouTube or from a fitness company you follow. Any movement that YOU ENJOY! Or, you may despise early mornings and feel that a midday/mid-afternoon or evening time works better. Only you know your body and when it will be most receptive to getting this in. You may need to play around with the times – sampling some morning and evening workouts and maybe even creating a hybrid – Monday, Tuesdays and Sundays are early mornings, rest of the week, are for the evenings. The most important thing is that this block of time becomes sacred to you and is non-negotiable. Share it with your family and ask that they give you some grace during this time to get it done. The more people who are aware of your goals and can be supportive, the greater the likelihood that you will remain on track.
4. What will I do?This is perhaps the easiest one of all – the possibilities are endless! However, we always want to start from the perspective of ‘what type of movement do I enjoy and/or have always wanted to do and is reasonably safe for me to begin/resume?’ There are countless people who enjoy running but others who prefer to strength train while others are yoga fanatics. The beauty of movement is that with consistency over time and whatever discipline we choose, our bodies respond by becoming stronger. Additionally, we should align our goal to our choice of movement and consider incorporating more than one modality into our new lifestyle.

With these four points in mind, the most important to keep in the forefront is that THIS IS A LIFESTYLE CHANGE. After we see the benefits we wanted – drop in body weight, improved health markers, increased energy etc., we are STILL GOING TO KEEP MOVING. This is not an 8-week plan to a smaller dress or jeans size – this is a new way of living. With that said, it’s also crucial that we take our time – slow progress IS progress. We want to avoid burnout and injury. We want this to be something we wake up every day willing and excited to do for the rest of our lives because of how it makes us feel and for what it’s doing for us mentally and physically. So, with that in mind, let's work through those 4 questions above and get moving for a better life!