By Coach Shawn.
How do you stay committed to your workouts, training two to three+ a week when life’s plate gets full, you feel pulled in a lot of directions or are feeling stress and the demands or emotions of what’s occurring in your world?
What a great question.
A few things come up, that may be relatable, provide stimulating thoughts or ideas to inquire further / test within yourself and observe and implement within your own process.
Here are two lines, declarations, consciously chosen ways of being and daily creations, from my personal document:
I am the daily choices that honor my health, well being and longevity.
I am the environment where health thrives.
I speak these multiple times a day.
They are places I come from (in who I am being) and what I live into each day.
This includes how I sleep, what I eat, walks, alone time, slowing down to be with my breath, consuming less distractions, working with my own coach,
building habits that support my overall well being.
Including my movement practice.
When it’s 7pm at night and I don’t want to do my shoulder rehab series…
When I don’t feel like working out on a particular day…
When I don’t want to prepare a meal…
When negative or disempowering thoughts are prevalent and feel frequent…
I will pause, observe the thought or thoughts that are occurring – and I make a choice.
And sometimes that choice takes will power. It takes choosing discomfort over comfort.
Not giving in to my excuses or limiting stories.
And I often reflect on who I want to be and then I take action.
I get up and do the shoulder series routine.
I change my shoes and begin warming up and moving my body.
I get out the food to prepare the meal.
I drop non useful thinking and ask myself what’s really true?
I’ve spoken with a few people lately about schedules, life demands and such.
And how easy it is to not prioritize ourselves, our workouts if we aren’t scheduling things around them.
A skill I encourage all people to build is scheduling things around your workout times.
It’s less important when you workout (morning, mid day, evening) and more important your consistently working out 2 to 5x a week.
And this isn’t just about ‘getting in a workout.’
(And the workout itself – matters less as well – it matters you did it. Whether it’s a heavy day, a conditioning day, an athletic capability day….we need it all.)
At it’s core…It’s our stress relief.
It’s taking care of my entire body (today and for the future),
It’s the ripple effect that comes out of it (I sleep better, I make better food choices, my mood is better..)
it’s connection and camaraderie,
it’s about continuing self trust and reliance. I follow through. I am being my word with myself.
And it’s feeling better than when I started.
I can come in low mood, lower energy, coming off feeling unwell, and always leave feeling better.
Feeling accomplished.
Feeling supported.
Feeling as if I deposited into my health of today and health of tomorrow.
The love and caring for my body supporting my bones, muscles, heart and my overall mind.
My ability, capability and functionality.
If I keep letting things get in the way, aren’t taking agency of my schedule or my lifestyle habits and let too much get in the way of training consistently I run the risk of my health, fitness and overall wellness declining.
Slowly at first. Then with more time compounding.
And this doesn’t just affect me.
I can’t care for others (my family, my community, my clients) if I am not taking care of myself consistently.
I am in the camp of taking a bold stand for myself, first and foremost when it comes to my health and my fitness. I encourage if that thought hasn’t crossed your mind, to consider it for yourself as well.
Not for me, not for Railroad. For you. For your own well being. For those you love dearly around you.
And keep perspective along the way.
Something is better than nothing…cannot physically make it to the gym…
10 Pushups beats doing nothing. A 1 minute plank hold strengthens your core.
A 1-2 minute wall sit or bunch of Air Squats serves you.
A 10-30 min walk beats sitting all day.
Putting your phone down and writing / journaling / reflecting beats scrolling for 10-20 minutes.
Preparing a healthy home cooked meal, or even a balanced snack beats eating fast food, processed food or skipping eating all together.
A 30-45- or 60 minute workout will always be better, leave you feeling better, than binge watching netflix, working that extra hour or wherever we allow ourselves to get hung up and let our own self care slip off.
Even when it’s early.
Even when it’s late.
Even when it’s inconvenient or our motivation is low or not there.
Choose yourself, choose the daily choices that honor your health, well being and longevity.
We are always the choice.
Loving You,
Coach Shawn