I read an interesting article on Fitness Magazine online about “7 habits of Highly Motivated Exercisers”
I am not a motivated exerciser. I never really have been. But nowadays, I’d rather park my butt on the sofa and watch The Office.
The article has some tips to motivate yourself -
1. Don’t put away your gear
2. turning your commute into a workout
3. Invest in more workout clothes
4. Log your workouts online
5. Involve your causes
6. Make friends with class regulars
7. Create an exercise contest
I don’t know what motivates me. It really depends on the day (no seriously) but sometimes, I really, really struggle with motivation, but then again, who doesn’t?
Last month, work had a contest to see who could workout the most – going to classes and extra points for going with coworkers. That worked wonders for me! Last week, I did nothing but run a 10k. This week, I skimped early on in the week but went to hot yoga last night and went to yoga tonight (anusara based).
Almost every day, I walk to the train station. I then walk half a mile uphill to my store. Working requires me to stand on my feet for 5.5-7 hours running around, up and down stairs. It’s intense – and I love it – don’t get me wrong. But somedays, tacking on a 45 minute workout or an hour and a half class to that? Is too much.
But these are great tips. Maybe, instead of walking to the train, I’ll run (even if it means I have to buy my lunch because there’s no way I could carry my lunch with me). Maybe, I start making a few weekly dates with my runs – you know, instead of crapping out on my runs, I wouldn’t crap out on a pal, but I’d make sure to find the time. I need to go to classes with more of my coworkers, and perhaps I should start logging things on sparkpeople again – because I was doing that at one point, maybe I should do it again – they have a point system. I’m big on the points/rewards – can you tell? Maybe, just maybe, I’ll put myself on a point system, and each month based on my points, I’ll reward myself with a new dress or something from JCrew.
I do know, that I want to get into a habit. I’m so close to that “tipping point.”Where my healthy living is an actual lifestyle not just something I do when I feel like it, but I just can’t reach the edge. It’s one of the greatest things I’ve gotten from reading other healthy living bloggers like Caitlin for instance – who is such an inspiration to me – and had her own “healthy tipping point” (like her blog title). They say that habits take 3 weeks to form. So how about, starting today – 3 weeks from today I see if these following resolutions have come true…see if I can form habits, habits I’ve been TRYING to form for years now but have since been…unsuccessful.
1. I go to yoga 3 times per week
2. I run 3 days per week
3. I eat at home 5 nights per week (at least!)
4. I bring my lunch to work 4 out of 5 days
We’re going to give it til August 15. I’m traveling next week for to this organization’s training (so excited to be one of the lead coaches in CT!!!) so I know it’ll be a little difficult although if I can manage to eat healthy for my meals on the run, then I’ll count it. I’m going to log everything, starting tomorrow – meals, workouts on the tumblr blog and every other day or so here to track my progress. Tracking, I’ve found, is imperative in my own accountability.
I want to make habits. I want to be motivated 99% of the time instead of you know, 75% of the time. I don’t want to just be living healthily when it’s convenient I want it to be my lifestyle. And I’ll get there. By August 15. After all, summer is coming to an end quicker than we think and we all know what autumn and winter bring. Let’s all make summer resolutions. I’m going to hold myself accountable on my sidebar
What do you want to make into a habit in the next month? How do you hold yourself accountable for your goals?
