What makes me move?
Welcome to my first attempt at a blog! I am continually learning, following exercise research, listening to podcasts and seeking ways to help clients return to activities they love to do. I am hoping to pass some of this onto you as one of the best ways to retain info is use it to educate others. After 25 years as a kinesiologist, I thought I’d have it all figured out – Wrong! There is always so much to learn!
I used to think it would be easy to encourage people to exercise. Why wouldn’t they want to? There is ample evidence on the physical and mental health benefits of exercise; Less medication, an exercise “high”, better at pain relief than some medications, staying strong for fall prevention, staying strong to live independently, and so, so many more. So why is it so hard for some people to move more, get stronger, and be physically active?
Motivation? Accountability? Confidence? Know how? These may be just a few reasons. I am sure you could provide me with as many reasons why its hard to exercise as the number of reasons to exercise. Exercise requires effort – plain and simple. It is not a passive therapy and there is no magic pill. But it is worth the effort. The happy feelings and confidence from achieving something, being strong and increasing heart rate are worth it!
Even I, who loves how exercise makes me feel, who loves the confidence it gives me, who loves feeling my strength, and loves getting outside to move in nature, find it hard many days to get my 30-60 minutes of movement done. So what helps me move more?
Best thing for me is having a friend ask me to go for a run, go for a bike ride, go for a swim, a walk, or do a workout. It’s hard to say no to a friend! So reach out anytime you’d like!
Asking a friend to go (but here again I have to make the effort to reach out). But, I know if I reach out I am more likely to get it done with support.
Accountability. I recently joined a few messenger groups for push up and squat accountability. Just having a few other people say they got their squats or push ups done for the day, motivates me to get mine done.
Seeing other people workout. When my kids go to the gym, I want to go to the gym. When I see someone running down the road, I want to go for a run. This may not work for everyone but I am a bit competitive at times!
Scheduling it in. Getting the clothes ready for the morning workout, setting the alarm, knowing I booked time at the gym or with a friend or wrote it down on my to do list are all reminders and accountability tools that help me fit exercise in to my day.
Writing it down at the end of the day. I keep a calendar – an old fashioned paper calendar – beside my bed. I write down what I did that day – how far I walked, ran, swam, biked, hiked, snow shoed, skied (ok you get the gist). I add it up weekly to see if I got my time in (150 minutes a week!). Did I get to the gym? Other people use Aps like Strava or Garmin or their Fitbit. I also use my Garmin – I love to clock everything I do. Adding it up at the end of the month and the year to see how far I have moved my body by its own power builds confidence.
And there is always signing up for an adventure be it a race, a hiking vacation or a fundraising event to help me meet my goals! Set a goal, for a day or a month or a year. Write it down, share it with friends, share it on social media or wherever helps you to be accountable. And then work towards achieving that goal and enjoy all the small steps you achieve on your way to meeting your big goal.
Let me know what works for you!
