If you’ve been following me on social media over the last few months (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), you may have noticed I’ve been trying to put a concerted effort towards showcasing how much you can enjoy your health and fitness while being consistent on a daily basis.
Part of how I program exercise for clients and recommend physical activity is by keeping in mind that the most enjoyable program is going to be the most sustainable. If you hate what you’re doing, you’re not going to stick with it for long.
With that in mind, a fantastic article was published a few days ago that perfectly supplements this idea. The article is by Kath Barbadoro and is titled, “How To Enjoy Exercising Even If You’re A Fat, Sensitive Nerd.” It details Kath’s journey from being overweight since childhood to finding a form of physical activity that she truly enjoys.
What I enjoyed the most was Kath’s reference to a certain “spark” that came out of nowhere, leading her down the path of giving fitness a try to now going for long runs and weightlifting.
I can relate. As I documented in my blog post last week, at one time I had a pretty bad relationship with fitness and food and burned out. Years later, a bunch of life events came together to encourage me to give fitness another try — this time with balance — and it’s led me down such an amazing path to overall happiness with my training, nutrition, and life.
I think that little spark can happen at any time, and what’s most important is that you at least give it a try and capitalize on it. When it comes to your health and fitness, the worst thing you can do is actively decide not to do.
If you’re in a place right now where you’re not terribly happy — whether it be because of your health, nutrition, or something else going on in your life — maybe use this time as a spark to get a little more active and see what results can come from it. Chances are, the results won’t be negative.
One of the better lines in Kath’s article is this:
“When I started exercising, I had no grand plan: I just knew Moving was better than Not Moving […]”
If you’re confused or worried about where to start, just know that there is no right or wrong place to start. Just getting up and moving is best first step you can take. From there, wherever you take that movement and however you grow it can be translated as you moving in the right direction.
Things like getting up from your desk during the day and taking a 10-minute walk, parking far away in the parking lot, or getting back in the gym to jump on any piece of equipment just to move are all great places to start. That may sound like a cliché (the parking lot one gets mentioned all the time) but those decisions 100% work.
In the end, the most compelling piece of content I took from Kath’s blog post was how she so simply and eloquently framed the best way to get yourself active.
“… just go move in a way that makes me happy afterward.”
The way we feel is often dictated by our actions. If you know that you can do something that makes you feel good, go do that thing. It’s as simple as that.
We can reach for things like food and alcohol that may give us short-term happiness. Those aren’t solutions, though.
Get out there and move. There’s no better time than now.
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If you find yourself in need of ideas or coaching on how to get up, get out, and move, contact me and we can talk about solutions.
CG