Are you feeling like you haven’t moved much since the world was flipped upside down? You aren’t alone! It is NOT always easy to stay motivated and now we have a whole new set of challenges we are facing as individuals and society as a whole. Whether you have lost count of what day it is during quarantine, shelter in place has been extended for you, or you are just trying to do your part at home as much as possible, this post is for you! I am going to outline 5 tips for staying on track or even just getting started!
Our first tip is going to be, stop making excuses! You can be understanding with your body and regiment, while still accomplishing your goal. You those of you who are always too busy, have plans, can’t make it happen, I don’t wanna hear it anymore because those fancy ways of saying you just don’t care aren’t gonna cut it. A huge modifiable risk factor for ANY disease, illness, or condition is a lifestyle. Living a healthy lifestyle and reducing sedentary behavior is huge in diabetes, heart disease, and all sorts of nasty stuff I know you won’t enjoy. What better time than now to get moving. You have extra time. Nobody at the gym is judging or looking at you (my cats totally judge me the whole time but I don’t mind 🤷🏻♀️). This is the least scary time to start so now what excuse do you have? Ok, maybe you have some days where you are like not today. I’ll give you that, but that can’t be everyday my friends!
Change up your scenery… yup, I said it. If you are feeling like you just want to not look at the 4 walls of your home/apartment, you can SAFELY get out of your space. Some examples of getting a change in scenery: take your yoga mat to the balcony for your practice, find an empty parking lot at a closed mall and set up your mat for a bodyweight workout outside, go for a walk in your own neighborhood while keeping a safe distance from others, as long as you are being mindful of your space as well as others, you do not have to let your disdain for quarantine stifle your workouts too!
Try something new! You might be like “how can I do something new if I can’t even go to a gym.” Let me tell you, it’s possible. There are countless free workouts online and especially now! Hit up your google machine and look up some free workouts. Maybe you are wanting to do more functional movements or focus on mobility. Get at it! You wanna try a dance class from your living room judgment-free? DO IT! Nobody gonna do it for you so you might as well!
Join online accountability groups or still hold your gym buddies accountable. If you had a regular group or another person you used to work out with, check in on them and continue to hold each other accountable, or better yet, FaceTime/Zoom call your workouts together and still catch up on life like normal during. There are countless online accountability groups that are FREE and not focused on selling you products (be mindful that some will throw around that dirty “S” word). If you filter your search on Facebook, you can find groups in anything you are interested in. There are many groups out there, some are private, but you can still join by answering their questionnaires. You could meet some new online friends and have a judgment-free zone of people you may or may not ever have to meet in person!
Have fun! If your workout isn’t fun, well heck no that’s not gonna make it easier to motivate yourself! If you have been doing the same ole routine, switch it up. Try an online dance fitness class and just laugh and have fun. There is so much happening in our lives that is serious, you can take your workouts seriously, and still have a seriously good time. Find a new playlist with some throwback jams, whatever you have to do to make it fun, do it!
New forget that you are not alone if you feel like the world is out of control. The scariest part is not knowing what the possibilities are for this virus and the world, but I know you can accomplish anything and you should too!
As always, Stay Beautiful, and Stay Healthy!
-MM