Stick With It

Over our New Year's trip there was a lot of chatter about getting in and staying in shape. Eric has been talking about using the time he was spending coaching football to get in better shape at the gym. Eric is a PE teacher, and he runs around with kids all day (he is one of the teachers the plays the games with the kids)- so he is not in terrible shape, but he really wants to bring more strength training back into his life. Katie was also talking about staying consistent with exercise because she has been trying to get back into hot yoga with one of her friends from high school. During these chats about getting in shape, I realized I have been working out consistently for 3 1/2 years without ever falling out of the habit.

This not impressive for most people. My mom has been working out consistently for probably 30 + years. I've never really seen my sister get "out of the habit" of exercise, or my Dad. I am impressed by all of them and I know it has probably taken a lot of hard work, and a lot of prioritizing to get them there. However, I can't imagine any of them not being serious about their work out schedule.

I, on the other hand, can imagine myself without my workout schedule. I first started going to the gym "consistently" senior year of high school, and I fluctuated between being serious about exercise and forgetting about it for awhile. I would make the New Years Resolution to work out 6 days a week and then I would get sick, miss two days and then give up for awhile. The most consistent I ever was about the gym was when I had a lot of time on my hands- during breaks from school or when I was studying abroad in Australia.

When I completed my student teaching in the fall of my senior year, I would estimate I worked out five or six times...maybe less, the entire semester. I think I was a bit scared that when I started really teaching I would be equally exhausted and never make time for the gym. But guess what? The opposite happened!

It was when I started teaching that I got serious about maintaining an exercise schedule. I started to see how important it was for de-stressing (and boy to teachers need de-stressing!). I started to finally see that getting sick and missing two days does not mean it is okay to stop going for a month. At the gym this morning I brainstormed what I finally did to make me a consistent exerciser. I hope this helps someone who is not to become one. Remember, I was inconsistent like you. It's possible to be that way and then one day just make a decision and never look back...

Here are my Tips:

1. Begin with a reasonable goal.
Do not expect yourself to go to the gym for an hour, 6 days a week. All of a sudden you will lose more than 6 hours of your free time a week. You will be shocked and never stick with it. I think 3 is a great number to start with. Pick 3 days a week that you think you are likely to go to the gym and write it in your schedule. You won't miss the time as much if you start slow.

2. Find a long term reason to work out. This is not true for everyone, but I have never actually lost any weight from working out alone. Back in college, my exercise goal was mainly weight loss. That was not enough motivation for me because no pounds were ever lost until I changed my eating! (I am also capable of losing weight without going to the gym, just changing my eating alone). Now I work out for other reasons: to relieve stress, to help my tummy (working out has always helped my digestive system do it's job), to sleep better and to feel better overall. These reasons never go away and I see results- I see myself sleeping better or feeling better. I did not see myself losing weight.

3. Change it UP.
If you can do the same exercise routine every day and stick with it, more power to you. I cannot. I constantly change it up. In the past year I have done the 30 day shred, trained for a 5k, trained for a sprint triathlon (awesome thing to do if you get bored easily- 3 different sports!), took up spinning, went to yoga and pilates classes etc. I never get bored, and neither do my muscles- I keep using new ones!

4. Pick a time and location you can stick with. Some people feel they have to go to the gym for a good workout, some people only feel comfortable at home. The reality is both working out at home and at the gym will get you a good workout as long as you DO IT. There are days I do not feel like wasting 15 minutes driving to the gym, so I walk on my treadmill or do an exercise DVD. If you pay 1 million dollars a month for cable like I do (Verizon or Comcast), you probably have Free On Demand Exercise TV. You can find Jillian Michael's videos, pilates, yoga, kickboxing- basically anything you can imagine you can find. If you really only have 30 minutes a day, pick a dvd and do it in your own family room. If you are the type that will come home from work and think of an excuse not to work out at gym, bring your gym clothes to work with you and go before you even get home. I used to do this when I lived in my own apartment, except I used my parents house as a gym. They lived on my way home from work so I had no excuse not to stop, do something and then go home.

5. Find a way that you will be held accountable.
I have heard a lot of advice about find a work out partner and I think this works well for some people. However, my schedule is pretty insane and the likelihood of anyone having the same insane schedule as me is pretty low. Therefore, a consistent work out buddy was never for me. However, I do have friends from work who attend classes at the gym with me sometimes. Sure, we don't work out together every day, but we do get each other to Spinning class on Monday night after a long day of kids, meetings and did I mention it's a Monday? So it's no small accomplishment! Another way I am held accountable is through this blog. Sure, you will all forgive me if I miss a few days of working out- but eventually I am going to have to come back to it! If you are looking for some motivation this month, try out my elliptical challenge. I did a biking challenge last month and I did NOT want to be the only one to not meet my goal, so I went to those spinning classes no matter HOW tired I was! Training for a race, a 5k, a sprint triathlon, a biking race etc, is another fabulous way to be held accountable. The possibilities are endless, believe me.

6. Cut yourself some slack.
You will get sick. You will get so busy you can't even squeeze in a 30 minute work out. You might get an injury. You might lose some motivation. This does not mean GIVE UP. This was the *BIGGEST* lesson I had to learn to become a consistent exerciser. There are weeks I work out 6 days a week, others I work out 3, sometimes I may miss a whole week. Take a break, and refocus. If you are losing motivation, try something new. If you are sick, give yourself time to rest and then get back into it slowly. Make give yourself a little reward when you get back into it (a new yoga top?). Your body will forgive you if you take a week off, forgive yourself and get back into it!

Remember, working out is not supposed to be endless torture. I can't stand the stationary bike for more than 10 minutes, so I take spinning classes instead. I am not good at meditative yoga, so I do power yoga or pilates classes. You will never stick with something you hate, so find a way to make it enjoyable (at least 50 % of the time).

What are your tips for sticking with exercise?

*Stay tuned tomorrow for my first Elliptical Challenge workout*