Hey to you, my fine and fifty plus friend!

How was your workout today?

If your answer is any of the following, I’ve written this post just for you:

• I missed it today because my day got hi-jacked by (insert reason here)
• I haven’t worked out for a while. I was working out regularly last year, and it fizzled because I got busy/bored/frustrated
• I’m not working out now but I really want to, I just don’t know how to find a way to do it that will stick.

Also, if you answered yes to any of the above, and you feel guilty about it, this post is totally for you.

By the age of 50, most of us have tried a number of exercise programs

And many of us have abandoned these programs!  My clients tell me that they have struggled to make a consistent, ongoing commitment to their fitness.

So let’s talk about how to make physical fitness stick.

Carve out the time

Your time for fitness is time for YOU. And it is SACRED. Fitness is not a luxury to be enjoyed when everything else is taken care of.

Because if you’re like me, a lot of days your To Do List grows instead of shrinks.  Waiting until you have the time, or until everything else is done, to do your workout, is a guarantee that you will never do it!

And this is your HEALTH we are talking about.  When you make time to move, you are taking steps (literally) to improve your health.  What could be more important than that?

So bust out your calendar, and mark off 1 hour each day when you will do something active.

(Note: there are 24 hours in a day!  You are allowed to reserve one of them for yourself!!)  Even if you don’t know what that is yet.

Then say these words aloud.

“My health is my most important asset.

I am committing this time to my own health, and this time for me is a sacred priority.”

Make it FUN!

Okay, so now you’ve got yourself onto your own radar. Your health is literally a part of your daily agenda.

It’s time to find a few activities that you truly enjoy doing!  Does this seem daunting to you? Here are some suggestions:

• Go for a walk with your dog and/or a friend
• Bust out the snowshoes or skis
• Sign up for a yoga class, or a dance class
• Find a program on video or on YouTube
• Join a volleyball league
• Take up pickle ball

Get creative here! None of this has to be fancy or expensive.  Think back to activities you used to enjoy, and brainstorm how you can bring them back into your life.

Or trying something entirely new! Your goal is to be active for 30 minutes each day, and if you’re doing something you like, you might even start looking forward to it.

(See what I did there?  You marked off 1 hour per day in your calendar, but I’m talking about 30 minutes of activity! The 15 minutes on each side of it gives you time to gear up/ get started, and then gear down.  This means that you will always have enough time to be active.)

Show up for yourself

Great.  Now you’ve got yourself onto your schedule doing something fun and active.  How cool is that? The next step is to show up for yourself every day.  It is easy to allow other priorities to take over, especially on some of those not-so-motivated days.

If you committed to being at a certain place at a certain time for a friend, family member or group of people, you would be there!

Now it’s time to give yourself that same respect.  Even on the days when you don’t feel like it!  The more you keep your commitments to yourself, the easier it gets.

Change it up

This step is where you will start to make your ongoing commitment to fitness sing.  Keep changing it up.  So often, the changes come along anyway – for example, you really got into snowshoeing, but now the snow is melting.

Right away, FIND SOMETHING ELSE  to fill the void.

If you really loved snowshoeing, maybe hiking is a good replacement when the snow goes. Or maybe it’s time to dust off and tune up your bicycle! Be sure to commit to a new activity, to avoid the call of binge watching Desperate Housewives on Netflix.

CHANGING PITFALLS INTO OPPORTUNITIES!!!!

Sometimes change comes in the form of a vacation or the arrival of a holiday season.  When you drop your commitment to daily movement, you risk the possibility that you will not start back up.

Plan ahead to stay committed.

A vacation based around biking or swimming or snorkelling or skiing could be really fun!

If you’ll be visiting friends or hitting the beach, find something you can do that keeps you going.

It’s also an opportunity to try something new.  If you’re visiting a friend who is active, ask to join them in their activity.  If you’re going to be lounging at the beach, take 30 minutes to walk along it.  Keep going girl!

Honour your sacred commitment to yourself.

Consider your motivation

Many women feel that they should be getting active in order to manage their weight.  Ugh!  I can’t think of a worse way to motivate yourself.

Yes, physical activity contributes to losing weight and maintaining weight loss, in conjunction with healthy eating.  But it is the worst motivator to get you moving.  Mostly because you’re starting from a place of feeling that you are not enough.

Empower yourself by saying:

“I am enough.  I am smart, beautiful and worth it.  

This is my one and only body, and I’m going to take care of it by moving it more.”

There are so many great reasons to get moving.  It reduces stress.  It can be social.  It’s also a great way to get some time to yourself.  It lifts your spirits. It boosts energy and creativity.  It’s fun!!  It’s fantastic for your physical and mental health.

So take the numbers and objectives out of the equation (except for your commitment to your calendar), get out there and start enjoying yourself!

Reward yourself

Choose some milestones to progress toward that make sense for you.  If you haven’t been doing anything, how 3 days of activity in a week?  If you’re doing some hiking, how about covering 2 km in 30 minutes?  Or for planning a social event that includes movement?

Whatever it your milestone is, choose a reward that is meaningful to you.  Perhaps some new gear or clothing for the activity you’ve chosen.  Some time to read a great book that you’ve heard about.  FaceTime with your friend who lives across the country. A manicure.

RECOMMENDATION:  The milestone isn’t weight loss, and the reward isn’t food.

Celebrate progress

This might be sounding like #6!  It is slightly different.  So often we focus on what we have left to accomplish, or what we haven’t been able to do yet.  It is infinitely more rewarding to think about what you have achieved, and how far you have already come.  Give yourself a pat on the back!  Exclaim about it to a friend!   Feel proud of who you are and what you are doing, and notice the changes that start coming your way as a result.

Thanks for tuning in!  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic – what has worked for you and what hasn’t!  Please add your ideas, experience and questions in the comments section, and I’ll get back to you right away.

Love,

Jennifer

More than Before Wellness