If you have decided at least twice until now to do fitness, Yoga, Pilates, Aikido, or simply a walk in nature every two, three days or anything that involves movement and you did not do it for long, then this article is for you too. We all know that exercise keeps the body healthy or helps it recover and that a healthy mind is most often in a healthy body. But we still very often abandon what we set out to do, even though we all dream of that perfect and healthy body and a state of happiness.
The causes of abandonment are multiple:
- The social pressure to have well-defined muscles or the perfect realization of certain movements and the comparison with those who are already where you want to be.
- Fear of being judged by others for looking ridiculous while practicing the chosen discipline.
- Too many disciplines and the inability to decide which form of activity to opt for.
- Fear of injuries.
- Constant prioritization of other activities.
- Laziness and neglect; ”it goes also like this”.
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Unrealistic and inappropriate goals compared to the age and general health condition
and many, many more.
Even if at first glance fear does not seem to be present when we abandon the activities and exercises we intend to do, the fact that we fail to create a routine of practicing what we set out to do indicates a self-sabotage that very often is based on anxiety and stress, as recent studies show. Or it is the exercises that are the most effective in removing them. So, a vicious circle!
I have prepared 8 tips on how to get out of this vicious circle:
- 1. Take time to find out which sport or activity suits you best..
Do not rush to take this decision. Try several types of activities in various forms to see if it is better for you to practice alone, online, in small groups, or in structured training programs. Also, find out what is the best time of day to do that activity.
- 2. Plan..
Make a plan based on your observations so you know what to expect. Because once you can plan the activity, you can also formulate your expectations, the results you are pursuing.
- 3. Adopt the 1% mentality..
1% of the day is almost 15 minutes. Allocate 1% of the day for the activity you have chosen. Even if it seems insignificant, whether you choose Yoga practice, a forest run, a HIIT or the Tai Chi practice, you will find that the benefits are cumulative and you are gaining much more if you practice daily instead of rarely and much.
- 4. Compare yourself with yourself in carrying out that activity and see the progress from one month to another or from one training to another.
Comparison with others is harmful. Someone else has not gone through the same situations as you and does not have the same genetics or knowledge background as you do. Therefore, you cannot have identical results.
- 5. Reward yourself for what you manage to do.
We all know that we like rewards and for a well-completed program, for example weekly, we can reward ourselves in a healthy way. Not by overeating, but maybe by watching a documentary, a trip, or a pleasant reading.
- 6. Involve those close to you in the chosen activity.
It is much easier if you talk at least occasionally with a loved one about this activity, not to mention the mutual empowerment when practiced together.
- 7. Prepare a plan to implement when you tend to give up.
On a good day when you feel determined to do that activity constantly, make a step-by-step plan with what would help you mobilize when you want to give up. Make a list of everything that helps you get back into that state of enthusiasm and determination to be consistent and persevering. And when you notice that you start to slip on the slope of abandonment, immediately take the paper with the steps and apply them without delay.
- 8. Although it is the last on this list, positive thinking is actually the background of your whole approach.
Be careful what your thoughts are and help yourself with beautiful pictures of yourself radiating the joy of doing that activity, with strong positive ideas about your perseverance and success and with motivational videos.
For almost any field there is something prepared for this purpose online. But your inner dialogue, what you say in your mind about yourself doing that activity, no one can influence but you. So, start acting from the inside.
If you need help in managing your anxiety in this area and the tendency to abandon what you are undertaking, contact me for a coaching session.
I wish you a lot of success in applying these 8 tips and I am looking forward to meeting you!
