13 Tips for Getting Over the Hump of the Exercise Hill

 

This week I have started running again after an 8 month hiatus.  Before that hiatus I had been struggling to get my mojo back while recovering from a herniated disc that left me with a dragging leg.  I was slowly adjusting to bearing more and more of my (unfortunately increased) body weight using an antigravity treadmill and twice a week physical therapy.  After I had finally started pounding pavement I was blessed with pregnancy and my best laid plans sunk like a massive stone.  I went from running a 10k every week to rolling around on a chaise lounge like a narwhal.  A narwhal that likes to eat peanut butter with a spoon out of the jar.

Now I am at it again adjusting to running, and I feel the pain of an untrained body, the burn of lactic acid in my quads.  Today I didn’t really want to go on a run since I was up half the night with Baby Boy and my running pants feel like sausage casings.  But my sister (and usual running partner) wanted to go.  She is running a year-long virtual race and I didn’t want to let her down, so I went despite all of the excuses I wanted to come up with.  I was slow and I had to keep stopping to help my 5 year old with his monster scooter.  Altogether I made it a painful mile and I was glad I went—it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

I remember when I first started almost 6 years ago, and how I could barely run around the corner without hyperventilating and stopping tripod style, hands on knees, wishing that I had never left the house.  It took a lot of mental self-prodding and progressive commitment to get to the point where I felt like a “runner” and craved the feeling of hitting the streets, wind in my armpits and endorphins in my veins.

It is hard to get over “the hump” of making an exercise habit.  There is a part of your mind and body that wants to stop the demand of training and take you back to somewhere safe, where yoga pants are comfy for binge-watching Netflix and the only sweat you see is on the outside of your glass of Diet Coke (or the inside of the wrapper of your hot burrito).  You must defy that part of you and keep trying until it becomes who you are and what you do.

Things that have helped me defeat exercise procrastination:

1. Schedule it in every week.  Hit the frequency and duration you desire by clearing your calendar, booking a class, arranging childcare or a meetup, etc.  Making an external commitment helps keep you from cancelling your date with fitness.
2. Find secondary wins. The more you get out of your experience the more likely you are to stick with it and look forward to it.  Positive feelings snowball and accumulate.  When I bike to work I save money on gas, improve my mood with sunlight, and save time by combining workout time with commute time.  And when I meet a friend to bike on the way I also get social time!
3. Keep setting goals. Give yourself a milestone to reach.  And once you’ve reached it set another.
4. Sabotage the saboteur. Cut your excuses off before you can make them.  Write down all the reasons you might give yourself not to exercise and the workaround you can use when they present.  Here is one of my examples:

Saboteur Me: “It’s too rainy outside.  Might skip the run today.”

Smart Me: “Oh-no-ya-don’t.  You can get out the rain cover for the jogging stroller and wear a hoodie.  Or you can pay the small fee to run indoors on the treadmill at the public pool.”

5. Set yourself up for success. Give your body and mind a chance to be good at being active.  Get plenty of sleep, eat right, save energy for workout time, and be safe to prevent injury.
6. Give yourself credit for activity, not just “workouts”. Everyday things like yard work, grocery shopping, and cleaning are exercise.  Get some chores done while you get fit.
7. Change it up. Cross training is good for your body.  Find different ways to move and different places to do it to keep from workout burnout.
8. Track it. Keep an exercise journal, spreadsheet, or use an app to see how far you’ve come in your journey.
9. Share your struggles and successes with others. Talk about it and surround yourself with people who are supportive.
10. Celebrate your milestones. You deserve to feel good about working hard.
11. Integrate activity into your identity. If you dance call yourself a dancer.  And if you aren’t quite ready for that yet be okay with telling everyone “I do Zumba.”  Proudly wear your freebie T-shirts and use your water bottles from the events you attend and places you’ve exercised.
12. Be okay with making mistakes. Don’t let a setback derail your efforts.  Instead use your experience to avoid failure in the future (see #4).
13. Give yourself permission to give up. Sometimes one type of activity just doesn’t float your boat anymore.  Competitive body building or curling or trick water skiing can’t be for everyone.   It’s okay to break up with your workout routine, although you shouldn’t stay single.  Find another exciting rebound exercise right away!  There are other fish in the sea.

I am trying to take my own advice.  I will be revisiting these mantras over the next few months as I try and reach a goal of running a race by the end of summer.