2020 and its gym time..again!

Happy New Year to you and welcome to a new decade.  I’ve been through 6 of them…and I highly recommend you settle in, enjoy and make the most of each moment.

Today I am doing a double task on my blog post. I wanted to share a personal challenge and also a few more of my favorite tracks of music.  These days, all around you, you will find a serious marketing push to tell you about a gym, diet, or exercise program that will change your life and make it better!  Other than grabbing us at our most vulnerable and making us feel a bit of guilt to use as motivation to sign up for a membership, it matches with the resolution many have planned already!  Since exercise and diet are so prevalent this time of year and because I know its on a lot of people minds, I thought I’d share my experience to see if it can help.

I never want to be the kind of person who tells you that you must do something.  I have an opinion if you’d ask, but it’s your life, so I believe you should do what you want.  Please don’t read this and think I am judging, because I AM NOT…but if you need a little extra motivation, maybe some of my thoughts can help you.

Over my 60 years I’ve been an on again, off again kind of workout guy! I use my exercising for a number of reasons-from keeping my weight under control to just being able to bend over and tie my shoes.  My current workout is a mix of elliptical and free weights and I try to do that 5 times a week. Since I retired I can’t use the ‘not enough time’ excuse that was my go-to excuse when I really felt too tired during my work life!  Although I have been exercising more regular (thanks Tim),  one constant, then and now, is how challenging it was to just get through those doors.  I had a whole lot of reasons – mostly imagined – for not going inside a gym.  Here’s a couple of them…

• Everyone inside was going to judge me and make me feel horrible just for being there.

This was/is my worst fear.  After a lot of time inside a gym recently, I have learned  nearly every person there is so into their own workout, the music in there ear pods or what’s the latest post on their social media, they don’t even notice or care about you!  Even though their eyes may be looking in your direction, they don’t see you and chances are they are so zoned out, they don’t even know you’re there.

• I will look out of place because I don’t have a gym body.

Every single person who has that ‘gym body’, started where you are today.   Your motivation may be to just been more active and you may never have that type of body, but with each time you visit the gym, you will feel more comfortable in the one you have.

• I don’t have the time to commit

Sit down for a minute and reflect on how you spent your last week. You seriously don’t have 30 mins a day for you?  How long did you spend on your phone today checking out social media?  If you don’t go to a facility you can do something active at home for 20 mins a day…takes less time. Its a good excuse but it is just that…an excuse.

There are a ton of reasons for not exercising that seem valid, if you tell them to yourself often enough. I know because I come up with a whole lot when I don’t feel like committing to a workout. When you get to a point in your head when you’re ready to commit to that first/next workout…grab your music and before you know it, it will be over.  Really! You don’t have to be a gym star on day one.  It takes time for sure, but each time you go add a few minutes more effort. That day will be better than the day before and you are one step ahead of where you were the day before that one.  For sure it will be tough…most things are. When it gets tough, find your motivation where you can.  For me its…MUSIC.  Music is a huge part of my workout.  The music is as loud as I can stand it on my ear phones.  Each song that plays helps me with the energy, motivation or distraction from the pain to go that little extra. (Below are a few songs that help me go that little extra).

The first time is the hardest…and even if this is your twelfth time starting…that’s awesome!  Congrats for starting again.  I can tell you about one important lesson I’ve learnt in my life so far…don’t spend a ton of time beating yourself up for NOT doing something, spend your time celebrating what you HAVE done!

MUSIC TO INSPIRE 

For something to get you motivated and started…check out R3hab & Nervo Revolution !

A good warm up song… pretty much anything from Supertramp, Its raining again  works great!

Need a little extra to keep you going, check out Imagine Dragons – On top of the world

When I need 5 more mins on the eliptical this song really helps…Jordan Smith, Somebody to Love.

the perfect cool down song…Trading Stories 7and 5