Let’s Get Back to You- We Start with Fitness
Juggling mom life, work and all my own personal stuff requires me to prioritize my to-do lists every single day. All summer long, my priorities were with my family. And that’s fine. Priorities are always going to shift. But I am ready to shift back to myself a little more. And because of that, I am joining you guys to make September a month to get back to me.
So what does getting back to you involve? I’m going to focus on four really broad topics this month. I could spend an entire year delving into each of these, but I’m just skimming the surface here each week in September. I’m giving you some tips and tricks. I’m sharing what I have learned and what I am doing to improve this area of my life. Take it or leave it.
The four areas I’ll be focusing on are FITNESS, PHYSICAL HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH and NUTRITION. I told you they were doozies. I am not a professional in any of these areas, but I am consulting professionals and sharing my findings here on the blog and on my social media.
September is a great time to reset. More so than January even. But in order to be “successful” (whatever that means to you) in your reset, please remember to give yourself some grace. It’s one thing to be hyper focused, but if you don’t forgive yourself for falling off the horse a little from time to time, you might not get back on. Set goals, tackle those lists, get healthy, but remember to be balanced and enjoy the process. If this summer has taught me anything, it’s that life is short. And if you aren’t doing what brings you joy, what the hell is the point.
So let’s get to it! I am starting with FITNESS because that seems like the most natural place for me to start.
Speaking from my own experience, there are two main reasons that I am successful in making fitness a big part of my life. The first is that I always pick the workouts that I enjoy. MAKE IT ENJOYABLE. We live in a world full of options. If you hate to run, why the heck would you make running part of your weekly fitness routine (unless you are trying to accomplish a goal, which I will talk more about below). If dancing is your thing, then find a kick ass dance class or do some dance cardio, the quickest way to make you forget you are even exercising. The biggest marker of stick-to-itiveness is going to be enjoyment. If you ultimately don’t enjoy your workout, you will find any reason to not do it. So find what you love, or at least what you like— I know, it’s still exercising and not everyone shares in my passion for it.
So here is where I can really help you. I post the workouts. I’m going to the studios, taking the classes, talking to the trainers, and sharing all about it. I do this to motivate you to check out a studio, take a class and finally join that gym! So make sure you are following along on my Instagram. I promise there is something there for everyone, even you.
The second way to make fitness part of your life is to MAKE IT NON-NEGOTIABLE. As a mom of three, on any given day, there are so many other things I can put before my workout. I know. I kinda did it all summer. But if fitness is just as non-negotiable as brushing your teeth, then it will become a part of your life once again. To do this successfully, you need to find a way to make fitness fit into your schedule. If working out 6 days a week isn’t realistic, then don’t come up with a weekly fitness schedule for 6 days a week. If you can really only make time for two workouts, then start there. Set yourself up for success from the start.
In September, schedules are changing. New routines are being established. So use this month to get a handle on what your week really looks like. From there, figure out which days and what times will work realistically for you to get to the gym. Be honest about yourself, your life and your schedule. Remember, you are setting yourself up for success now.
If you want to see what my weekly schedule looks like and how I came up with it, I’m an open book (if you don’t care, you can skip this paragraph)— I am still committed to building strength and muscle, so strength training is the main focus of my week, and I plan to do it 3 times a week. I love Pilates and already signed up for 1 class a week this month (paying and signing up for a class is another great way to hold yourself accountable). And I have been missing my outdoor runs, especially when the weather is as beautiful as it’s been this week. So I’m planning to run 2 times a week, on the days I don’t lift. This leaves me with 1 weekend morning free to rest. This schedule gives me some flexibility, which is crucial with my unpredictable life with kids.
Another way I make fitness non-negotiable is that I do it before anyone wakes up, or any businesses are open. If all I can do at 5 or 6 in the morning is sleep or workout, I’ll be more successful about getting my workout in without being pulled in another direction. I’m a morning person, and this is what works best for me. Everyone is different. Don’t make yourself go to a morning class if it’s not your thing. In that sense, I try to avoid evening classes as much as possible.
I am going to talk more about GOAL SETTING when we dive into mental health later this month, but setting a fitness goal is another great way to make yourself successful with fitness. The goal can be as little as doing a push up, or as big as completing an Iron Man. But there are tons of other fun fitness goals in between those two extremes. Get creative with your goals. Of course, there are races of all distances all over the Philadelphia area this fall (Queen of Prussia this weekend; Regan’s Run next weekend; Rocky Run in the beginning of November; Philly Half and Full Marathon later in November). A bunch of area gyms offer challenges that are a great goal to strive for (XTraining has their Annual Challenge in the beginning of October; Orange Theory locations are holding their semi annual DriTri’s this month). I even found a local jump roping clinic at CrossFit Main Line this fall. A fitness goal is a beautiful way to get you to commit, keep you on task and move you forward. And you get a reward at the end. My fitness goal, which I shared on social media, is to increase my push-up count. And my reward will not only be the ability to do more push-ups, but nice sculpted shoulders, arms and back!
I hope that this article, blog and my social media continues to motivate you all to move. And my wish is that something you read in here inspires you to get back on track, back to exercising and back to you.
Up next week: Let’s get back to your PHYSICAL HEALTH.