The feeling of ‘meh’ for health and fitness happens to most people at some point. Decreased motivation, lowered or no interest and the feeling of you just can’t be bothered can drag you down.
We often hear the solution to this being to ‘connect to your why’ to bring back that spritely spark in your step. But, we need to go a step further to really kick this rut once and for all and get past the surface layer stuff.
If you can go a little deeper and uncover what’s really going on then connect to your emotions and what is meaningful for you a little more, this can help you break free of the rut.
Here’s How You Do It:
STEP 1 – IDENTIFY WHY YOU FEEL THIS WAY
Is the rut due to boredom, lack of an appropriate exercise plan for your needs, are you too busy, too tired, see no benefit for your future in doing a regular plan?
If you give a little time to answer this from a deeper place, you will uncover the real reason, then go from there.
You may think you are too busy, but the real reason is that you were bored last time you did something, or it was not the right plan for your body, or you were dealing with a lot of external stress at that time.
Or, you simply have never done anything because you feel no benefit for now or your future enough to drive the behaviour change. (Read on, we will get to deeper connection shortly.)
By the way, you can solve all these reasons swiftly with the right guidance. Once you unlock the deeper stuff and get to the root causes, you can easily move ahead. BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL HERE WITH ME TO GET YOU GOING WITH THE RIGHT PLAN THAT ACTUALLY MEANS SOMETHING TO YOU.
STEP 2 – FUTURE PROJECT
Think, ‘if I continue NOT to do anything, how will I feel in a month, six months, a year from now if I stay on this path?’
Let yourself ponder the actual negatives of NOT doing anything for your health and fitness : like lowered energy, weight gain, lowered health, lack of tone, lack of strength, mid-section flab around the tummy indicates visceral fat.
According to Harvard Medical School, the negative implications of visceral fat include: “…visceral fat pumps out immune system chemicals called cytokines — for example, tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-6 — that can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. These and other biochemicals are thought to have deleterious effects on cells’ sensitivity to insulin, blood pressure, and blood clotting.
One reason excess visceral fat is so harmful could be its location near the portal vein, which carries blood from the intestinal area to the liver. Substances released by visceral fat, including free fatty acids, enter the portal vein and travel to the liver, where they can influence the production of blood lipids. Visceral fat is directly linked with higher total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower HDL (good) cholesterol, and insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance means that your body’s muscle and liver cells don’t respond adequately to normal levels of insulin, the pancreatic hormone that carries glucose into the body’s cells. Glucose levels in the blood rise, heightening the risk for diabetes.”
Focusing on positives and working towards happiness is great in life, but in this case it serves you to go there with the negatives and possible outcomes which may be somewhat driven by a fear, in order to kickstart and get real about things.
For example, what would the above health implications do to your life, family, quality day to day? Think about it.
STEP 3 – DECIDE YOU WANT TO START & WORK APPROPRIATELY
Once you have pondered step one and two on a deeper emotional level and have decided you actually WANT to do something now, it’s time for positive action.
Work out a realistic plan for you, considering :
-The time you do have, for example 15 or 20 mins is excellent in the beginning (or long term for many) as it’s achievable. Do not go for 60 minute sessions right off the bat. You will likely find it too much and not stick to it.
-The amount of days you can commit to around work, home, family, etc. Doing something two days or three days is achievable and realistic for most. Again, trying to do six days a week at the start can be done but I would not advise till you know you can complete three without any setbacks.
-The style needs to be right for where you are at. If you are complete beginner or have had a long break, do not go doing box jumps and heavy weights your first month or so, (or ever, if that style does not serve you!)
I got your back, there are many other options, click here for my 30 Day Reshape Challenge, 20 mins a day, low impact, free on my YouTube channel.
You will only get deterred if you go too hard, too soon, especially if you have had health setbacks like extreme fatigue, burnout, hormonal imbalances and low energy. (If this is the case do book a call with me for more tailored advice on safely getting started.)
STEP 4 – CONTEMPLATE PRESENT & FUTURE POSITIVE BENEFITS
Right now, what will this do for you if you take action? A statement like this can help you contemplate:
’I will feel positive, strong and energised that I did this workout today. I know this is helping with my current and future self for greater strength, health and energy.’
Create a thought space or statement in your own words that sit well with you, and really breathe deep and feel the positive emotions in your body as you think about this. Do not just glance over it and brush it off.
It’s important that you start with ‘feeling’ your positive emotions and develop new ways of thinking about this whole health and fitness thing to get unstuck from the rut for good, where it becomes a positive part of your life long term.
According to an article on Science Direct, ‘Mounting evidence suggests that the cumulative experiences of positive emotions are critical building blocks supporting happiness, flourishing, and overall life satisfaction.’
STEP 5 – PICK ONE GOAL AT TIME & ENJOY GRADUAL PROGRESS
Now that you have covered everything from steps one through four, goals can be set that actually mean something to you on a deep level, not surface layer.
Aim for one goal at a time, rather than saying ‘I want to lose 10kg, be less stressed, keep up with my kids, have more energy, gain muscle, get on top of my emotions and mental health.’
These are all excellent goals, but overwhelming to try and do everything at once.
Pick your Top 3, then choose your TOP #1 for now, so that if you achieve progress in the next 30 days within this TOP key area, everything else will become easier. For example, committing to three x sessions a week of light movement is an excellent goal to start with without putting all that pressure on yourself. And by default, you will start to impact your body composition, energy, mental clarity and more anyways.
So, what it is for you?
Are you ready to get going now?
I truly hope this has helped shed a light on getting unstuck. Do not worry if you are there though. I have been many times in life and just do what I can each day or week.
You got this! I am here to help, book a call here with me if you need guidance.
Power to your core,
Vanessa Bartlett
Leading burnout-friendly fitness | Pilates | life coach
I’ll Help You Unlock Energy For That Fitter, Energised, Calmer You
(aka Pilates Police)
Join me on socials! @vanessabhealth
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