You’re starting a new exercise routine, what’s going to help you be most successful?  Repetition (reps), having great form, spending more time?  All of the above and also it depends on your goals. Arguably the most important thing is to start showing up and being consistent.

I joined a new gym a few months ago and have been regularly attending yoga classes which I love. I finally scheduled my free personal training session. It’s been more than a few years since I was in a real gym, back before COVID.

I’ll admit, I’ve been avoiding intense exercise after experiencing some pain from working out virtually with a trainer. But not doing anything was weighing on me because I know that weight training and aerobic exercise are important for long-term longevity.

You know how we try to ignore things that are important by making excuses, like we just don’t have the time, energy, patience or motivation.  I had a long list of reasons not to do what I knew I needed to do.

No more excuses!

I got tired of my lame rationale for not working out, since clearly it was BS and I needed to find more compelling motivation to start. I had tried using weights at home, but that was sporadic and didn’t get me very far. So the personal trainer was an effort to reach out for help since I wasn’t making much progress on my own.

This turned into a lovely surprise, so let me share what I learned

• Standards change. She showed me a new way to target abs that reduces strain on the lower back.  Less crunching, more pulsing and different from the traditional situps I’ve been doing for years. It pays to stay current.
• Recognize differences. She modified the squat technique I’ve used for years. Instead of parallel feet, toes were pointed out because women have hips (why yes, we do!).  Learning a new twist on an old approach.
• Intention over exertion. We did 2 sets with more moderate weight and a slower release. Not the usual muscling through or pushing and straining to get to 3 sets. I worked enough to create effort without overdoing it.

Now this trainer is probably not an elite athlete, and I might have learned completely different techniques from a HIIT or bootcamp gym.  Yet it inspired me because she recognized where I am in my journey, and that’s just what I needed to get back on my game.

How do you want to feel?

I felt…

1. Motivated: inspired to do the work.
2. Encouraged: supported and seen.
3. Comfortable: like the effort is doable without being too big or scary a stretch beyond my capacity.
4. Ready: it built upon recent reading and thinking I’ve been doing to take action on my health for a while
5. Committed: finally I was ready to block out regular time in my calendar to do this (which means I’m more likely to do it since that’s how I manage my life)..

The trainer acknowledged seeing my muscles – joking they were just waiting to get a little attention to come out of hiding.  This is just what I need to hear to feel inspired that I have what it takes to do the hard things. I actually wanted to hug her for creating a space for me to reconnect with my body without feeling bad.

All I need to do now is make time for it.  I’m planning to attend sessions on Wednesday and Friday mornings.

I’m sharing these tips which I think are relevant for anything new and different you want to do. Creating change takes a combination of factors to make it happen:

EFFORT + WILLINGNESS = ACTION

Until you’re ready to put into practice what you want, your ideas, goals and aspirations and just a pipe dream. To make the sh*t real requires doing the work. But sometimes we need to figure out what’s getting in our way and we need some help to find a way through.

As if you couldn’t tell, I prefer a lighthearted compassionate approach with lots of support and encouragement. I’m less motivated by tough love drill sergeants yelling at me to work harder.  I just want to flip them the bird and take off. So clearly there’s a bit of psychology here to understand what you need. What works for someone else may not be your cup of tea since we are all such unique creatures.

OVERCOMING RESISTANCE

When I looked at what was getting in my way, there were multiple excuses: issues around timing, cost, fear of hurting myself and just plain inertia from sitting on the couch. Of course, we don’t want to change because some effort is required.

So what’s your excuse for not going after what you want?

What steps can you take to make the choice to move forward easier?

For me, it took seeing that it was possible. Believing in and remembering my own capacity to exercise (I’d done it for years and my muscles were just waiting to be remembered and come out of hiding).  Finding someone I could trust to show me the way forward. Feeling inspired to act. Now I feel ready to commit to moving ahead.

I’m actually excited to get started which surprised even me. After years of dutifully exercising out of obligation and guilt, I’m trying to find more inspired motivation now around health and building strength. Both feeling and looking good as I age.

I would love to see you shift from frustration and resistance to enthusiasm and excitement about whatever you want.  Your path to fulfillment doesn’t need to be filled with fear, it can be about the joyful pursuit of your truth.

Maybe having a coach could help and inspire you.  Or if that feels too heavy, consider me a personal trainer for your professional transformation. Reach out for a Connection Call to bring your muscles and superpowers out of hiding.