Written by: Mei Flynn, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Exercise is something we often feel we ‘should’ be doing but often lack the motivation to start, does that sound familiar? Maybe we hate exercise and think it involves joining a gym or doing an activity that we find boring. We can often start doing something because we ‘should’ ourselves and then it ends up feeling like a chore, so we stop and do nothing. This attitude is a recipe for disaster as the intention to start comes from the wrong energy and can end up making you more miserable than before you started.
Those of you who do exercise understand the benefits and how it can improve our mood and get those endorphins flowing. There is a strong link to mental health and exercise and even 20-30 mins a day can significantly improve depression or anxiety symptoms. The key is to find something that you enjoy that can be integrated into your life, that way you are more likely to be consistent with whatever activity you choose. There is no one way that suits everyone
1: What is your ‘Why?’
We often think we ‘should’ move our bodies more which can create resistance and we will become resentful and feel blocked before we start. Maybe you would like to lose weight, feel fitter and stronger or overall general health. It makes it easier to start when we connect with the reason why and keep that in our minds when we do not feel like doing anything. When we take the pressure off we start to find a natural flow of moving our body. We can change the word ‘should’ to ‘I choose’ and then we are starting from a different energy with a positive intention.
2: Embrace nature
Being in nature is a powerful mood booster especially when we are mindful of the environment. I love walking on the beach and listening to the waves especially when the sea is rough. When we enjoy our surroundings whether it is the beach, mountains or forest we start to appreciate life and feel the benefits of getting out of the house and forget we are even doing exercise!! You can also listen to some nice music and try and focus on being in the present moment. This is a good way to meditate and be mindful, check out my previous article about the law of attraction.
3: Be consistent
Find a way that works for you and the key is to enjoy what you do and be consistent so you become addicted like me! It takes 21 days to form a habit and it can be hard to start but start with 10-15 minutes and gradually build up. What we often do is set a goal that is too big in the beginning e.g. walking for 2 hours and end up doing nothing on the days we are busy. I always say any minute is better than no minutes so keep it realistic and manageable as there is more chance you will be consistent.
4: Set mini goals
If you have a Fitbit watch you can track your steps and set yourself mini goals such as 2000 steps a day and gradually build up naturally. You can also set goals by time if you prefer e.g. 15 minutes. Do not forget to give yourself self-praise for what you do achieve rather than focus on what you have not done. Maybe give yourself a treat or reward at the end of the week to keep you motivated as a way to track your progress and results. Maybe get a friend on board and set up a mini challenge as it is good to have someone to be accountable to.
5: Be social
Research walking groups in your area as sometimes the commitment of a regular day and time can help keep you motivated as well as the added benefit of socialization and making new friends. This also means you explore new places as we can often get bored with the same route, as they say variety is the spice of life!! When you are talking and walking the same time the time flies and it does not feel like exercise. Usually, walking groups might have a drink and lunch after the walk so has the added benefit of improving your social life too.
I hope this article has been helpful to help to get you moving and look at creative ways to exercise rather than thinking we need to join a gym or do something we hate. You need to find a way that works for you and I would love to hear about your favourite ways to exercise and what motivates you to stick to your goals.
Mei Flynn, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Mei Flynn is a Holistic Confidence Coach who inspires and empowers women 40+ to tap into their inner confidence to live the life they really want. She's suffered from low self-esteem most of her life and using a range of different psycho-spiritual techniques she has transformed her life and is now passionate about helping clients to do the same. The key is to help others to let go of limiting beliefs and blocks that's stopping them from living a happy and fulfilled life. Her mission is to help women thrive and not just survive.
