Do one thing that feels good…every day

This from the girl who once said “I hate the gym” & “I can’t do it”… and now says: “OMG, I’m running!” & “What next?!”

Today’s blog is for those who HATE  to exercise or FEAR the gym. It’s for anyone who can’t bring themselves to join the gym or to use their stale membership because they either don’t know what to do, are intimidated by the equipment or the people, or feel it’s too expensive. Or, all of the above!

This blog is for anyone who thinks they’re too busy with kids, work and “life” to take time out for themselves every day — to exercise, to meditate, to walk, practice yoga, take a soothing bath, stretch, or take one step to change a diet habit. This blog is really for anyone who believes they can’t do it.

Peeps, I get it! I totally gotcha. I really, really do. I was right there four years ago. And today I have a message for you….YES, you can! Just start. Start with one thing. #intheequation-doonething

I was that “I can’t” person when it came to bettering my health and paying attention to my wellness…for most of my adult life. I was out of the equation of my life completely. I had blinders on, limited by lack of awareness, fear, and hiding behind all kinds of reasons (excuses) I couldn’t do it. It seemed too scary, too daunting, too hard. I didn’t know where to begin.

Intellectually, I knew (like most of you) that I needed to move my body and exercise to feel better and increase my quality of life. I knew that I needed to change my diet to reverse the path of family genetics — stroke, diabetes and heart disease — so I’d be around longer. And, I knew that if I took time out for myself every day and focused on me…starting with my health, that I would feel better physically and emotionally. I knew I needed it. But I couldn’t see my way to do it. I felt stuck, scared, small and ashamed…for too many years!

And then I did it. And everything changed. I started with one brave thing…one good, hard thing and that snowballed. Soon the “I can’ts” became “wow, I actually can do this!” I got a “high” from what I could accomplish (that my mind thought I couldn’t) and that turned to momentum, strength and even more courage — almost without me even knowing it. I gained nearly unstoppable momentum. That momentum now has me doing things physically and emotionally that I never thought possible. Like climbing mountains, participating in half marathons, and running on the treadmill in my new hot pink neon tennis shoes when no one thought I could/should run. (Yep, did that this past Saturday! And aren’t my shoes cute!?)

Take the In the Equation — Do One Thing Challenge

So, today, I challenge you to do just done ONE good thing for yourself. One thing that if you did it consistently would propel you to better health. Here’s your chance. Take the “In the Equation — Do One Thing Challenge” by simply reading my example below and then posting in the comments section what one thing you’re going to do that’s good for you. Then, do that one thing every single day of the week for 7 days and let us know what happened. Are you in? All in?!

Here’s what I know for certain. If I can do it, you can do it! YES, you can!

How do I know? Just four years ago, I hated, dreaded, feared, loathed, and avoided the gym. Well, okay, exercise all together. At 381 pounds, even walking was hard. I had myself convinced (for a host of reasons/excuses) that I couldn’t walk to the end of my block — and I live in the middle of the block!

So imagine my sheer delight when this past Saturday, I bundled up and walked that very 1/2 block to my local community and recreation center to renew my membership for just $30 per year (NOT expensive!). And, when I practically skipped home one hour later with a new pep in my step because I felt awesome — inside and out. You see, during my workout, I RAN for the first time ever — in my new hot pink neon tennis shoes — during high intensity interval training (HIIT) on the treadmill! Yep, I RAN.

Let’s break this down: 1) I joined another gym (I already belong to Balance for Life Fitness Center); 2) so I can do more cardio on the weekends when it is too cold to walk outside; 3) and completed high intensity interval training by; 4) RUNNING on the treadmill; and 5) I felt totally awesome inside and out — energized, strong, alive, accomplished, and ready to go another few miles. (NOTE: I have bad knees so running on pavement is ill-advised by my trainers, but I have fast-walked a half marathon (at a 13-min mile pace) and done a bit of trail running for short distances, so I wanted to try this to see how it felt and push myself safely to a new level. That, I did.)

Yep, this is the same girl that just years ago hated, hated, hated the gym and sat in an office chair 12-18 hours per day, every day. The same girl that felt judged and was intimidated by the gym all together. The girl that couldn’t walk the 1/2 block to the community center without intense physical back pain. Yep, that’s the one that was RUNNING on the treadmill and practically skipping home! [BIG GRIN]

Mission accomplished…again. And now I will up the ante safely for myself and get to a whole new level of what I’m capable of in my workouts. So that’s where I am today. Oh, and it’s a given now that I take at least one hour for myself every single day — to walk, to workout, to think, to practice gratitude, to get centered — it’s a non-negotiable. I am not in my equation, on track and living a whole life without that one hour or more. And I’m better for me…and for everyone else because of it.

Tips for the start!

I started with one thing (and yes, I was scared and no, I did NOT want to do it), but I pushed past my fear, did it anyway, learned it wasn’t nearly as hard/difficult/bad as I made it out to be in my head. And then, that one thing snowballed into…

1) Think about one thing that you could every day (or consistently) that would make a big difference in your overall health and wellness. It could be for your mind, body or soul.

2) Write down all of the obstacles getting in your way — aka excuses. Make a list. List everything.

3) Now, how can you overcome those obstacles? What if you just did it…one day at a time…for seven days? What would happen?

It could be a small thing like walk 1/2 block every day. Drink 8+ glasses of water. Take 10 min in the morning to think about what your most grateful for that day. It doesn’t have to be big — but it could be. It’s up to you.

So: “What one thing could you start doing today that if you did it consistently would make a big difference in your overall health and wellness? Be brave. Post it here, or on our Facebook page, or PM me and take the challenge. What have you got to lose? Really?!

Cheers.

Lori

P.S. I leave you with related blogs of mine on the topic, and a host of inspiration to just start. 🙂

Step forward toward your goals

Courageous girl: Four years ago I was scared to death

From fear and dread to love and anticipation of my mountain

-211 lbs + love = a whole life

From fat girl in an office chair to fit girl knocking out a half marathon (from 2012)

One brave thing (from 2012)

One brave thing, part 2 (from 2013)

I hate to exercise…really?!! (from 2011)

Exercise: Making it fun for life (from 2012)

Hikers heaven…take a hike (from 2013)