Workout Motivation: A Success Story in Progress

A year ago today, if you told me that I'd be working out every day, I'd probably call you crazy. Before I turned 17, I was fit enough. For about a year, I religiously went to the gym three times a week for about one and a half hours each time. Sure, I wasn't exactly what I'd call sporty; my hand-eye coordination did not, and probably never will allow for that in terms of traditional sports.

As high school came to an end and college drew nearer, I lapsed back into laziness. I told myself that since I was going to a campus where I'd be walking enough, would have to take some compulsory P.E. classes and that had a state-of-the-art gym, staying fit wouldn't be a problem at all. If only I knew how wrong I was. The P.E. classes were over in two semesters, and apart from the time I spent at the gym for tours, occasional games, the above mentioned classes, or homework (...weird, yes, but the person I was working on my homework with had a work-study there), I hardly went there at all, even when I lived close to it.

Yes, I walked lots, but didn't take into account the food there; while most of it was amazing and freshly prepared, it was certainly unhealthier than the food we get in Kenya. I would occasionally pick up some new form of working out, but I inevitably lacked the motivation to keep going. Sure, I didn't become heavily obese or anything like that; most people actually thought I was in shape, but I could tell that I wasn't.

A few months after graduation, on a whim, I decided to do a yoga routine from an app that I'd had on my phone. To my amazement, I actually kept going and managed to work out almost every single day. A few months later, my brother-in-law and sister introduced me to Focus T25, a workout programme designed by the person behind Insanity, Shaun T. This is a ten week programme, and only requires 25 minutes a day Monday to Thursday, 50 minutes on Friday, and some stretching on Sunday. So, luckily for me, I don't even have to spend a lot of time on weekdays. I started this programme, got about 4 weeks in, then started all over again when I got back to Kenya. I'm now on week 8, and use my weekends and some mornings to keep up with yoga.

What changed? How did I, a person who couldn't stick to a programme for more than a month, end up working out so often for almost 7 months?

First of all, I think the difference this time around is that I've found something that I enjoy. Yoga and T25 are both challenging, but fun. With yoga, I'm able to do different workouts so that I don't get bored, and T25 itself has many different workouts that are done on different days. The second important thing is that this time, I can also see the results for myself, and these motivate me to keep going. Immediately after the workout, I feel great. There is a sense of mental accomplishment and physical wellness. Not including the obvious benefits I've experienced, like improved stamina, better form, posture, flexibility and muscle tone, I'm also way less stressed, much happier and more relaxed. An added bonus? As someone who used to get a cold or a flu every couple of months, I went almost 12 months (!!!) without falling sick, and when I finally did, it only lasted about three days. Hurrah for improved immunity!

In addition to working out, I'm also trying to implement other healthy choices, most of which I've talked about in previous posts. I now take the stairs every chance I get, and (try to) eat healthier than I used to! One thing I still don't do is fanatic calorie counting. I enjoy my food, and don't think I'd be able to stick to a very strict eating regime.

What's my point in all this? Honestly; if I can do this, so can you. The thought of working out would at times make me groan, and I was quite content in the lifestyle I was living. Having experienced the benefits of working out now, I wish I could go back and start earlier!

Back to Health

When I was 16, I used to go to the gym three times a week for one and a half hours each time, right after school. As an added bonus, I went in right after the afternoon rush had died down, and before the evening rush got in, so the trainer was able to focus on me and build me a workout programme (that he then made sure I did, no matter how tired I was...). Sure, I wasn't going to be running any marathons any time soon. However, after that one year, I stopped being regular with my health. I'd get random 'work out fevers' where I'd work out a few times a week, but these would only last a few weeks at most, and even then, I probably didn't do most of them correctly.

Because of this, no one was more surprised than I was when around two months ago I started a workout regime that I've actually been dedicated to. I started off with a simple yoga routine, initially doing it every weekday. I've built up on this routine, and as of about a few weeks ago, I now do this every day. If I absolutely cannot, I still try and get in about 10-12 minutes. I added a new dimension to this as a personal 30-day challenge; separate from my yoga routine, I do various exercises such as push ups (they kill me), crunches and squats, and increase the amount I do everyday.

It hasn't even been two months yet, and I'm already noticing some differences that my new (and hopefully sustainable) routine has brought. My level of personal discipline is at an all time high. There are many days when I think that I'd rather just keep doing whatever I'm doing, and that I can always work out 'later' or 'tomorrow', or that I'm too busy too work out just then. Luckily, I'm now able to recognise my excuses for what they are, and I force myself to get up and do something. Earlier, and in previous years, when the going got tough I'd stop the work out, or tone it down significantly, but I've learnt to differentiate between good pain and bad pain, and to keep working through the former. I used to ask my friends and family to 'make sure I worked out', but now I'm able to quite successfully motivate myself. Also, there's a definite change in muscle tone (hurrah!). Sure, I'm not 16 anymore, but I'm feeling a lot healthier than I have in years. I used to have knee pain that'd actually travel up my back for a few years; not always, but it was uncomfortable when it happened and made going to bed especially quite a pain. This has definitely gone down, and while it still happens from time to time, it's nowhere near as constant or as bad as it used to be.

Yoga's also definitely helping me still my mind more than I ever could. The practices that I do require focus, and while this isn't always easy, I'm getting there. A trick I use is to bring my thoughts 'back into the room'. If I find myself thinking about something I'm supposed to do, an idea for a blog post, or anything at all that isn't related to my workout, I make a note of it and bring my focus back into the room. Both the daily workouts I do are also making me a lot more aware of my body. So even when I'm not working out, I'm trying to maintain correct posture, or if I'm lifting something I do it right. I find myself looking up correct ways to do these exercises, which is something that I'd never really done before.

Honestly, if I knew that having a regular work out regime would be so beneficial, I'd have started a long time ago and kept at it. Hindsight is 20/20, right? Cliched as it may seem, better late than never!

Wellness Routine

I guess I recently discovered the importance of a sort of 'wellness routine', so to speak. Different things work for different people, but I thought I'd share what I've recently found to work for me (aside from obvious things like eating healthy and drinking plenty of water). Maybe putting it on here will help me be more regular, motivate others, and help me learn more!

1) Green tea: Okay, I couldn't believe how easy this one is. I've always liked the taste of green tea, and tried to drink it often. It's only recently that I've started having a mug or two of this every day, and I know it does me a bucket-load of good. Read more about the benefits here http://inspiyr.com/health-benefits-of-green-tea/

2) Activity: Those who know me know I'm not the most active of people. Over the years, I've tried many different workout routines, but none have really stuck. Sure, I'm from Kenya, but running isn't really what I'd call one of my greatest skills. I've had the Pocket Yoga and Nike Training Club apps for a few years, but only just started to get regular with them. So what I usually do is about half an hour of a yoga routine every weekday, and try do a Nike Training Club workout as often as I can. The thing I love about these apps is that they can work for everybody, no matter what skill level they are at, and they have lots of variety. Pocket Yoga is easy to follow, and has about a few different routines that one can do. Nike Training Club incorporates yoga, cardio, and many different sorts of workouts at different levels, some designed by well known trainers, and it's easy to select and work toward goals!

I haven't been regular for too long, so I can't say whether I'm physically healthier already. But I'm definitely noticing that after each workout, I'm less tired, more motivated, and noticeably happier. Yay endorphins! Check out more about how exercise can help reduce stress here Stress Management with Exercise

3) Meditation: So I might not be the best at this, or do it everyday, but I'm trying to do this more often, for about five or ten minutes at a time, and it's getting easier. Want to learn more about how great this can be? Check out Benefits of Meditation. Am I going to be a meditation ninja who can stay still and quiet for hours at a time? No, probably not. I'll be happy with just a few minutes a day!
I love this picture that I found via Health Central

4) Laughing: This is so, so important. If I'm working, I'll take five minute breaks to watch funny videos just to make myself laugh. Laugh often, and laugh well. It'll actually go a long way into making you a happier and less stressed person overall.

5) Reading: I'm trying my hand at reading more non-fictional stuff... expand the mind, keep learning and all that. Right now, I'm working on Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert. Next, I think I want to read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

6) Brain training: Just a couple of minutes a day can go a long way into preserving your mental health. There are various ways to train, like doing sudoku or puzzles, but I've recently grown fond of brain training apps, Lumosity in particular. I also like Fit Brains; there's more detail, but you also have to pay more for specific areas, so it really depends on what you're going for.

7) Writing: Whether this is a private diary, a public blog, or a combination of both, I find that writing helps my mind in so many ways. You get to explore yourself more, learn to manage your emotions, and have an outlet for your creativity.

8) Increase positivity: For me, I do this by having a 'good memories' jar, and I write down good things that have happened to me that day, maybe something that made me laugh or something that I'm grateful for. Opening this from time to time is a great way to spend time!! (Unfortunately, right now, my jar is in Tennessee and I'm in Iowa... but I'll get it back end of this month)!

Hope this helps in some way... have a healthy day all!

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