#1: Stay motivated. While this may seem obvious, there are an abundance of issues or limiting beliefs that can impede both your will to exercise and your ability to do so. The first hurdle is just maintaining a basic level of motivation. Staying indoors too much keeps us in our comfort zones, around all of our comfort foods and bad behaviours. So the clear solution here is to get outside! You can easily abide by all social distancing guidelines outside as well as enjoy a healthy dose of vitamin D (and associated sun-exposure benefits) and fresh air. Make sure you wear sunscreen if you plan on being outside for a longer period of time. But that’s not entirely necessary as just 10 minutes of being outdoors can be enough to get your second wind and inspiration for exercise.
#2: Get moving. Now that you’ve found your inspiration, make sure you do something with it! Grab some weights, get that yoga mat out and start moving! We need 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 days per week and there are innumerable workouts you can do at home of without access to a gym. I’ve said this in several posts, but it bears repeating: use this time to refocus and retrain yourself for healthy habits! And exercise should certainly be at the top of that list.
#3: Be consistent, be conscious of your choices. It’s all well and good to have that “amazing workout”, but if you sit on the couch and binge on Netflix and chips for 8 hours afterward, you’ve undone every ounce of good that workout did for your body. Be conscious of your choices. Be conscious that each action and choice moves us toward another success—or failure. Be aware of what your body and self need, truly need, and not what you just want. Wants are often very damaging and inessential desires that can be rooted in negative associations or things we’ve felt we had to do without in our childhood. If you want to lead an enlightened and rich life, you need to treat your wants only after your needs have been met.
Good luck on your journey of self-betterment! And as always, I’m here to help if you need a life coach and friend along the way.
—Aviva xoxo
