I’ve had a few suggestions for blogs that are based on the current period in time being locked down. In this blog I will talk about how it is possible to remain motivated whilst being at home, it is possible to continue to lose weight and also keep your sanity.
I will also let you into a little secret as to how those that consistently exercise, well… consistently exercise.
I get it, your world has been turned upside down, you are totally out of sync from the norm, you are working from home, you might have the kids their all day and not to mention your partner. We love all that right, but we need our space too, that’s what makes us appreciate the time we have with all that. I am going to level with you now, I do not have kids so I cannot really speak for what it is like dealing with them now, all day, every day. But what I can do is give you a good insight into how I manage my day, my mindset, my motivation and my all round well-being, because of course, it has totally changed for me too.
Let’s get into it.
First we have to look at the challenges or the barriers that are now in the way that were not before, but what we are going to do is turn those challenges into opportunities, like a business would. Challenge number one is of course that we cannot leave the house unless for essential work, shopping or the one bout of exercise. Here is an opportunity for you to get away from the challenges you are encountering by getting some valuable ‘me’ time a walk. I would highly recommend a daily walk with a minimum time or distance commitment. Currently I am getting my clients to walk a minimum of 4km. You might come back to me and say, I haven’t got the time, but you have actually got some time back where you might have been travelling to and from work or even to the gym etc. That transport time can be effectively used for some fresh air, ‘me’ time as mentioned above and of course to expend some calories. Walking can have a really positive effect on your mind and give you a welcome break from the four walls of your house. This is an opportunity that would have been more difficult to implement in normal circumstances.
Non-Negotiables
This is the first of the non-negotiables that both myself and my clients are doing. Another challenge is that the gym is shut, therefore your normal routine and procedure is off plan too. This would be an easy way to create some negativity and think you might as well give up. Most of my clients train between 3-5x per week normally due to time restrictions etc. Now they are working out daily, yes every single day. Because they can. I normally lead classes by my training is generally weight training, I cannot complete that at home and so I am completing daily cardio based workouts of which is new to me, I have a new opportunity to get better at something new, to vary my training and of course expend some calories! What if you had the same mindset, what if you created a routine so good that every morning you completed a workout, even if just for 20-30 minutes while the kids and even the partner are in bed? My strong advice to you on this is to not only do it daily but to do it early in the morning as your first major task, this way you are much less likely to put it off. You will need to push yourself the first few times but it will eventually become a habit and part of your day.
Routine
The above leads me on to my next point, it is absolutely critical that you create routine during this period. The reason that you are so thrown off right now is because you are out of your normal routine and so to create a new one is critical to creating habit. Here are some other tips, some of which are non-negotiables to my clients too –
- Have a good sleep routine, have a bed time and wake up time
- Get up on the first alarm
- Have a solid morning routine that’s consistent
- Make writing a journal one of the first things you do
- Workout every morning (FREE LIVE WORKOUTS‘>check out my free live workouts here)
- Start and finish work at the same time every day
- Create a task list (with pen and paper) with the least desirable things at the top
- Have a daily walk (minimum 4km), either at lunch or in the evening (we have the light)
- Find 20 minutes for you, learn a skill, perform a hobby or maybe to read or study
- Show appreciation to your partner daily without fail
If you set all this as a routine and execute it daily, alongside looking after the kids, spending time with your partner, you will have no time to feel un-motivated. You will have no time to procrastinate.
Working out in the morning will set you up for the day and there is then zero chance of you missing it because, well… you have already done it!
Opportunity
You have a huge opportunity to do so many things that would have been difficult to do and instil as habits before the lockdown. Of course I know there are people that are not working from home, guess what… You guys have another huge opportunity! You could of course, sit there, feel sorry for yourself and basically do nothing… Or you could enrol on a course, something which you have always wanted to do, to progress your knowledge and develop. There are so many courses out there for such good value.
There is opportunity for everyone to put their attention onto something that will truly challenge them, occupy their mind and allow them to grow as a person. The thing is, like I always say…
Motivation is only useful in the short-term, it comes and it goes, but what remains is your routine, your habits and this is what carries you through when the motivation goes missing.
But to have those in place your first have to start, you first have to push yourself and do it when you don’t want to.
Because then at the end of the day you can ask yourself this question…
Did you do the work required?
Motivation cannot be seen, touched or managed… not really. But you can manage ACTION, you can start, if there is no start then there is nothing. To feel the energy you must create it, just like you do in the warm-up for a workout, you prepare the body for exercise – you then feel prepared, ready to go, Adrenalin pumping.
Here is the biggest advice I can give you…
PUT YOUR ATTENTION ON THE VERY THING YOU NEED TO DO, AND WHETHER YOU WANT TO OR NOT. GET IT DONE.
It’s literally the only way to make things better.
Or you could sit feeling sorry for yourself about a situation that you cannot control… It’s your choice.
Over to you.
#DoTheWork
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