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They say you should be ready, so you don’t have to get ready.
During my quarantine days, as I was getting ready for pop out season, it seemed like every other person I knew was a personal trainer. Thankfully, during the time inside, a lot of those trainers were going live with sweat-boosting workouts right from home.
One morning the trainer I was watching had some issues with the connection. First, his live on Instagram froze and then suddenly crashed. As he started the live a second time the feed froze again. I looked at the clock knowing I needed to be back at my home desk in 40 minutes and decided to screenshot the pinned workout he posted. Then I proceeded to finish the 30 minutes myself, with no excuses. I got it done! I was proud because I pushed myself. Now be honest, sis, would you have finished the workout? Or would you have said, “God must not want me to work out today?”
I know quite a few people who would have chosen the latter. It’s funny, but it’s not.
If you are starting your fitness journey or just simply thinking about it, the first step is to leave all excuses behind. If you know that you need to start working out but haven’t, really ask yourself, why? We tell ourselves all types of things when it seems that it’s something we can put off until the following day, or even next week.
I don’t have time.
I don’t have money for the gym membership.
I don’t feel like it.
It’s too hard.
My bed is cozy and I’d rather sleep in.
Tomorrow.
Let’s start with you DO have time. You simply have to carve it out of your day. One thing quarantine has shown us is that we also have the financial means to work out, because we can work out anywhere...at home, in your yard, at the park. It does not matter, just get moving somewhere, somehow, someway. If you’re really honest, you may have realized that you just get plain lazy. But listen, sis, your life could be depending on it. Maybe not today, but years down the line that delay to the gym could cost you in other ways. You have to make a decision. That decision needs to become a priority. It’s not urgent now, but it is imperative that you make a decision that gets you moving in that direction. What you do for yourself today, mind and body, will be reflected in all your tomorrows. Your future self will thank you for having the foresight and wisdom to practice self-care in your current season.
Now, I’m not Miss Perfect. There was a time when I would have said “not today”. But I’ve learned that it was getting me nowhere fast. Those excuses I made ended up putting me in a position where my physical and mental health desperately needed a change. I was letting everything around me wear me out and wear me down. Exercise became a way for me to take care of myself so I could be at my best to handle my other responsibilities.
I encourage you to put your excuses to the side so a real reason doesn’t show up on your front door. Most of all: DO IT! Do not wait. Do not think about it. Do not think of a better time it could happen. Get started and everything will work itself out. Just get going!
And, because most of us will be apprehensive about running back to the gym as we begin to come out of quarantine, here are a few suggestions to help get you moving anywhere:
1. Walk for 30 minutes: back yard, around the neighborhood or even up and down the steps.
2. Circuit: Jumping Jacks 30 seconds | Jump Squats 20 | Lateral Shuffle 45 seconds | Pushups 10 | Hip Thrusts 30 | Bicycle Crunches 30 seconds. Repeat this set until you’ve been working out for 30 minutes. I suggest a minimum of 3, but do as many as possible. *NOTE: Make sure you stretch before and after. This is crucial.
3. Play your favorite songs and dance nonstop for 45 minutes.
Those are just a few suggestions, and there are so many others that you can look up right from your phone. However, the best idea is one that you actually implement. Start moving and stop giving excuses. You’re talking yourself out of good health and it’s not helping anyone. We need you at your best, sis. And not just for those around you. YOU need you to be at your best, but only you can make that choice. How do you get there? With no excuses allowed. Period.
XOXO,