You’re Not Lazy (The Key To A Succesful Fitness Journey)

“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.” — F.M. Alexander

Picture this, it’s a Tuesday morning, and I sore, exhausted, and proud was returning home as a world champion.

I look at my phone and It’s approximately 11 in the morning. I’m ecstatic because as a college student, this means I missed my 8 am with my lovely but incredibly monotone professor.

The plane pulls into the gate and 75% of the passengers impatiently stand up to get their luggage (even though we probably won’t be allowed off the plane for another 10 minutes).

Once it’s my turn to get my luggage, I stand up and feel a sharp pain go from the top of my middle toe all the way to my ankle.

I think to myself, I should just be able to rest this off right?

Unfortunately, that injury was the beginning of three more injuries over the span of 5-6 years including two knee injuries and a back injury. I went from a world championship competitor to a young woman in her early twenties barely able to get in and out of the shower by herself.

I had completely lost my sense of identity as an athlete. Every time I began to make progress boom another injury…until March of 2021.

When the world shut down, I had to figure out some new way to relieve stress, so I turned to Youtube. Between Heather Robertson, Yoga with Adrienne, and Strength Side, I found a new movement practice that fueled my body instead of breaking it down.

Why did I share that story at the beginning?

 One, to capture your attention. I know ~sneaky sneaky~.

And two because at that time I was working out between 11-15 hours a week while being in school full-time, and balancing multiple jobs.

I thought I was at my athletic peak, that that was the best and healthiest shape I would ever be in.

But that type of schedule, as presented in my injuries, was simply unattainable and I think far too many of us, especially those of us who grew up athletes, hold ourselves to these ridiculous standards. Then, when we “fail”, we brand ourselves as lazy, instead of recognizing that we simply don’t have the proper systems in place.

The System I used: momentum > motivation

During the pandemic, I used a variation of the 20-20-20 routine by Robin Sharma the author of The 5am Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life.

I would wake up and spend the first 20-30 minutes of my day moving depending on my mood, energy levels, etcera. Then, during the remaining 30-40 minutes I would read and do a mindfulness practice( now of course you don’t have to add in the mindfulness component but it is a great way to habit stack).

By breaking my exercise routine down to at least 20 minutes every day it was enough for me to build up momentum.

I was actually looking forward to my workout routine. Which makes sense as we all know the law of physics “A body in motion stays in motion”.

The “fluid rigidity” of my program also reduced decision fatigue.

For months, I only had the same 4-5 exercises on rotation which made choosing my workouts one less thing I had to worry about. It is incredibly important to reduce as many obstacles that could serve as excuses.

Some examples and possible solutions include:

• Problem: You know that deciding what you’re going to wear every morning while you’re still half asleep stresses you out.

  • Remedy: You choose your outfit during the afternoon or evening before you get too tired and lay it out so it’s ready for you the following morning.

• Problem: The gym is overwhelming and you hate working out

  • Remedy: Work out at home! Fitness is not only found in the four walls of a fitness club. You should be able to access fitness wherever you are!

  • Problem: I don’t want to eat chicken, rice, and broccoli every day.

    • Remedy: Me neither! “Healthy” does not equal lacking in flavor. Google healthy alternatives to your favorite recipes and work from there. (As someone who is gluten and dairy-free two of my favorite resources are mamma knows gluten free and the loopy whisk )

Fitness shouldn’t be something you dread! Rather it should be something that adds enjoyment and radiance to your life.

If you love dancing, use that as your form of exercise.

If you love going on walks, go for walks.

If movement, in general, is intimidating to you, focus on 5 minutes of intentional movement daily instead of working out “x” times a week.

The beautiful thing about establishing momentum in your movement practice is that not only will your body start to crave movement, but it will become increasingly simpler to say no to things that will stop you from executing your goals.

Once I began to focus on daily movement vs habits that can easily become toxic like weighing myself daily, strict calorie counting, “earning” snacks and meals, I began to feel better than I ever had and healthily maintained what used to be my fight weight for years. No crazy dieting, no magic pills.

I made the conscious decision to show up for myself every day (almost, I am human) and let momentum do the rest.

This newsletter does contain affiliate links, meaning I get a little kickback if you decide to purchase anything.