I have been thinking quite a lot lately about motivation, particularly in relation to exercise. How do I do it, get out there and run, go to classes and the gym? Sometimes people say “oh, you are good” but I don’t feel as if I am being good or disciplined at all. Most of the time it feels pretty indulgent, as if I am doing exactly what I want to. Well, maybe two thirds of the way through a class doing crunches and feeling your muscles yelling to stop isn’t exactly indulgent, but perhaps I never think about those bits in advance!
At the moment I am not a person bursting with energy. My energy levels are still pretty low and I very rarely feel like doing anything. I have to exercise to get the energy to exercise. Things are improving and I am looking forward to a time when I will sometimes be full of energy. But I am definitely not there yet!
I have had long times in my life when I haven’t exercised. At the worst times, it has been a push to manage a short walk. And there have been months and months when, like so many people, I have watched the direct debit going out of my account to pay for my gym membership and wondered if I should cancel it because I haven’t been for ages. So how did I get here, a place where I try and have a day without any formal exercise about every 10 days because I know I should? If I have a cold or sore throat (or get stung by a bee and get an infected swollen foot as I did this summer!) and can’t exercise, I feel sluggish and horrible and can’t wait to get back there.
Unfortunately I don’t really know the answer except that I am sure it is over 90% positive mental attitude. When I started to run again I knew I wanted to get better because I love being able to run. That’s a bit different from saying I love running because a lot of the time I don’t quite love it! The first 10 minutes are always a drag, and I struggle with my breath all the time so my legs never get as much speed up as they want to. And when I am starting out getting fit, I have always done a walk/run/walk routine which is a bit tedious. But I do love being outside, especially in challenging weather, getting muddy, being part of nature (I am lucky enough to live in the country) and the great feeling of having been for a run when I get home!
But it’s no good just to run. I have been told firmly that too much running is a stress on my body, and I also know that to be as fit as possible I need a variety of exercise. I do loads of squats and lunges, mainly in classes, because I have found that is the way to run without painful hips and knees. I go to the gym, not to do cardio but a resistance programme which I get changed every so often. I love the social interaction of the various classes. The fast paced, intense toning classes are fun and challenging. I try and get to an “on the ball” class to keep my core conditioned which prevents back twinges. I absolutely love my yoga class on Fridays – that’s my time out and a good reminder to spend time meditating. It’s great to see the same people every week and that in itself is good motivation to keep turning up.
The most extreme thing I do is bootcamp. An hour and a half on a Wednesday evening including sprinting, hill-sprints or stairs, and a punishing circuit. I couldn’t do this if it weren’t for the camaraderie, the encouragement and the laughs. This time of year it’s dark before we start so most of this is done under floodlights, weather permitting. I often feel tired before I go, as I generally like to exercise earlier in the day, but I am always, always pleased that I have made the effort!
It does help to have a routine. It must be Wednesday because it’s bootcamp, Saturday for cardio kick and on the ball etc. I have to remind myself to keep it flexible and be willing to swap things around – I don’t want my exercise routine to run my life!
Everyone’s circumstances are different and there is a particular part of my life that makes me so grateful for the amount I can do and helps me to be determined to do as much as I can. My mother has multiple sclerosis. She was diagnosed 22 years ago, and until shortly before that she was extremely active. She used to be a very keen and competent rider and taught me and many other kids to ride. She was involved in Riding for the Disabled groups. She walked miles and miles with her dogs. She was always building a path, painting a door or mowing the lawn. Since then she has had to stop driving, can’t leave the house by herself and suffers with fatigue that is so debilitating she can’t enjoy a day out even if there are disabled facilities. She has never walked around the marshes near our village which I enjoy so much with my own dog. Yet she doesn’t complain and remains positive and cheerful. I often run to raise money for MS and I always feel grateful that not only can I walk where I want, I can run quite a long way too. Sometimes when running feels like an effort, what keeps me going is the knowledge that my mother has to make an effort to walk to the next room, to put her shoes on or make a cup of tea. This makes me so grateful for the effort I am able to make, the muscle aches and breathlessness. I never take just being able to walk for granted now.
So I exercise because I can. Also, now I have achieved a good level of fitness, which took perseverence, I am determined not to lose it, so I have to keep going. Probably the biggest factor, though, is just how much better it makes me feel mentally to move about a bit. I can wake up feeling really depressed – and often do – but just knowing that I can change that feeling will keep me going until I get out of the house with my trainers on, and once I have worked up a bit of a sweat and got the endorphins going I am a different person for the rest of the day.
I do feel so lucky that the motivation is there. I hope it never goes. It’s always interesting to hear how other people motivate themselves and overcome those slumps that can creep up on us all. Today is Wednesday and part of me is wondering if I have the energy to go to bootcamp. The other part knows I will get there and feel great afterwards!
Interesting reading. I can really relate to the fact that you exercise because you can. Having also been ill with something similar, now that my energy levels are better I want to make the most of my improving health. I don’t feel I can take it for-granted any more and so make the most of it when I’m well. I also agree that a large part of why I am doing it is for, frankly, the hit of endorphins that follows. I seem to need it nowadays or I too feel low and depressed. I also do it for the peace and quiet and to be out in nature. Running on a treadmill in a noisy gym would NOT be a substitute for me.
It takes 30 days to make something a habit ( and 3 months to break one ). I’ve made exercising my habit as I felt so awful for a while I had to take action.