Getting In Touch With Your Story: An Aim for Fitness Emotional Management Skill

Do you dislike exercise? If so, you’re not alone. Not a week goes by without someone I know commenting on disliking exercise. On the other hand, we all know people who love to exercise—as if they were born with more of an inclination to move their bodies. What’s the difference?

Intentions? Probably not. You probably have the best of intentions and recognize that exercise contributes to health and longevity.
Knowledge? Every adult alive has gotten the “30-minutes a day” message by now.

If you recognize the benefits of exercise and have the intention of doing it, what stops you? Although there are general answers, exact barriers are unique to each individual.

What’s important is to understand your story.
What are you telling yourself (and others) about why you don’t exercise?

1) Get in touch with your story. What stops you from exercising? What keeps you from regularly, intentionally keeping your body moving by walking, dancing, gardening, going to the gym, gyrating to a DVD or playing sports?

Make a list. You might begin by circling any items below that are part of your story:

Don’t like to sweat
Find it hard to move because of your weight
Embarrassed because of your size
You were made to exercise as a child and you’re rebelling
Fear that you’ll look foolish because you’re not an expert
Hate to exercise alone
Believe you lack the time or space
Don’t have the money
You’re too tired
You’re depressed
You don’t enjoy exercise
You don’t feel deserving of good health
Other_________________________

2) Remove the barriers.

Now go through your list and problem-solve around each barrier:

Does exercise need to cost money?
Why must you enjoy something to do it (Do you actually relish brushing your teeth or do you do it because it’s good for you?)?
Could you not find 20-30 minutes most days to get moving doing something?
Does rebelling about what you were made to do in childhood serve you now?
Will exercise really make you more tired or will it generate energy?
What are you doing about feeling depressed?
Why choose to be embarrassed about your weight rather than neutral about it?
Do you have to be an expert to engage in an activity?
Is there a form of exercise you could do at your weight that wouldn’t be physically uncomfortable?
Do you spend money on items that don’t contribute to your well being—celebrity magazines, make up you want but don’t need and, particularly, goodies for other people?—which could go toward a gym membership or a low-cost, at-home aerobic machine or set of weights?

Other than bona fide physical limitation, barriers to exercise exist in your mind.
Get past them to create a different mindset about regular activity.

Don’t use avoiding exercise to make yourself feel badly. Instead move your body and feel proud of it!

Was this tip helpful? Follow the links below to the Aim for Fitness “Self Care Before Sit-ups” webpage with two additional Aim for Fitness emotional management skills: http://bit.ly/9kpPS0