Staying Active When You'd Rather Not

It's no surprise that physical activity is good for us, both physically and mentally. You simply have to glance at a bunch of kids playing on the playground to see smiles and hear laughter (and ok, maybe some are crying, but that's bound to happen sometimes!). Although what I've experienced, and often see with clients, is that when life gets hard we stop doing exactly what we need, such as being physically active. While I was not a great physics student, I do remember Newton's First Law of Motion, such that, a body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest, stays at rest (unless some force acts on it). Even though I can't explain this concept in an educational manner, I can absolutely see how this happens in our lives! Yet, there has to be some ways to encourage staying active when you'd rather not. Let's look at a few things to consider...

1) Action creates motivation. Does anyone else think this should be the other way around!? Just me? Often we wait to feel motivated to do the thing, but in reality, we may need to engage in the activity first. By doing so, our body is experiencing this event and from that, we can see how it feels, what we like or don't about it, and maybe feel that excitement start to gain momentum. But how do we start when we don't feel motivated? Let's explore the second point...

2) Start low and go slow. When our expectations are higher than the reality of the situation, we will likely feel frustrated. By this, I don't mean we need to decide that our morning spin class will be terrible, but maybe instead we find a neutral ground. If I haven't gone in a while, I should be realistic that I may be slower than usual, I might not feel as strong and I may find myself needing to sit a few times. With this reasonable expectation of my performance, I may avoid that deep feeling of disappointment when I don't perform as I would have liked (which may lead to me avoiding the next class, only making things harder for myself).

3) Recognize it's ok to go or not, but try to do something! There is an old saying that if you don't want to be active, try for only 10 minutes. If after 10 minutes you're done, then stop and go home! I'm all for making things doable, and doing something is often better than not. If I just can't gain the energy to go to a morning yoga class (a true scenario), maybe instead I do a 20 minute Yoga with Adrienne YouTube video. It's not what I envisioned initially, but it might be what I actually do!

4) Be creative! Lastly, if you're thinking you wouldn't even know where to start when it comes to activity, think about your past activities and also what your friends are doing. If back in the day you were a football player, is there a drop-in flag football game in your community? Or, if you're thinking signing up with a friend would be the way to go, ask around and see what others are into. You'd be surprised by how many activities are running in our communities. And even if you only try once, and that's that, that is still a win!

All in all, when it comes to activity, or something else we want to do, but we're not doing it, be curious with yourself. Allow yourself time to think about what is making it hard (ex. Not having the workout clothes you'd need) and then brainstorm ways to tend to that need. At the end of the day, we all deserve play and movement! I'm wishing you well as you consider ways to add activity into your life!

Danielle van Schaik