From Amy Cady’s book “Get the Skinny on Your Success”.
Do you struggle getting activity in your life? As high-level women, meaning those of us who are breathing, we resist exercise more and more as our schedules fill up. I surveyed over 1500 women, ages twenty to sixty-five, and posed these questions: “What has or could bring exercise into your life? Why are you resistant to exercise?”
One of the biggest answers I received was that exercise is a mental commitment, and that means committing time. Yes, it is true that our schedules are filled with kids’ activities, work, travel, chores, and e-mails, but in order to get a handle on our struggles, it’s helpful to put it in some order and get active so we can handle the stresses of our schedules.
One of the first skills I learned with time management was to sit down and set goals, looking at the big picture of my life to see the benefits and the results these goals would bring to my children and me.
I stick to them at any cost to keep me on track. I’ve learned that life sometimes gets in the way and things change, but if you keep your eye on your goal, you’ll be able to navigate the winding road of life and manage the distractions and time constraints to reach your destination, get results, and be successful in whatever you set out to do.
Goal-setting is one of the most important steps you can take to get exercise in your life. Setting goals means prioritizing, putting yourself first, and honoring yourself no matter what it costs. In my many dealings with successful businesswomen who come to me to help them get started in Pilates, I hear all the time about how wonderful their careers are. And yet when I ask about their exercise routines, you could hear a pin drop in the room. They make excuse after excuse as to why they haven’t worked it in to their schedules.
This is where the problem lies. You must schedule the time for yourself. Put it on your calendar now!
As women, it never seems difficult for us to set goals for our careers and micro-manage our children’s activities and schedules, but when it comes ourselves, there tends to be resistance—and we put ourselves last. There is a way to bring yourself to the top of the goal list. But it is your responsibility to do it.
One of the questions I posed in the survey I conducted for this book was, “What are you pretending not to know about bringing exercise into your life?” One of the most profound answers I received was, “I am pretending not to know that I am running out of time, and that I need to do something before it is too late.” does this hit home? Can you relate to this? Where are you with your health and what are you pretending not to know?
Because we are a work in progress, we all could use a fresh start. Today, you are wiping the slate clean and you are going to honor yourself by putting you first so you have the best version of yourself to give to others.
Once I understood the power in setting goals, I set about 100 goals both personal and professional. I set specific, measurable goals that ended at a specific date and time. My accountability factor went up, and I was able to succeed at the most of the goals I had set. Here are a few examples of exercise goals you can set for yourself. Allow yourself to start by setting mini-goals and work up to bigger goals to keep you in the game and on track:
I will walk for 15 minutes 2 days a week starting November 15, 2016 at 6:00 am or whatever time I can fit it into my schedule (mini-goal).
I will a fitness workout DVD starting December 1st, 2016, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for 35 minutes during lunch hour.
I will take a one-hour hot yoga class Tuesday and Thursdays at 6:00 pm starting November 1, 2013.
You are more likely to do it if it is realistic and attainable. If you have set out to run a marathon in three months and you have not worked out in a year, most likely it will not happen. It will turn you off and set you up for failure. Start with mini-goals like completing a couch-to-5K program, or, if it is realistic for you, set just one goal like the ones above. Once you accomplish it, you’ll feel better about yourself and you’ll be on your jour- ney to a healthier, better life.
Once you have set your goal, put it on your calendar, and decided on the time that you’re going to do it, make sure that you are committed to it and not distracted by e-mails, phone calls, kids’ needs, or your own resistance. Just as you wouldn’t interrupt a work meeting with any of the above distractions, do not interrupt your workout. It can all wait. You’re making your heath and sanity a priority. Yes, there are going to be times when life gets in the way, but if you set the expectation for everyone that the time you’ve blocked off cannot be deviated from, then that time becomes yours to get yourself healthy.
Another thing I have found to help me be successful is to start thinking about my exercise the night before. That way my brain is preparing for my workout. I also visualize what exercise I will be doing and where the location is, and actually see the finish to my workout and how that makes me feel. On a side note, I also lay out my workout clothes the night before to maximize my time in the morning so I won’t waste time trying to find my clothes and shoes.
Even if I don’t accomplish the miles that I planned on running, or I have to sit down a few times during a Hot yoga class, I don’t beat myself up. Instead, I congratulate myself for completing what I have and praise myself for even showing up to do it. I guarantee you will never complete a workout and regret having done it.
If you want to stay or get healthy, it is imperative that you put exercise in your schedule and on your calendar. Resisting setting exercise goals is a limiting behavior, which we’ll talk more in my next blog.
We all know how important it is to have exercise in our life. If we want to live longer, be more productive, reduce stress, sleep better, and boost our confidence, we have to exercise.
According to Idea Fitness Journal, “Even acute bouts of exercise may improve a person’s present mood state. It has been shown that a single bout of 25–60 minutes of aerobic exercise (at low, moderate or high intensities) increases positive mood feelings while also decreasing negative mood feelings. Implications from these data denote the incorporation of habitual exercise in a person’s lifestyle for the enhancement of a positive mood state.”1
Don’t you owe it to yourself to take care of you? Pick up the phone and schedule an appointment at a studio or gym, get outside and walk, pull out a yoga mat and slip in a DVD — but most importantly set your goal, and put it on your calendar.
Take 5 Action Steps:
Put an exercise goal in your schedule and on your calendar with reminder alerts.
- Set 1-2 exercise goals.
- Commit to exercising 3-5 times a week for at least 15
minutes and put it on your calendar today! - Plan your exercise goal at a time that works best for your
schedule, even if you have to get up earlier in the morn-
ing to T it in. You’re worth it. - When you are approaching your hour of exercise, do
not check e-mails, phone messages or attend to others’
needs until you have completed your workout. - Plan and visualize it the night before.
The Success:
- You’ll feel accomplished when you check your workout off your list.
- You’ll find that you keep coming back to it more because you enjoy how it makes you feel.
- Goals produce results, and your result is a healthier,
stronger more confident you.
Reprinted with permission from Amy Cady.
Amy Cady, MFA, PMA-CPT, is a best selling author, International speaker, Pilates master trainer, and owner of AC Training and Seminars. She works with people all over the world to implement exercise into their busy schedules as a means to empower them to be more productive in every aspect of their lives, thereby creating healthy, successful and vibrant people. Amy’s achievements include being named an Ambassador for Lululemon Athletica for her community involvement and commitment to health and fitness through Pilates, as well as developing the Pilates programs at various colleges and community centers locally.
