self perception

Apr

2023

Getting back to exercise after a break

So, you’ve been exercising regularly for months, maybe even years. Then, life somehow takes over and before you know it, it’s been so long since you exercised that you don’t know how or where to start. Getting back to exercise after a break can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be scary! Here are some tips for easing yourself back into the habit.

Accept your starting point

One of those most difficult things about getting back to exercise after a break is the sense that you have fallen so far back that it’s scary to think about getting back to where you were. Or, you put yourself under tremendous pressure to reach the same level you were at previously. This is an unhealthy way to get back into the flow. Be honest with yourself about where you are now, and don’t beat yourself up with where you think you “should” be. The only thing that matters is where you are now. Embrace and accept who you are today, and be willing to work with your body as it is.

Start gently

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when exercising after a long break is going too intense, too quickly. It’s understandable that you want to see results sooner rather than later, but if you haven’t been exercising for a while, you simply won’t be able to do intense exercise with the proper technique and form and will be running the risk of injury. Often, I hear someone complain of a bad knee getting in the way of their return to exercise; when I ask how long their break had been and what exercise they have been doing, they invariably took a long break and jumped into the latest high intensity workout programme to get quick results. Look after your body. It will adapt quickly, but only if you give it the time and space to do so. Work too hard too fast, and you will perform with bad technique and damage your body. It’s not worth it.

Be realistic

There are many reasons why we end up taking breaks from exercise. Work commitments are becoming more and more overwhelming, family life can take over self-care regimes, and sometimes we just feel low on energy and feel too exhausted to look after ourselves. It’s important to understand what caused you to stop exercising in the first place, and to plan your return to exercise with that issue in mind. Unless you’ve made a radical life change, your job may still be time consuming, family life will always be a priority, and emotional ups and downs and low energy periods can come and go – so you’ll need to come up with an exercise plan that can work around the barriers that you face to sticking to it. Working with a trainer will help with this (tips for finding the right trainer here), as they can create a plan for you that deals with these challenges, but the information for a trainer to work with will still come from you. The more self-aware you are, the more you can create and implement strategies to break old patterns.

Stay present

One of the best things about exercise is that it roots you in the present moment. It can be a form of meditation, where you switch off from the stresses of day-to-day life, and the natural chemical reactions that take place when you work out mean that you get that feel good factor too. That said, it’s really easy to think yourself out of that positive experience. When you do those early workouts, don’t let yourself get ahead of where you are, or to travel back to where you were before. Negative self talk about where your fitness level “should” be, or what you “should” be able to do will put your mind in a negative space, and will take the enjoyment out of doing something that is fundamentally wonderful for your body. Let yourself be present, and take each moment as it comes.

Goals, goals, goals

Take some time to consider why you’re getting back into exercise, and what your goals are. Do you want to lose weight? Build muscle? Be able to walk up the stairs without feeling winded? Enjoy clothes shopping again? You need to know WHY you’re committing to exercise, so that when the going gets tough, you have an anchor to keep you on – course. If you need more convincing about why goals are important, read HERE. If you’re raring to go but not sure how, click HERE for a step-by-step guide to setting effective goals. During the goal setting process, you will come across key questions, such as whether you need a trainer to write you an effective, goal oriented session plan. If you find that you need a bit of help getting an exercise plan together, HERE is a guide to finding the right trainer.

Keep showing up

Once you have goals and a plan, you simply need to keep showing up. You just need to follow the plan. You’ve done the mental preparation for making sure that you succeed with this return to a healthy lifestyle, so you just have to stay consistent and stick to it! If your resolve feels shaky, remember your goals and let them motivate you to continue on your journey towards better health, wellbeing, and a loving relationship with your body.

Reward yourself

It’s not always easy getting into a new routine. We all hit bumps in the road, and speaking from personal experience, it can be really hard to get back into something when you have taken a break. Somehow, the pressure feels heightened. When you hit key milestones, be sure to reward yourself. Decide in advance what those rewards will be. A cool new water bottle for your workouts? Some new gym gear? A massage to relax those muscles? It can be as simple as giving yourself an evening off from looking after the kids and planning a soak in the bath with some new bath products and a book. Be sure to treat yourself. When you hit key milestones and achieve goals, you have earned a bit of self-indulgence!

Good luck with coming back and reinstating a healthy lifestyle and relationship with your body – not that you need it! You can do it!

P.S If you need a few tips on getting started on your fitness journey, my e-book, “Getting Started” is free to download. Click HERE to subscribe to my mailing list (no spam, I promise!) and download your free copy 🙂

Mar

2023

How to develop an exercise habit

You’ve decided that you are going to develop an exercise habit. Great! You’re determined to spend an hour at the gym every day, and, riding high on your resolve, you follow through for 2 days. Then, you have a long day at work, you’re exhausted, and you miss a day. Soon, weeks have gone by, your membership card is lost and gathering dust somewhere, and you are feeling rubbish.

This is a common scenario. Not for long! Here are a few ways to develop your exercise habit, stick to it, and handle the inevitable bumps in the road.

Start slowly

Yes, of course, you want to immediately start going to the gym every day, push yourself to the max, and get those results quickly! It’s natural to want some fast results to keep yourself motivated. Unfortunately, more often than not, this tactic doesn’t work.

If you really want to keep the habit going, it’s important to begin gradually, get yourself into a routine of exercise, and make it something that you do for enjoyment and relaxation rather than something that involves extreme amounts of effort. You don’t want to overtrain too quickly. This generally leads to you dragging yourself to the gym and treating it like a chore because you’ve gone too intense too quickly. Worse, you run the risk of injury through poor technique, and may end up having to stop training altogether. It's not worth it. Take your time.

If you try too much too soon, you will burn out. Your body won’t be ready for it, and you will soon find yourself spending guilt ridden evenings in front of Netflix again. Dare to approach it differently! Slow and steady wins the race. You’ll be able to increase the intensity safely in time, and you'll see far better results for it.

Set goals

I know, I go on about this ALL the time, but there is a good reason for it! Goal setting is important! If you don’t know why you are adopting this exercise habit, and what you want to get out of it, you won’t have anything to refer to when you are hitting a bump in the road and need to get yourself motivated. If you’re working towards a goal, you can keep using it to get yourself moving when your mind is telling you that you don’t want to.

Developing a habit requires long-term commitment, and without goals, you won’t have an anchor to keep you on the right path when challenges begin to present themselves. When you have the sense that you are heading in the direction you want to go in, you’ll be motivated to continue with your exercise because you’ll know exactly WHY you are doing it!

If you need more convincing about the importance of goal setting, look no further – click HERE!

Plan, plan, plan

Anyone who exercises regularly plans for it. It’s a slot in the diary that is carefully chosen and is then respected as though it is any other appointment. For me personally, with having a baby and a business to manage, getting my exercise done requires planning not only by me, but also my husband. We have to plan in advance around our work schedules, or our workouts simply don’t happen. It’s important to spend a bit of time considering what will work best for you and those around you and planning accordingly – what times are best? How many times a week would be reasonable? What barriers could get in the way of your sticking to the routine?

Spend some time considering these things, and developing solutions. Being aware of the obstacles you put in front of yourself is a great step towards dealing with them and empowering yourself to stick to your resolve as a result. This awareness and empowerment can be the difference between developing and maintaining the exercise habit, and a missed workout that begins a downward slide.

Be realistic

I can’t stress this one enough. If you have 2 kids, a full time job and a social life to manage, hitting the gym 5 times a week probably isn’t possible. The key to maintaining a long-term habit is to set yourself up to succeed, so take a bit of time to consider what’s actually going to fit in with you and your lifestyle. Perhaps a jog around the local park twice a week is realistic, or getting stuck into a game of football with the kids in the garden after school. You may be able to get 5 sessions a week in at the gym. You may hate the gym, and find that going for long walks on the weekends are just the ticket for you.

It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you’re moving! If you want to develop a habit, spend a bit of time making sure that you are setting yourself up for success, and be realistic from the outset about what will fit in with you and your lifestyle.

Respect your body

If you haven’t exercised for a while, be respectful of where you are in terms of your fitness. Pushing yourself too hard too quickly will hinder you. Your technique will be compromised, which could lead to long-term injury. If it’s been a while, your body has been neglected, and it needs time to adjust to the new routine. Launching yourself into an intense exercise regime after a long break is like jumping behind the wheel of a car before you’ve passed your driving test. It's not smart. Be patient with yourself!

Getting fit is a process. If you haven't exercised for a year, your body isn’t going to suddenly respond well to high intensity training just because you’ve decided that it’s time to get fit. Your body will appreciate that you are exercising, and will begin to adapt to the positive changes that you are making, but be kind to it.

Don’t push too hard too quickly because you want your body to conform to your expectations, or societal expectations immediately. Work with it, and accept your starting point. Your body doesn’t deserve punishment. You don’t deserve punishment. Give your body time, and love, and it will do wonderful things. Push too hard too quickly, and it will burn out.

Enlist an Accountabuddy

We all do better when we know that there is someone around who cares about our success. When the going gets tough, it can be helpful to have someone who you can rely on to check in with you and motivate you to keep going. This can be anyone; a friend, a member of the family, or a trainer – the key is that they are reliable, want you to succeed, and that you are comfortable turning to them in times of need. It may sound like a small thing, but it makes all the difference!

Believe in yourself!

Your self-image plays a huge role in every element of your life. If your self-image is that of someone who follows through on their commitments, who overcomes their limitations, and who doesn’t quit, your actions will reflect that. If this isn’t how you see yourself, it’s time to move away from the negative self – talk and let yourself believe that you can do ANYTHING you put your mind to.

Spend a few minutes every day visualising yourself exercising. Imagine yourself as the physically fit human being you want to be. Visualise yourself achieving your goals. Notice any blocks that get in the way – do you find yourself talking to yourself negatively? What gets in the way of your being able to imagine yourself achieving your goals? Notice them, write them down, and scribble them out. Throw them in the bin. Keep reminding yourself that you are in control, you’re going to do it this time, and nothing is going to stop you.

Believe in yourself. You can do it!

Feb

2019

Why Shouldn’t I Weigh Myself?

Quite simply, it’s not a proper measure of your fitness, wellness, or health. Weight loss is one of the most common aspirations that I come across, but I actively encourage my clients to avoid the scale. Here are three reasons why.

1. Lighter isn’t always healthier

It’s really simple. Dropping pounds on the scale is NOT a sign that you are getting fitter. The measure of your progress is how you feel, the quality of the choices that you’re making, and the power that you are giving yourself to become the person that you want to be by digging deep. It is not whether you sit at a certain level on the BMI scale.

2. There is no such thing as an “ideal” weight.

So many people want to reach a particular weight, or lose a certain amount, because somehow that will mean that they suddenly feel better about themselves. The simple fact is, you can lose lots of weight taking unhealthy measures, such as not eating, or drinking juice all day every day, but you will not feel good in yourself for it. Before you know it, you will put the weight back on, and you will feel terrible for letting yourself gain weight.

There is nothing to gain from obsessing over reaching an “ideal” weight. There is no such thing. Life just isn’t that simple. YOU aren’t that simple!

3. Weight doesn’t account for natural fluctuations

Your body is going through a raft of fluctuations on a regular basis. Women are continually going through hormonal changes that cause water retention, bloating, and general dips in particular neurotransmitters in some cases, and these can all lead to weight fluctuation on the scale. You can immediately set your confidence back by weighing yourself on a day where your hormones are changing, or you are retaining water from a meal. Equally, if you haven’t pooped…. It will make a difference!

There are plenty of ways to measure your progress that don’t involve the scales. Taking measurements is a good way to keep track of real changes in your body shape. As you get fitter and healthier, it’s very likely that you will drop clothes size, and having an item of clothing that you can try on every 6 weeks can also be a good way to enjoy tangible change.

The key thing is how you FEEL. Feeling that you are making the right choices for both your mind and body. Feeling that you are proud of who you are; someone who makes a decision to make positive change, and bravely sees that journey through. Feeling that you are the person that you want to be.

Free yourself from the scale! It isn't the measure of your worth!

To your success 🙂

Jul

2018

A Simple Guide to Setting Effective Goals

Setting effective goals is an essential part of getting yourself mentally prepared for a lifestyle change. It’s easy to jump back into exercise and changing your dietary habits without taking the time to consider why, and often this means that you fall off the wagon sooner rather than later. Goals are fantastic reminders of what you want to achieve, and can be used to keep you on the right track when your mind starts trying to make excuses (i.e. convincing you to stay at home and binge watch The Crown on Netflix rather than do your workout!). Sometimes it's difficult to know where to start, so here is a simple guide to setting effective goals to get you started.

If you still need convincing about why setting goals is important, click here. If you’re raring to go, keep reading!

Step 1: Brainstorm

Let yourself think very freely about why you want to get fit and healthy. Be completely honest with yourself and scribble out anything and everything that comes to mind. Are you embarrassed by your weight? Frustrated by feeling out of breath all the time? Looking for help with regulating your energy levels? Are you hiding behind baggy clothes and not pursuing your dreams because you feel trapped inside your body? Perhaps you want to be able to eat and feel good about it rather than feeling guilty all the time. We are complex creatures, with lots of stuff going on, so let yourself freestyle here. Don’t be surprised if this is an emotional process. We aren’t often encouraged to really take the time to notice how we feel, and why we might be feeling that way. Sometimes it’s a shock to the system.

Step 2: Isolate key items

If you have completed the above step, you probably have a sheet (or maybe a few!) of paper with scribbles or a long list of thoughts about why you want to get healthy. The next stage is to go through what you have scribbled out in your brainstorm, and highlight which ones feel the most pressing at the current time. Which issue is REALLY bothering you on a day-to-day basis? Pick 3 things at a maximum. Don’t throw the brainstorm away. Keep it in a drawer, ready to refer to when it’s time to set new goals.

Step 3: Create specific goals

It’s time to take your chosen items and create 3 well-defined goals. Think of them as crystallisations of what you want from your health and fitness regime, and why you are making this change. If this feels difficult, it’s a sure sign that this is a vital part of the process for you. It’s far easier to stick to things when you know why you are doing them! If you don’t know why you’re making loads of effort, and don’t have a strong sense of where it’s all leading, you’re bound to struggle. You need that sense of direction to keep you motivated!

You may have heard of SMART goal setting. There are endless articles about this, and it’s a very effective way of making sure that your goals are going to keep you on track when you feel life and it’s many challenges weakening your resolve.

Here are the key aspects of any goals that you set, according to the SMART model:

Specific – your goals need to state, very clearly, what you are striving to achieve. Anyone who reads your goals should be able to understand what your aims are with no ambiguity. If you have a crystal clear picture of what you are aiming for, you are more likely to get there. If you don’t know where you’re heading, you will struggle to keep yourself motivated. You won’t ever know that you’re on the right track, or be able to remind yourself of why it’s worth the effort.

Measurable – we are pleasure seeking creatures. We like to feel good in ourselves. We particularly like to feel a sense of achievement. Clear, indisputable evidence that our effort and hard work is paying off is a guaranteed way to create the feel good factor that will keep you going in difficult times. A goal should be easy to track and measure. The tangible sense of progress will keep you on track.

Achievable – you want to set yourself up for success. Goals shouldn’t be too easy, but if you are over – ambitious, you are likely to give up because the goal seems so far away. You want your goals to be within your reach, so that you can visualize achieving them. Setting unachievable goals will hinder you because you won’t be able to “see” your success in your mind’s eye. That visualization is a key element of your success. This is also the time to consider whether you need any external aid – you may feel that a trainer can help by writing a plan tailored to your goals. Here’s an article to help you find the right trainer if you decide to go down that road.

Relevant – goals are designed to keep you on track, and keep you motivated. It needs to be easy to see how the achievement of this goal is going to positively impact your life. It can be as simple as wanting to be able to run for the bus without feeling winded, or being able to play with the kids at the park without feeling self conscious about being overweight. There are no right or wrong goals – the trick is to take the time to think about what is actually relevant to you in the context of your life and situation.

Time bound – when you set a goal, set a time frame. If your goal is to be able to run 5k, but you don’t set a time frame for it, you aren’t giving yourself any impetus to get started, or to stick to it. If you set a goal to run 5k in 3 months, you are far more likely to stick to your exercise plan because you have a deadline to aim for.

Apply these 5 elements to your 3 goals. Once done, write the goals out over and over again. Take your time with this process, and let yourself do it properly. Trust me, it’s worth the effort!

Step 4: Embed your goals

Now, you have 3 strong goals written down. You have taken the time to transform muddy concepts and ideas into crystal clear statements of intention. You have begun the process of embedding those goals in your mind by writing them over and over. Now, it’s time to move towards completing the process.

Write your 3 goals out onto index cards, or onto post – it notes, and put them somewhere that you will see them frequently. Keep reminding yourself of them, and say them to yourself at night just before falling asleep. Do this for at least 3 days before you start a new eating or exercise plan. Hold yourself back for a short while, and use that time to mentally cement your intentions.

Phew, once you’ve done all of this work, you’ll be raring to go! Enjoy discovering your body confidence! 🙂

Jun

2018

The importance of goal setting

You hear it all the time. It’s important to set goals if you want to achieve what you want in life. It’s absolutely true. Setting goals is creating a roadmap for yourself – if you don’t know where you want to go, you won’t ever feel that rewarding sense of going in the right direction. If you don’t have that assured sense that you are moving towards where you want to be, you will flounder quickly, and fall back into old habits.

Here is the truth of it. Setting goals is hard work. I would argue that the process of setting goals is the toughest part of making any kind of life change, because you actually have to sit down and dare to believe that you can do it. That you can transform into the person that you want to be. I am firmly of the belief that the thing that makes it difficult to make changes in our lifestyle is not a lack of ability, but the challenge of letting ourselves believe that we can do better. That we are better.

It sounds so simple. Sit down and think of what you want to achieve. Then, write down how you are going to do it. Then, get it done! Easy! In a style typical of the age we live in, the process of setting goals is sold as being the fast bit. The bit that you can get done quickly, before the hard work begins.

I don’t agree with this. I believe that you must give the process of goal setting your fullest effort and attention. Your journey has begun when you sit down to visualize where you want to be, what you want to be, and begin the process of allowing yourself to believe that you can do anything. This process of self analysis, this test of self belief, this challenging task of really daring to imagine who you can be if you trust and believe in yourself, is the foundation of your success.

If you spend the time you need to really set your goals, to go through the process of formulating them with precision, belief, and intention, you have made it through the first stage of a lifelong change that will enrich the rest of your life.

Today, let yourself begin to consider what your goals may be. Notice any mental blocks that you encounter. Do you find yourself talking to yourself negatively? Telling yourself that a goal is ridiculous and unachievable? Do you get bored and switch off when you begin thinking of what your aims may be?

Really pay attention to your processes; they are an important part of your journey and the key to overcoming your obstacles. Getting to know yourself, understanding yourself, and gently working to overcome any processes that stand between you and the person that you want to be is an essential part of reviving your confidence and unlocking a long term, healthy you.

self perception

Getting back to exercise after a break

Getting back to exercise after a break

Accept your starting point

Start gently

Be realistic

Stay present

Goals, goals, goals

Keep showing up

Reward yourself

"Be honest with yourself about where you are now, and don’t beat yourself up with where you think you “should” be. The only thing that matters is where you are now. Embrace and accept who you are today, and be willing to work with your body as it is."

How to develop an exercise habit

How to develop an exercise habit

Start slowly

Set goals

Plan, plan, plan

Be realistic

Respect your body

Enlist an Accountabuddy

Believe in yourself!

Why Shouldn’t I Weigh Myself?

Why Shouldn't I Weigh Myself?

1. Lighter isn’t always healthier

2. There is no such thing as an “ideal” weight.

3. Weight doesn’t account for natural fluctuations

A Simple Guide to Setting Effective Goals

A Simple Guide to Setting Effective Goals

Step 1: Brainstorm

Step 2: Isolate key items

Step 3: Create specific goals

Step 4: Embed your goals

The importance of goal setting

The importance of goal setting

"If you spend the time you need to really set your goals, to go through the process of formulating them with precision, belief, and intention, you have made it through the first stage of a lifelong change that will enrich the rest of your life."

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