One foot in front of the other

Rewind 1 month:

I know I am not alone when I say the gym is pretty low on the list of my favorite places. If you asked me why, I could rattle off a hundred reasons: I don't have enough time, I don't see an improvement fast enough, it's intimidating, I'm tired, I'm not totally sure what to do once I get there, I'm hungry after work, I don't want to change my clothes, I really don't want to shower again. 

Current day: 

I am actually psyched to go to the gym today. This is a completely new experience for me. I have always been envious of my friends who felt guilty when they didn't get to a work out and even more envious of those who used working out as a way to make themselves feel better/more energized/ not as hungry (you know, all of the excuses we just talk about a minute ago).  In my head: like that actually works! ha! I was pretty sure I was hardwired to hate working out. I struggled to find ways to trick myself into being active without hitting the gym. 

What converted me?

One of my biggest issues with going to the gym was that I never committed to anything enough to see serious results. No matter how elaborate my plan was to get fit, I couldn't stick with it because I didn't enjoy it. As cliche as it sounds, I realized I wasn't getting any younger. It sounds silly for a 23 year old to say that but I began to look at being active as an investment in my life. Since then (and it really only has been a month so I'll have to check back in later) I have enjoyed going to the gym and even look forward to it! 

source

If you are thinking about getting that body in motion, here are some things that were critical to my shift (besides adding up how many hours I spent on Pinterest in 1 week).

- Train your brain! This first step to getting moving is the most important. The hardest step is the first one out the door and this will be hard. That's why it's called working out. It does get easier (and can even get addicting). Relish in the moments that you feel on top of the world after a workout. If you don't feel that- remind yourself that now you don't have to feel as guilty when you pig out later but I'm telling you- eventually you'll get that feeling.

- Take the option out of it and make yourself a priority. I don't even allow myself the option to come up with some lame excuse to get out of my workout. It is a commitment just like any other that I have that day so throw it on your calendar with the rest of them. If you don't skip out on your commitments with others, why do it to yourself?

- Stop dwelling on how much you do not want to do it. This might be the hardest to do in reality. I was the queen of talking myself out of stopping at the gym. After dwelling for hours over it, you would have had to pay me to get to moving. Luckily, once you take the option out of going, the dwelling tends to stop since you know that there is no excuse good enough to keep you from your workout today.

Still a gym-hater? Try walking, running, dancing, swimming, biking, yoga, bowling, zumba, tennis, kettlebells, hiking, skiing, skating, pliates, jumping rope, kickboxing (personal fav), snowshoeing...hell- take the stairs, just get moving!

If you are one of those lucky people that loves to workout, what keeps you going? If you are like me, what has got you started?