Getting Back on Track
Getting back in the habit of exercise
I ran my last obstacle course race in November 2019. It was the coldest, longest, muddiest, race of the 30+ races I had run over the previous 5 years. I was able to use OCR as a motivator to stay fit, but knew it wouldn’t be something I would want to or be able to keep up with once having kids. Having kids has challenged my ability to stay fit and I know I’m not alone there.
It took me a few months of trying to get back in a rhythm to see why I’ve stopped or hit blocks both physically and mentally. I’m very far from where I was from an intensity standpoint, and I realized I can’t expect to be back at that same intensity. I realized I have to re-learn how to train and reset my expectations for what a good workout looks like and feels like.
What does that look like in terms of exercise?
A normal workout consists of a warm-up, main sets, hopefully a cool down.
In resetting a training program, managing expectations, knowing that I need 20-25 minutes of good focus and intensity, that requires having a plan for getting yourself going quickly. If you have a stationary cardio machine, a bike or rowing machine, that’s a great way to get going. I like to use my rowing machine when I can manage to get it out of the closet.
I prefer my workouts to be made up of exercises that hit my upper and lower body. I try to mix it up into two groups of 2-3 upper and 2-3 lower body exercises. If you keep your focus, 25 minutes is all you need. However you warm up, slowly do the same to cool down. Keep it simple.
Don’t miss twice
If you go back and look at the dates on my posts, you will find they’ve come in bunches. I think 6 last summer, 2 around the holidays, and had a few going in a row but missed last week. The idea of ‘don’t miss twice’ really pushed me through to make sure I kept my habit of writing every Tuesday. I had something else I was going to write about, but I didn’t feel it was complete or needed some revision, so I didn’t force it. I let the holiday week be what it was, and told myself I would get something out next Tuesday.
When you’re starting a new habit, it’s important to not only be as specific about it as you can when trying to establish it into your routine, but also not to miss two in a row. Maybe you forgot your vitamins yesterday, make sure you take them first thing the next day. You didn’t drink enough water today. Fill up your cup so it’s ready for the next day, fill it with some lemon to make it a little more exciting. Just don’t miss twice.
More Structure, More Freedom, More Joy
I find myself talking about habits a lot, because I find that good habits are key to good overall wellness. When I think about wellness, it truly comes full circle, because when you are missing a piece of your puzzle, you tend to focus on that one area and try to fix it.
I’ve listened to Atomic Habits a few times through now, and it took me a few times listening and wanting a bit more from my days to realize what this phrase meant and how to apply it.
“Habits do not restrict freedom. They create it. It's only by making the fundamentals of life easier that you can create the mental space needed for free thinking and creativity.”
To put it simply, more structure creates more freedom. The thing that finally clicked for me was that by putting more effort into planning out a day leaves less to be left to be decided when the moment comes. Most of us probably make a lot of decisions across a day, I could write a whole separate post on decision fatigue. If you allow yourself time to plan before the moment comes, or even in the moment, think about what you want to do the next 30 minutes and maybe 30 minutes after that, hopefully you can find a little more focus.
Stay well.
Brad