Good Morning,
Today is the first day of February and I need to start thinking about getting back into a fitness routine. It’s not about losing weight or looking a certain way, I want exercise to be a part of my normal day to day routine. I function better when I work out and I’m more focused in my mindset which helps with everything from work to blogging to life in general. Ideas are more free flowing and I find it easier to stay organised if my mind is organised which is what happens when I exercise.
I always avoid the gym in January as it’s super busy and I feel like if I get my eating right through January, I’m in a better mindset to focus on my fitness in February. If I try to do both at the same time straight after the festivities I often fall off the wagon pretty quickly. I also find what I eat is more important than how much I exercise. An 80/20 rule works well for me and putting the effort in to eating right makes all the difference when it comes to working out in terms of energy levels and consistency.
I will admit, I’ve struggled to get my eating right this January as there have been a lot of social gatherings and for the last 3 Friday’s I’ve eaten out for lunch and dinner which is not acceptable. I’m not going to beat myself up about it, I’m just going to get it right from now onwards. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt more sluggish and it’s definitely down to what I’m eating. Pizza’s and desserts are amazing and should be a treat enjoyed once in a while, not an every week occurrence as has been the case for the last few weeks.
Now on to exercise. I have a love to hate relationship with working out. I love the feeling after a workout and I think it’s really important to have exercise as a part of our daily lives but I hate getting out of bed early in the morning to go to the gym before work. I used to be a morning person but as I’ve gotten older, it’s getting more and more difficult to get up in the mornings at my usual time, never mind 5:30am. Obviously the winter months are harder when it’s cold and dark but I’m struggling even through Spring and Summer. I’ve considered going after work and I sometimes go to classes in the evenings such as yoga but I find the gym too busy straight after work and I definitely don’t have patience to wait to get on the machine I want to use or to be in a busy gym. I’ve also considered going on my lunch break and after multiple conversations with my work colleagues who go regularly at lunch time (and are of the opposite gender), I’ve come to the conclusion that I simply can’t do it. It’s not that there’s not enough time as the gym close to my office offers 20 minutes classes which are perfect for lunch breaks, it’s the process of taking makeup off to do the workout to then put it back on. That’s too much for me. I’ve also considered leaving my makeup on whilst I work out which I don’t have a problem with and is what I would do if I was going straight after work but I don’t think I can take a shower and come back and sit at my desk for the rest of the afternoon with a big sweaty face and yucky hair. Maybe I’m being overdramatic about it all but I really don’t think I’d be comfortable with it.
I’ve also tried other methods of exercising which don’t involve going to a gym as such. I quite like running and I used to be pretty good when I was young but nowadays I can think of too many excuses not to do it such as the weather or it being dark at the only opportunities I have to run – the list is endless. I’ve tried Kayla Itsines BBG multiple times and I think the furthest I’ve gotten is week 4. It’s brutal but it works and if I had enough self discipline I know I would reap the rewards if I stuck it out.
I know high intensity exercise works best for me, I just need to get myself into a routine of going to classes at the gym whether that be in the morning, lunchtime or after work and doing some cardio and yoga in between so that I don’t get bored.
Anyway this post is much longer than I’d planned but I just wanted to share my thoughts on fitness in the hope that someone else feels the same and I’m not alone in the ‘love to hate working out’ club. If you feel the same or have any ideas how I can get into a better routine please share in the comments below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
xo!