Start small.
When it comes to being more active, most people don’t reach their goals because they’re not realistic or sustainable. Most people aim too high, too fast. Today is the day to put your ego aside. Start where you are, not where you’d like to be. Read again.
Avoid comparing yourself
“Comparison is the thief of joy” – Theodore Roosevelt. The only healthy comparison is the version of yourself today versus the version of yourself yesterday. Think about it. Other people are too busy managing their own battles to really care about your own goals.
Incorporate “snack exercises
You don’t have to have a long period of planned exercise to reap the benefits of physical activity. Several very short periods of activity can also do the job.
An “exercise snack” is a short active break during the day, a bit like snacking, but for your body. It’s a short moment when you do one or more exercises to get you moving a little more during the day. These exercises are short, often from 1 to 10 minutes, and you can do them several times a day. It helps you feel good, concentrate better and energize your body, a bit like eating a snack to give yourself an energy boost!
Here are a few examples:
- Do 10-20 squats 3x/day while taking a work break at the office.
- Do 10-20 pushups while waiting for your lunch to heat up at lunchtime or while your coffee/tea is brewing.
- Get up 1h/hour at the office to do 10-20 back lunges on each side or 20-30 jumping jacks.
- Do calf raises while brushing your teeth.
- Listen to your favorite show or podcast while gently pedaling your stationary bike that’s gathering dust.
- Go for a brisk 5-15 minute walk at lunchtime or after dinner.
- Do alternating intervals of light jogging:walking (e.g. 1 minute:1 minute) for 5-10 minutes at lunchtime or after work.
Use your Google friend for details if you don’t know the names of the exercises mentioned above.
Consistency > Intensity
The human brain works by learning. Learning comes through repetition.
The more regularly you repeat an experience, the easier it becomes for you to integrate it into your routine. The key is to help your brain become less resistant to physical activity. This means “mini” daily (or very frequent) objectives, rather than a big “blitz” of activity once or twice a week. If you burn up all your energy with a goal that’s too intense, you won’t be able to maintain it for long.
Expect it to be difficult
This way of thinking can make all the difference. It’s very likely that the first few weeks, or even months, won’t be fun. Rest assured, some days will be fun! With this mindset, the difficult days, which are more frequent when you take up a new physical activity, will live up to your expectations and won’t make you feel like a failure. On the other hand, on the good days when everything seems easier than usual (yes, there will be some, I promise), you’ll be pleasantly surprised and rewarded.
Be both rigid AND flexible
Have an “ideal” goal and a “non-negotiable” goal. The ideal goal remains in your sights when everything’s going well. The non-negotiable goal is your margin for manoeuvre in difficult times, when things are going badly (e.g. Ideal: 4 training sessions of 45 minutes per week. Non-negotiable = Minimum 3 30-minute workouts and 2 20-minute walks per week.
Don’t give up, adjust.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take – Wayne Gretzky”. It’s better to do 30% of what you originally set out to do, than to drop it completely.
Many people think (wrongly) that there’s a minimum amount of physical activity required to make it “worthwhile”. The reality is that it’s always better to do 2 minutes a day than nothing at all. An overly idealistic vision will hold you back from taking daily action. Progress manifests itself in “imperfect actions” repeated consistently. Small actions multiply, but you have to be patient enough to see them manifest themselves. Taking a break for a few days is not a failure, if you bring yourself back to your goal when you’ve recharged your batteries.
Hopefully, these tips will help you adopt and maintain a more active lifestyle in the coming year and beyond.
Get moving!
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Dr Charles Bélanger
Chiropractor and owner
