Skipping the gym doesn’t mean you’re lazy
I have been so unmotivated lately to pull out my mat or head to the gym. And I have new instructional DVDs (usually the love of my life) that I haven’t even taken out of the cellophane yet! What’s wrong with me?
The guilt that comes along when not following through with planned physical activities is usually enough to spur on a recommitting within a few days time for me. But it has been WEEKS since I’ve been consistent with an exercise regime and, to be honest, I’m not even telling myself tomorrow will be THE DAY.
I’m in an exercise slump. But is a slump a bad thing, or merely a turning point that marks a growth spurt in one’s life? A friend was thoughtful enough to suggest that reasoning to me when I told of my lack of motivation. She pointed out that I’m not the same person that I was 10 years ago. I agreed, recalling that I spent hours at the gym every day lifting as heavy as I possibly could. That got boring for me and I turned to yoga. Sometime in there I even followed a running regimen (something I despise). Those changes were not bad, they just occurred because my likes and dislikes changed with maturation.
So an exercise slump does not necessarily mean one’s turning lazy. I mean, it could. But it’s all about finding a new activity to fill your time that is going to be healthy. There are loads of things I can do when I don’t feel like doing yoga – I could eat, watch TV, take up knitting or start making mixed tapes for all of my friends. But even though those activities will fill a void, they’re not going to serve me well over the long haul if the result is being physically inactive.
So, while it’s okay to have a change in taste for what you like to do, it’s important that you be responsible enough to choose a new activity that will keep you healthy. And finding a totally new activity might not even be necessary – it could be that all that is needed is inspiration.
Join me in a goal: take a yoga class with an unfamiliar instructor, or follow a new circuit routine that you find in a fitness magazine. Now is the time of year when we start to feel on edge because the weather is changing – so try something new to keep it fresh.
