Can’t find the motivation to exercise?

What’s Really Holding You Back

We know we should be exercising, but most adults fall short of the recommended amounts.

As we age, we become less active. Ironically, we also become aware of the importance of protecting our health. We know exercise is good for us and we understand that if we don’t move it, we’ll lose it. But simply knowing about the benefits of exercise isn’t enough to spur us into action.

If you’re wrestling with the idea of starting an exercise routine, yet can’t face taking the leap, look for clues about what’s holding you back, because understanding your fears is the first step to moving past them.

Too self-conscious

A huge barrier to exercising is worrying about what we look like. In fact, feeling ashamed about our bodies is one of the biggest concerns women have. Just putting on workout clothes is exposing. We can’t hide under layers or mask our insecurities with fashion. Moving in unfamiliar ways and being out of control dials up the discomfort. We become hyper-aware of bulges and parts that wobble with a mind of their own, leaving us feeling extremely self-conscious and vulnerable.

Discomfort avoidance

Going outside for a walk or run means exposing ourselves to cold and rain. We have the option to work out indoors, but before we move a muscle, we know exercise will leave us breathless, sweaty and aching. Ditching the cosiness of being curled up on the sofa for the discomfort of exercise can be a hurdle we can’t get past.

Overwhelm & pressure

Even if we’re keen to exercise, we often don’t know where to start. Wherever you look for information you’ll find a different theory. You should be doing couch to 5K, torching calories with high-intensity workouts, building muscles by lifting heavy weights or sculpting a lithe yoga body by contorting yourself into extreme poses. There’s so much conflicting advice and pressure to go hard or go home, that we don’t know where to start.

Fear of injury

The older we are, the more likely we’ve experienced injury, pulled muscles, or suffer from regular joint pain. We can feel too frightened to exercise, in-case old injuries flare. We don’t trust ourselves to know good pain from bad pain – what if we’re doing more harm than good?

Fear of causing ourselves injuries can affect our confidence to exercise.

Overcoming Your Fears

The first step to overcoming your exercise fears is acknowledging them. We usually keep fears like these to ourselves but knowing you’re not alone in experiencing them can be liberating.

Sharing your fears with a close friend or partner can help. When we open up about our fears, they lose some of their power over us.

When you feel self-conscious about your appearance, you imagine everyone else will look better than you and be looking at you. But go to any exercise class or gym and you’ll see people of all ages, shapes and sizes. Remember, most people will be feeling the same as you and will be more worried about what they look like and probably won’t give you a second thought.

If you have any health concerns, have a chat with your GP. There are very few conditions that will be made worse by exercise. The health benefits are so profound that getting the right type of exercise will almost always be beneficial. Humans are designed to move – we need to move, and it’s far riskier for our health to avoid moving. At its simplest, exercise creates an opportunity in our busy lives to move how we are supposed to.

THE ROUTE TO MID-LIFE FITNESS

The good news is that it’s never too late to start exercising, and whatever age you start you can experience tremendous benefits. Exercise boosts mood and energy, it can reduce stress and anxiety and improve self-confidence. It can help with weight management and protect against age-related bone and muscle loss, improve sleep and reduce the risks of suffering from many common illnesses including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and certain cancers.

Starting from Scratch

So, if you haven’t exercised for a long time, where do you start?

step One - Reconnect with your body

Over the years our bodies become unbalanced. Hours spent sitting alter our posture and some of our muscles become weaker than others. We don’t realise this until something goes wrong, for example when we launch ourselves into an energetic fitness routine and end up getting injured.

We all take our bodies until something goes wrong. If it’s been a long time since you exercised or played sport, chances are you are out of touch with how your body is supposed to move.

The first step is to reconnect with your body. You need to learn which muscles you use when you perform certain movements and be able to feel them working.

The best place to start is with gentle yoga and Pilates classes are ideal for this, as are beginners’ strength training programmes. Look for local classes and don’t be shy about asking to meet the instructor before you decide to book. It’s important you feel comfortable with the person who will be taking the class and most instructors will be happy to arrange a chat with you without putting pressure on you to book. If you’d rather start from the comfort and privacy of your own home, there are plenty of free exercise videos on youtube that you can do. Start with short simple workouts and build up gradually. You can find some examples here

Step TWO - Build Mindful Strength

This may be enough for you to begin with, but if you want to increase your strength and fitness further, the next step is Mindful Strength.

This involves building a strong, balanced and functional body using a combination of weights and body weight exercises.

I call this mindful strength because it is about more than just lifting heavy weights. It’s about building a deeper connection with your body, recognising its strengths and weaknesses, and restoring balance and symmetry.

Mindful strength gives you control over your body and enables you to live an active, independent life, one where you feel capable, strong and confident.

The best options to develop mindful strength include advanced Pilates and Reformer Classes and Strength Training.

At this point, you’ll benefit from some professional tuition, so again look for local classes. Don’t rule out joining a gym - they really are full of every shape and size you can imagine, and there are plenty of novice advertisers. Most gyms will give you a free introductory session to show you how to use the equipment.

Remember it’s a good idea to check out instructors and gyms before you commit, to make sure they are right for you. If you have any health conditions or special requirements, ask how you can be supported and accommodated. Check they have experience in working with other clients with similar conditions as you.

Whatever class or programme you opt for, make sure you are able to perform the exercises slowly, mindfully and with full control. To begin with, avoid high-intensity classes and combined cardio and weight classes until you are confident in strength techniques and have good range of movement.

As you become stronger and address your weaknesses and imbalances, you’ll be able to take it to the next level (if you want to) and add more intense exercise into your routine. Mindful Strength is the perfect foundation for anyone who wants to work towards more challenging pursuits like circuit training, running, tennis, cycling, skiing, triathlons, and or even travel adventures (the sky’s the limit).

Step Three - Find Joy In Movement

Many people starting exercise in their middle years brings the opportunity to foster a totally new relationship with exercise.

For many people, myself included, exercise had always been about going hard to burn as many calories as possible. If we struggled or missed a session, we felt guilty. Change to our bodies was slow, if at all and short-lived when we did achieve it.

We now know that exercise isn’t even very effective as a weight loss tool, so I recommend that you forget all about exercise and a calorie burner and approach it as something that will have a profound effect on how you feel - immediately.

When we exercise the right way and do things we enjoy, we experience the benefits straight away. Our mood lifts and we feel energized and more optimistic. We give our brains a break from overthinking which reduces overwhelm and can even give you a better night’s sleep.

Stick with it for longer and you’ll notice more benefits; you’ll have more stamina, find it easier to climb the stairs or carry heavy shopping, as well as becoming more confident in your body. In my experience, exercise can change the way you feel about your body. Exercising for the love of how it makes you feel is a wonderful gift of self-care. When you focus on building strength and fitness you develop a new appreciation for your body and what it it’s capable of.

The motivation to make exercise a permanent part of your life comes when you find something you love which changes how you feel inside and outside.