Obstacles

About this point in our shiny new goal journey, we realize that change is hard.  There are a surprising number of obstacles and we think about giving up.  (Note:  resting is not the same as giving up.  It is always all right to take a rest and then get back to work.)  Here are a few kinds of obstacles we might face in our fitness journey and some strategies for fighting those suckers.

 

We’re sore.  Yup.  That one happens a lot.  The first thing we need to do is decide if we are the good kind of sore or the bad kind.  The good kind means that we’ve given ourselves a challenge, but one we can handle.  We know it is the good kind because it goes away after a day or two.  If we’re still sore on the third or fourth day after a workout, we might want to dial the workout down a little.  If we’re dealing with the good kind of sore, we want to check in with our friends Ibuprofen (or whatever OTC pain reliever is appropriate), ice (if there is swelling), and heat (if we’re just feeling stressed and sore with no swelling).  Then we need to do something counterintuitive:  we need to keep moving.  Gentle movement (think yoga, stretching, maybe a stroll) will help keep our bodies from clenching up and feeling even more sore and stiff.  If we are the bad kind of sore, we need to adjust our workout, get some rest, and then start again.

 

We’re tired.  Maybe we’re not actually all that sore from the workouts, but we are really tired.  Change is hard on the mind as well as the body, so this is a good time to cut ourselves some slack.  Prioritizing getting enough sleep can be hard, but so worth it!  Even if we can’t get more sleep, we can focus on things that give us more energy (no, not you, caffeine and sugar!) like positive interactions with friends or meditation or flowers or even an episode of a favorite show.

 

Our family/friends don’t like what we’re doing.  This is a hard one.  Our spouses or kids or significant others or whoever may resent that we are spending time taking care of ourselves.  We have to work on our self-care muscles as well as the physical ones.  This is where we tell ourselves about putting on our own oxygen mask first.  If we are not healthy, we can’t be there for others.  And, if our loved ones don’t get that we deserve to be healthy, we may have to do some reevaluating about the health of our relationships.  That’s never easy, but it is useful.

 

We actually hate working out.  Very few people hate every single possible workout that exists.  We just might have to experiment for a while to find the right workout for us, whether it’s Zumba or swimming or kayaking or heavy lifting or just a date with our favorite show and the treadmill.

 

Still struggling?  Poke me for advice!