That’s right, I said it. I mean that’s all anyone is writing/talking/vlogging about at this moment because with the new year comes the resolutions. I don’t think I’ve ever accomplished a single resolution I’ve ever made and that’s probably because I made really unachievable ones like “I’m going to lose all my weight and be a supermodel!” or “I’m going to work out enough so I can eat all the cake and not feel like a walrus!” or “I’m going to marry <insert famous handsome actor here> and we’ll have the cutest babies!”… Did I mention that they’re unachievable? I’m not saying that it’s impossible, but statistically it is HIGHLY unlikely.
Side note… did anyone else cave in and eat too much sugary deliciousness and gain about 5-8ish lbs? No? Just me? Cool. Thanks a lot, Susan. Way to be on my side.
So what do you think happens when you fail at your goals? If you’re like me, you get completely disheartened and wallow in your walrusness and make it so much worse. In my particular case, I didn’t lose all the weight I wanted to last year and so I got sad and ate my emotions, which as I just stated made it SO MUCH WORSE.
(Note: Now before someone starts yelling at me saying that “big is beautiful” and “you should love yourself no matter your size” and “stop fat shaming,” you’re right to an extent. You should love yourself – but you should also take care of your health and not get diabetes and die. My choice to stay thin and keep my weight down is mainly for health reasons… but I’m also pretty foxy when I’m skinny so there’s that too).
Haha… but really… stop it. Stop making it hard on yourself. Stop beating yourself up. Stop making grandiose goals that no one can reach. Bruh, we all fail. We all make mistakes – even bloggers/vloggers, actors and all those people that everyone looks up to. No one is looking up to me (which is totally okay), but even I did and I’ve been working at this for like a decade! You’d think I’d learn, right? We’re all human though and we can’t always say no to pie. The best thing you can do though is not continue to beat yourself up. Stand up, brush yourself off and say “self, it’s okay that you failed because there’s a brand new, shiny day coming and we got this! We can keep trying as long as we’re breathing and we’re not alone!” Guys, I mean it – you’re never alone in your struggles.
So if your struggle is the same as my struggle, let me elaborate as to what I’m doing to brush myself off and try again. 2nd day of January came and I forced myself to drive my booty to the gym. I told that procrastination monster no and made the time to get there. After much experience with this particular situation, I knew that I couldn’t just dive right into my normal routine all gung-ho. I knew I had to go back and take baby steps like a beginner because otherwise my muscles would rebel and overthrow my bodily kingdom. So here’s my start:
- I started by finding a quiet nook at the gym and doing some gentle to moderate difficulty yoga and stretches to coax my muscles into being functional again. There was some creaking and groaning, but it was worth it. I find that with yoga, you really have to find your own flow and there’s no set vinyasa that you should do. I just learned some of the poses and then string them together as I feel like and then hope it adds up to about 15 minutes for my warm up.
- Does your gym have a track? Mine does, so I start by doing a lap or two of walking and then follow with a lap or three of jog-running. You know what I mean. It’s not quite as slow as a jog but not quite as fast as a full run. (Did I mention that I’m in no way certified in any of this and I’m simply communicating what I’ve found works for me? Yes? Good.)
- Once my heart decides to say it wants to explode a little, I tend to move onto some strength training. If I’m just starting back after a long hiatus, I tend to just stick to the machines in the gym. Just like with my yoga, there’s no rhyme or reason as to which ones I pick in which order. Leg extension followed by a chest press followed by a tricep extension? What? It’s anarchy! I do this for about 15-20 minutes.
- Usually I’m done at this point, but if I’m feeling extra ambitious I may do some light paddling in the pool before sitting in the hot tub there. It really is a nice gym (which I’m so thankful for). To be honest, I think my favorite part is showering after.
So guys, this whole little routine takes about 30-45 minutes. It can totally be squeezed in somewhere in your day. I know you probably have a lot on your plate, but your body and your heart will thank you. I promise. You will have so many endorphins running through your body that you’ll be relaxed and on cloud 9… not to mention how much better you’ll feel as you get healthier and even more foxy than you already are! So take the time to invest in your health! You can do it! I believe in you, friend!