Health and Fitness – the Shame Free way!

I have a bad back. I’ve been going to the chiropractor, back doctor, physical therapist for years now. I’ve tried all the things but I suck at the one thing I know will help me. Getting physically fit. Two years ago in my Powersheets I had the same exact goal as I did this year, to get my back into a place where it’s bothering me less. I planned on achieving that by getting myself into shape.

What dreadful images does this conjure for you? For me, I see marathon runners, die-hard gym goers, yo-yo dieters (even though I realize that eating well and being healthy is a lifestyle), relentless struggle. I hate the thought of it. It’s why I’ve fallen off the “resolution wagon” so many times. I can’t do these goals if there isn’t fun included into it along the way.

I’ve decided that I’m putting physical fitness back onto my list but I’m doing it in a non-shaming, grace-filled way that rewards the act of showing up. Because for me, the adage of “lacing up your shoes to go run is half the battle.” I’m creating ways to make less resistance and more reward.

New Year’s Resolution: Prioritizing Your Physical Health

Decide why it matters.

Why does health matter to you? To me, it matters because my back will hurt if I don’t take care of my body. It matters because I want to live a long life where I have the ability to do fun things (like scuba dive). I want to have uneventful pregnancies and have more children and I don’t want to be bedridden because of my back. I want a life that isn’t immobilized.

Why else does it matter? It matters to me because I want to feel healthy, attractive, and fit into the clothes that I love. This isn’t a matter of shaming people’s size, you know when you feel “out” and getting back into what size I feel good in is a priority.

Set a Low goal

What’s a realistic goal for you? Resolutions fail because we go for “perfect” and expect to achieve them even though we’ve proven to ourselves, time and time again, that isn’t remotely possible. So set a goal that you’ll actually do. Maybe it means that you say instead of 5 days of week of going to the gym, you’ll go twice. Instead of saying you’ll cook fresh, home cooked meals every day for all your meals, you’ll at least plan it every week and cook three times a week and plan for leftovers. Or you might do some kind of exercise every single day but sometimes it’s just for 5 minutes. Set a smaller and attainable goal.

Set up a reward system

What’s a way you can incentivize your healthy lifestyle choice? Here are some ideas: 

• If you meal plan ( insert number here ) weeks of food in any given quarter…
• If you have a 14 day exercise streak…
• If you get to ( insert number here ) reps of ( insert type of activity here – like squats)…
• If you meet your yoga mat ( insert number here ) days in a row…
• Doing something totally fun! Trying ( insert number here ) activities…

And reward yourself with something:

• … a special meal
• … cocktails with friends
• … solo date and go watch a movie
• … schedule a massage
• … take a day off from work and do something completely spontaneous 

Create accountability with your friend (in business if that helps)

Having somebody who has a similar lifestyle or in business can be a great partner to hold eachother accountable. If you have a goal that’s similar with regard to health, that helps! Texting, calling, poking and prodding helps to stay on top of our goals! You can also set it up so you have a weekly or monthly check-in as well! These check-ins should be less about shame and more about encouraging ways to do things better in a way that feels good for each of us!

Get creative about workouts (walking talking dates)

Not all exercises come in the form of a gym membership, here are some ideas on how you can get active (if the gym gives you hives).

• Rock climbing
• Taking a call (especially with an accountability partner) on a walking date, both of you put headphones on and you have calls while you huff and puff
• Mall walking -yep, I said it
• Kickboxing and unleash your inner goddess!
• Walk around your neighborhood but take a fun audiobook with you
• Take zumba class with a friend
• Go ice skating – this is a personal goal
• Do couch to 5k with a friend
• Get an app like Asana Rebel and do yoga at home #yogaeverydamnday – I’ve been doing this for a while now and since I started, I haven’t missed a single day (thanks Dannie Fountain for suggesting it!). I have the Pro version and I adore it.

Prioritize health and lower the shame. The less you shame yourself and more you incentivize your why and having fun doing it, it will become more of a habit (which is the point). Have a fun time getting in shape this year!