Don’t Sweat the Details, Just Sweat.

Are you noticing fewer people around when you are exercising this week? The end of the year usually means fewer people exercising and the beginning of the year means more people exercising.

Why?

When you decide to change a habit or start a new one, it should fit into your life. So while you might exercise a bit less during busier times, it shouldn’t be dropped completely.

When people ask me what gym they should go to I ask them “Where is the most convenient one?” When they ask what is the best exercise I often say “the one that you will do.”

When I get new clients in December they often wonder if they should wait until the New Year?

No. You should start when you are ready and ease into it without any unrealistic expectations.

We all understand that we should do cardiovascular and resistance training, but if you are starting to exercise then make it easy and convenient. No distractions, no need to go out of your way. Make all your new changes fit with your life right now. Not the life you want in the future. Having an idea of what you want in the future is a very good idea, but start small.

New Year’s (or any time really) resolutions get us into trouble because they are often too big. They seem too far away, and even if they are really appealing, we can’t quite see the path from here to there. The steps to our goal. We start worrying about having the right shoes, or doing the right exercise, or downloading the right app. We get lost in the details and forget about doing something, anything that will help us be more successful in the long run.

In other words.

Don’t sweat the details. Just sweat.

The details and the tendency to get lost in them is one of the last of the 12 Worst Things We are Doing to Our Health. If you want to start something new, a new routine, program, exercise or anything, just get started. Don’t wait until the time is right, or you have all the right gear, or you get a little more information about what, when and where.

Take some action.

Which leads me to the other interesting thing that happens at the gym in the new year. The people who come to the gym and try to do everything, at once. No need to work your way up to it. A full-on assault on their body to make up for the lost time.

Ouch. That hurts. A lot.

It also never lasts. To improve your health and fitness takes a little time, patience and perseverance.

Every workout is not always going to be a personal best. Sometimes it is just putting in the time and feeling better about having done it. Another of the 12 Worst Things We are Doing to Our Health is not letting ourselves be bored. It doesn’t always have to be new and challenging. Most of the time it should be fairly comfortable and that means we will be doing it.

We know that you can’t get too much exercise, just too much at once. Even as we age. People over 70 see the greatest benefits from high levels of aerobic exercise with lower risks of chronic disease. This level of fitness didn’t just happen overnight. It started slowly and gradually. By putting one foot in front of the other until one day you realize you are fit and fitness is fun.

This year take some time to put down your phone, get out the door and just do it. Whatever your current level of fitness, from beginner to endurance athlete, this year don’t sweat all the details. Sometimes, just sweat.

Change your mind, change your health,

Shayla