Committing to fitness does not need to be a big time commitment. If you are looking to make a commitment, start small. Perfection is not the goal. Most of us don’t have 2 hours a day to leisurely wander a gym. So, set a timer for ten minutes, and get intentional.
There are a variety of places to find quick workouts. One of my favorites is the Deck of Cards work out. I’m linking a description and an apple and android app for you. After we started using it with an actual deck of cards in boot camp, it was on an episode of The Biggest Loser, and there are so many electronic options now. You can make the exercises as intense or as minimally time consuming as needed.
I’m a huge follower of Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning, and he has supported the 7 Minute Work Out app before. Will working out just seven minutes a day get you to your goals? Probably not. Hal Elrod talks about the importance and benefits of getting your blood pumping and heart rate up first thing in the morning. One of the benefits is that if you make 7 minutes in the morning, you are more likely to do a more complete work out later. And 7 minutes will always trump 0 minutes, so even if you don’t get the full work out in later, you are ahead of the game.
You can find hundreds of options for work outs on YouTube. Just searching 10 minute work out on YouTube will yield pages of results. There is everything from walking to chair yoga to HIIT and everything in between. You can even check out my youtube channel, as I have started putting more 4 minute, single exercise tabata videos up this month.
Some people feel that when you make a commitment to yourself, failure is not an option. These thoughts can sometimes lead to self sabotage. If you are listening to someone who prompts adherence 100% of the time, find someone new! When you break your streak, just start new tomorrow.
While being healthy is a lifestyle, we do better with an end date. A 30 day challenge is great that way, you go for 30 days. If you are committing to C25K, sign up for a race for your last week.
My current commit to fit is Ragnar So Cal in April, and the Avon Breast Cancer Walk in Chicago in June. After the walk, I will take a little time to not focus on a goal. Then I will have some time to focus on strength before training for the Hot Chocolate Chicago. How about you? What will you commit to? How will you create an end date for this lifestyle change? Remember, you need to start small, and commit to 10 minutes, three days a week before you can be successful with 2 hours, seven days a week. (And then we can get into my whole thoughts and beliefs on rest and recovery, and you won’t even commit to a long term, 7 day a week program)