GETTING BACK ON THE WORKOUT WAGON
Courtesy TakenbyTay
By Chante Joseph
5 Minute Read
It’s easy to fall out of your fitness routine. One writer discovered the key to getting back in the driver's seat was turning her ADHD into a superpower.
When I fall off my exercise routine, I fall hard. It’s a complete cliff-edge drop in activity. It becomes very difficult to pick the habit back up again, because once the movement stops, the guilt and self-loathing set in: I know I should be exercising, but I just can’t. Everything feels worse; every excuse is a boulder forcing me to stay in bed, and it becomes a cycle of misery. The post-workout high becomes a distant memory.
Most people can relate to this feeling of losing the momentum you once had. Restarting technically should feel easy, considering we’re constantly reminded that there are endless ways to move—that most involve starting small. Maybe you go for a 20-minute walk. Maybe you stretch at home, or do a simple mat Pilates routine.
The issue is, this does not work for me. Why? It’s not motivation that makes me fall off the wagon. It’s boredom. I’ve fallen in and out of exercise many times, and I’ve realized that connecting my experiences of ADHD with my behavior around movement was transformative in how I thought about my relationship with fitness. I quickly realised that exercise for me has to have variety. Rather than abiding by a strict training plan, fitness has to keep me interested.
“Getting your motivation back takes so much more compassion than you think...few of us respond to cruelty.”
Perhaps it’s the same for you? As women, we need to remember that we can do whatever we want. Unless we’re aiming for and training for the Olympics, we don’t need to specialize in one type of exercise. Instagram shows immaculate feeds of women who have built entire businesses around an exercise niche, but we can do strength training and Pilates and run, if we want.
It’s easy to fall into fitness trends, thinking doing one form of exercise will keep you motivated forever. But I’ve always struggled to be the sort of person that does just one thing. As a school and university student, I loved cheerleading; the combination of cardio, strength and flexibility hit all of the key fitness areas for me and kept me entertained. When I could no longer keep up with the gruelling team practice schedule, I took up pole dancing. Pole gave me a clear marker of strength; certain moves could unlock over time with repetition and training. But pole classes aren't always convenient as they often take place in the evenings; I realized I’d need to join a gym, too.
“Unless we're aiming for and training for the Olympics, we don't need to specialize in one type of exercise."
Adopting this more fluid approach to working out has also enabled me to introduce novelty into my life—as well as pushing towards training goals. My affection for pole got me into aerial fitness; I dabbled in hoops, straps, slings and even trapeze, pushing the limits of my ability to defy gravity. Not only do I always feel good after my classes, I’ve developed skills I can watch back and be proud of. I’ve also found a community of likeminded women. The incentive to work out now goes well beyond my need to be fit; it has become about having fun, while showing myself all the amazing things a body can do and building relationships with people that support my journey. The trifecta of all three make staying on the wagon an easier ask.
When I am demotivated, I think of the root cause rather than only focusing on the outcome. Is it connected to a sense of boredom or frustration? Or am I no longer moving my body in ways I find interesting? Am I enjoying the workouts I am doing? Am I struggling because I’m feeling uninspired? Looking a little deeper can shed the light far quicker, which can snap you out of that downward spiral.
I’ve found that classes really work for me. The ease of booking, scheduling and the commitment I make to show up is second to none; on top of that, the variety ensures each workout remains novel and hybrid. Whenever I hit a wall, I move into what I now call my “trial-by-fire” mode—I do a class a day for a week, and I always focus on booking different classes that promise to get me excited about moving my body again. Try anything and everything.
After my most recent fall off, I booked a Total Body Workout, as well as a Blaze (HIIT) class, Pole Conditioning, a “Hips and Hamstrings” session, and a full-body stretch class. This sounds wild, but it is foolproof. This isn’t something you have to keep up forever, only for a short burst of time to reestablish your flow and the habit. Letting yourself be led by variety is the easiest way of doing both.
“Fitness is about having fun, showing myself what my body can do, and building relationships with people that support my journey. This trifecta makes staying on the wagon an easier task."
To prepare myself for fire week, I remove all blockers to inactivity: I book all my classes beforehand, I allocate time in my calendar for travel and getting ready, and I make sure my bags are packed. All of these minor adjustments to my day compound to reduce the amount of negotiation I do with myself in the morning, and therefore, the amount I can procrastinate. Planning means I begin fire week feeling prepared.
Getting your motivation back takes so much more compassion than you think. In fitness, we’re often told we have to be cruel to be kind to get results—that discipline requires strictness— but I think it is quite the opposite. Few of us actually respond to cruelty. Instead, when you’re compassionate, you seek to understand rather than judge. You become much more in tune with your body and mind and, as a result, you can better gauge where the hesitation and demotivation comes from.
Prior to commencing your own fire week, I recommend restarting your routine by establishing a new goal for yourself. Maybe it’s a weight you want to lift, a pose you want to hold for longer, or a flip or trick you want to impress yourself with. Start thinking about the exercises that will help you to do that, and get creative about where and how you train: it could be something as simple as new music you might listen to, or a new, brightly colored workout set you want to wear.
Remember: the trick is maintaining your own interest. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to practice my next aerial somersault.
