Take a moment, and think back to when you were a child. You would PLAY so hard that you were breathless, sweating profusely, and beet-red in the face… but you were having SO MUCH FUN! Now, do you remember the first time the more serious verb “exercise” replaced play and sabotaged all your fun?! Well I do… I was in the 5th grade. My PE teacher took us outside, and without explanation she blew a whistle and started her stopwatch. She said “You’re going to run a mile, I’ll be timing you, and there’s NO WALKING allowed”. I hated every second of it! By lap 2, a side-ache had set in so intense that I could no longer stand up straight. Lap 3, I felt my legs turn to JELLO. I thought, “Why are we doing this? This isn't fun. Can’t we play ‘tag' instead? One...more... lap.... Ugh!" Despite that somewhat traumatizing day in PE class, later in life I came to really enjoy all types of endurance sports, even running. And, my passions and personal career choices have centered around health and fitness.
Upon reflection, I know that the mile-run test would have been a better experience had my teacher taken the time to mentally prepare us for the event, taught us proper running techniques, and found some way to inject some fun into it.
What about YOU? Maybe you have your own story that shaped how you currently perceive exercise… a story or voice that gets stuck in your head and crushes any glimmer of motivation or inspiration. Or, do you view working out as boring, a chore, too difficult, or intimidating? If that’s you, let's work to change that narrative and channel a different mindset. Commit to moving your body not just for the purpose of "exercise", but also for... play and having FUN! JOIN THE CHALLENGE In my last email, I challenged you to start thinking about your 2024 goals and formulate an action plan*. I hope that you followed through with the 3 steps I provided, found our personal examples insightful, and you’re now well on your way to planning how you’ll accomplish your health and fitness goals in the coming year. The right mental space for working out is equally important as the right physical space. You can have all the specialized tools, equipment, and professional guidance, but if you don’t cultivate the right mental space for working out it’s likely you won’t follow through, or worse yet, you won’t even start your fitness journey. Visit my blog (click here) for tools to help create the right mental space for exercise, master consistency, and maintain motivation. Also, I love hearing from you, so don't be shy-- leave me a comment, and maybe even share your personal story. Fitness awaits… let's be mentally prepared for it! Kristen *(Don’t worry, I’m not timing or grading you… but I’m going to keep gently nudging you to do it— no whistle or yelling involved.) P.S. “Tag, you’re it!” Tag (or share this email with) somebody who you think might be interested signing up for my Hiking Fitness Newsletter. All new subscribers will get a FREE ebook "Trail Body -- 10+ tips to help get YOUR body ready for the trail". (Sign up here!) Are you already on my mailing list, but don't yet have the ebook? Tag somebody, then reply to this email or leave a comment on the blog, and I'll send you a copy of the book too!
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