During a time when so much feels uncertain, let your personal health and fitness be your constant. This starts with taking inventory and honestly evaluating whether your daily actions are moving you closer to your ”Healthy and Happy”.
“Healthy and Happy” is our mantra at One on One. With your own personal definition of your health and happiness in mind, we encourage you to revisit your Blueprint for Success (BPFS) – a roadmap for personal goal-setting.
If the chaos of the last few weeks has taken your focus off your Blueprint for Success, you’re not alone. We’ve all had our fair share of roadblocks, and perhaps we’ve hunkered down to “weather the storm” rather than continuing to forge ahead towards our important health objectives. As the weeks pass by, one thing has become abundantly clear: it is time to get back on track. There is no better time to prioritize our health and make choices that align with our “Healthy and Happy”.
Make Exercise a Priority
It’s likely that your daily routine looks much different now than it did a few weeks ago. Adapting to your current situation takes time and effort. Unfortunately, when life gets more demanding, formal exercise is often one of the first commitments to go.
What do you need now to make exercise a priority again? Start by making time for it. Adding your workouts to your schedule will dedicate time for exercise each day and make it easy to track frequency. Also, find an accountability partner! Whether it’s a friend or a personal trainer, having someone who regularly holds you to your commitments is a great prioritization strategy.
Most importantly, make sure that your exercise is deliberate. Are you simply doing your workouts just to “check off the boxes”, or, are you challenging yourself in a way that brings you closer to your goals and leaves you feeling accomplished? If you want to get more out of your workouts, consider scheduling a virtual session with one of our trainers!
Formal Exercise vs. NEAT
Now more than ever, it’s easy to let outdoor activity replace your formal exercise. Think back over the past few weeks, how many times have you taken a walk or jog outside and counted that as your exercise for the day? There’s nothing wrong with outdoor activity – hiking, biking, whatever it may be – we encourage it! But, NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) will not improve your fitness in the same way that formal exercise will. Remember, in order to maintain your strength and cardiorespiratory fitness, you must engage in formal exercise a minimum of twice per week (improvement requires 3-5 times per week).
Take Inventory
Now is the time to take personal inventory. Ask yourself:
- Am I moving the needle towards my fitness goals?
- Am I successfully meeting my current daily or weekly exercise commitments?
- Does my regular exercise improve my physical and mental health?
- Has my fitness turned into maintenance, or even started to backslide?
- Am I consistently living out my “Healthy and Happy?”
So much in life feels uncertain right now; don’t let your health and happiness waver. If you’re not satisfied with your current commitments, make a change one day at a time.
For the month of May, One on One will be sharing strategies to help you break out of maintenance and get you refocused on your goals. It can be easy to drift, especially now with the facility closed and the weather warming up. Enjoy that walk or jog outside, but don’t let it take the place of your formal exercise!
This week, revisit your Blueprint for Success and reflect on your “Healthy and Happy”. Take deliberate action towards improving your health, habits, and fitness. It’s time to refocus!
