Why you aren’t exercising

You want to be healthy.

Maybe you want to lose weight, or feel better in your body, or not get sick.

And you know that exercise is important.

You know that you’ve got to do it.

You kind of want to do it.

Well, at least you know you want the results of doing it.

But you’re not doing it.

Not consistently.

Even though you’ve got the gym membership, the cute workout clothing, the new shoes, the treadmill, the time,…

You’re still not doing it.

Arrrggh!

It’s frustrating.

I know that frustration very well.

It can get you down on yourself, and make you wonder “what’s wrong with me anyways?”

There’s nothing wrong with you.

You’re not broken or lacking in any way.

All you need is a little self-compassion.

I’m serious.

If you’ve tried countless times to finally get healthy or thin, and have failed countless times, you need to have some compassion for yourself.

Without compassion, you’ll keep trying to repeat the same thing and get the same result.

(Isn’t that the definition of insanity?)

You’ll try to punish yourself with exercise or push yourself to do more of what you hate.

And you’ll never take the time to stop and appreciate where you’re coming from.

I mean, where did this all start, anyways?

It’s part of your history.

Your unique and fascinating life story.

You story is full of twists and turns and emotion.

Lots of emotion.

And if you heard your story from someone else, you’d listen and it would become clear why they’re stuck in this loop.

You’d feel compassion for them.

So why not tell yourself your own story?

Write out your story, and go as far back as you can remember.

Remember all the things…. Where you were, who was there, how you felt, and what you were thinking.

Then read it. Out loud.

And listen.

Listen to your story with an open heart and mind.

Your story will tell you why you’re not moving forward.

It’ll make you cry, laugh, and feel things you haven’t felt in a while.

It’ll reveal what thoughts you’ve been thinking and why sometimes you feel like it’s not even worth it to try.

And in the end, it’ll show you that you’re worthy of compassion.

I love reading Pema Chodron’s works, and she says that in Buddhism this is referred to as maitri.

Maitri means lovingkindness and friendship towards yourself.

Once you can show yourself this kind of wamth, then you can start to rebuild a new story.

Starting with a new thought.

If it’s about exercise, then ask yourself “What would my authentic self say about exercise?”

Your authentic self may not say she loves to work out, but she’ll likely say she loves and cares for herself enough to get it done.

And by get it done, your authentic self means doing it in a caring way.

Her thought is something like “I exercise to care for my one and only body.“

She finds that even small things done consistently add up over time.

No matter how insignificant they may seem to someone else.

They’re significant to her.

So she does them.

And she feels good.

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Are you not exercising because of an old thought, feeling, or storyline?

In my life, there have been long periods of time when I haven’t exercised.

I discovered that it was based on my insecurity of not being good enough.

I wanted to be getting my work done so as not to disappoint anyone, and I was suffering from severe FOMO.

As a result, doing something for myself, like exercise, fell by they wayside.

It wasn’t until I faced that truth, and came up with a new truth, that I got back into exercise.

My new thought became “I exercise because I want to continue to be there for others, it makes me feel strong and capable, and because I choose to lead by example.”

With that empowering new thought, I returned to regular exercise, found friends who wanted the same, and I continue to do it because it feels good to me.

What will your thought be?

Keep moving forward,

Debbie

P.S. If you’re ready to get past your old thinking, and learn to be kinder towards yourself, just send me an email at debbie@debbieharbeccoaching.com or book a free consultation.