I received this email from m, a reader, this week. I'm hoping you can share some happy thoughts, send some good energy her way, & maybe, this can even be of some use to you.
m: I am just your average 21 year old who is stuck in a rut. I read your blog religiously, and I just think you are fabulous. How do you do it? I started running the end of march of this year. I loved it! I worked out atleast once a day, some days even three times. It has been roughly three weeks since I have worked out/ran/sweated. How do I get the drive to get back in the swing of things? My body my spirit and my mind are all suffering from it, but I can't seem to have any will to actually get out and do it. Blahhh I feel gross.
j: I think it's pretty normal to get excited when you start something new, and as time goes on you feel that excitement wear off. I think that's the one real trick to living healthy. I've had many ups and downs. But I've found, as time has gone on and I've stuck it out, my downs have gotten smaller & I've been able to sustain my ups in a more moderate way. So don't beat yourself up for feeling stuck in a rut. As far as getting out of this little lull you've found yourself in, first, I would find small ways to get yourself going again. It doesn't have to be a run. Go for a walk, try a new class at the gym, or turn on some music and dance around your bedroom [when I don't feel like running I talk myself into just going for a walk and somehow, 90% of the time I find myself running]. I think we get into this mindset that if we're not doing a really intense workout it's not worth it. But it is-- doing something good for yourself everyday, no matter how small it may seem, will make you feel better and will lead to more good choices. And the truth is, it's much more sustainable. So start doing small, good things for your body & let that attitude guide you. The second thing I would do, is make it easier to workout [ie: change up your schedule, call a friend and make a workout date, make an appointment with a trainer, do it first thing in the morning before you have a chance to talk yourself out of it]. Give yourself every chance to succeed.
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I would also say it's important not to compare yourself with where other people are at! That's what is hard about the "blog world." People seem to only about the perfect parts of their lives rather than the reality! (Not talking about you Jenny, just the blog world in general.) So we can't read this or any other blog and think "wow, I kind of suck compared to her," because we are all at different stages and need different paths in this life to attain a sustainable level of feeling healthy, fit, and just damn good!!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. I try to focus on the positive--in my life and on this blog--because there is already enough negative thrown at you. So this blog is just a little snippet of me. From the very beginning of HYC, my only hope was to have readers feel like, "wow, ok, living healthy is totally doable". It's not about perfection. I'm such an advocate of everyone having their own path and direction. I hope this blog just helps you find yours.
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