How to be more disciplined with workouts?
Do you feel lazy or like you’re lacking “discipline” when it comes to exercise? The thing is, with back-to-school, changing seasons, schedules, and sicknesses, it's quite normal for your workout schedule to be disrupted. If your mental health is struggling with all the transitions or if you've been hard on yourself for not exercising enough, please be gentle with yourself. Transitions take time and it’s too easy to think, "I'm so lazy, I'm never going to get on top of my fitness. Why do I constantly struggle to stay consistent? I lack discipline.”
How to be more disciplined with exercise
Here’s a reframe for you: you are already disciplined. Each one of us is disciplined at something. Maybe you’re not disciplined at getting in a workout, but you’re very disciplined at taking the stairs any chance you can get. Maybe you’re not disciplined at doing your strength exercises, but you’re very disciplined at stretching. Maybe you’re not disciplined at going to bed on time, but you’re very disciplined at staying up late and watching Netflix. When you start to think of yourself as someone who DOES have discipline, it builds self-efficacy. We all have discipline, it’s just a matter of what we are disciplined in. It’s about what priorities and habits you give your attention to. And habits can take time to change, even if you have the best of intentions!
But before we move on, let’s dive into what discipline actually means. According to the Oxford Dictionary, discipline is “the practice of training people to obey rules and orders and punishing them if they do not; the controlled behaviour or situation that is the result of this training.” 😳 YIKES!
The word discipline screams patriarchal colonizer attitude of “obedience or else.” Now it makes sense why so many of us feel guilty or ashamed when we aren’t “disciplined enough” at exercising. The “punishment” for not following the rules of exercise may come up as self-inflicted shame, guilt, disappointment and poor self-trust. Start by:
Avoid punishing yourself for not being “disciplined” enough
See yourself as an already disciplined person, and look at which habit you’d like to shift first
Learn to speak to yourself with more kindness!
What you say when you’re talking to yourself
If your default way you speak to yourself is self-shaming or belittling, I challenge you to practice a new language. How to speak to yourself matters! Spend more time building yourself up. Start by making a list of every single way you've shown up for yourself this week e.g., made a dentist appointment, went for a walk, drank enough water. If you went for a walk 3 days this past week, that's 3 separate items on your list! Don't short-change yourself, give yourself all the kudos you deserve!!
Start with 3 items and add to the list as you remember more things you’ve done for yourself. When you feel down on yourself or inadequate, like you haven’t done enough, you can look back at your list and remind yourself of all the ways you've shown up for yourself and kept promises to yourself. Celebrating your wins builds self-efficacy, self-trust and self-confidence. And trust me, you’ll feel a lot better this way than if you keep shaming yourself just for being human!
Here’s how I’ve shown up for myself this week:
1. Went to a dance class
2. Got 9 hours of sleep one night this week
3. Drank 2 litres of water today
I would LOVE to hear which 3 ways you've showed up for yourself this week. Just drop it in the comment box below!
Try just 8 minutes of movement
I went through this practice with a mom in my BASE Fitness Membership this week during our monthly check-in. She’d been feeling really ashamed about not moving her body consistently over the past month. When I asked her how she’s shown up for herself this past week, it was beautiful to see how quickly she could come up with 3 wins. She went from feeling ashamed, guilty, and in a spiral of negativity, to practicing self-compassion and feeling proud of herself.
She’d joined my BASE Plus Fitness Membership because she knew it would help her stay consistent. During our check-in, we also spend some time doing a workout. After only 8 minutes of movement together, she reported feeling so much better! I suggested that next time, instead of putting pressure on herself to do an entire 30-minute workout, try setting a timer for 8 minutes and moving just for that length of time. If she feels better after 8 minutes, and wants to keep going, then great! If she feels better after 8 minutes and wants to stop, then stop. Let 8 minutes be enough, and consider it a win either way!
BASE makes it easier to get consistent with exercise
My BASE Fitness Membership gives you simple & effective home workouts to strengthen your core, pelvic floor and whole body! All you need are 30-minutes (or you can break the workout down into shorter chunks), a pair of dumbbells and you're good to go!
With my BASE membership, there's something for everyone, whether you're pregnant, postpartum or beyond, OR if you're experiencing pelvic symptoms like leakage or pain.
One of the moms in my BASE Fitness Membership chooses the BASE Plus tier ($229/month) because she knows the additional accountability and support from our 1:1 sessions helps her stay committed and focussed.
Another mom prefers the BASE Support tier ($129/month) because she gets weekly check-ins, troubleshooting and encouragement that helps her stay on track.
Another mom prefers the BASE DIY tier ($69/month) because she doesn't have any symptoms, is already seeing a pelvic PT and is self-motivated. She just wants a clear cut fitness program that helps her get strong without any added pressure.
Okay now seriously, let me know in the comments THREE WOWs (wins of the week)!
