About 2 weeks ago, I started a simple workout. My current job at the Texas Capitol is rather sedentary; and it is showing around the middle. Last summer, I was in pretty good shape after working in a cannery where I shoveled green beans and climbed up and down ladders all day. The thing about muscle is that if you don’t use it, you lose it. Now, my arms and shoulders have reduced in size while my waist has increased.
I’m sure you can identify with the NYR methodology for working out, you know, the New Year’s Resolution? You’re good for a week or two and then stop working out. I think this is due to us jumping right in at fool (not full) speed. You overexert yourself and suffer rather than ease right in. If you think of it, you are changing two things simultaneously. You are forcing yourself to exercise and you are also forcing yourself to make time to go work out. In the end, working out is a big hassle for somebody who is starting from not working out at all. No wonder your interest dwindles after a couple weeks.
I have to admit, that it wasn’t exactly easy when I started exercising again. The first couple of days, there was the usual soreness that accompanies going from doing nothing to doing something. My approach is different, however. I am easing into fitness rather than going at it at fool speed. So, I set a low goal, 20 push-ups and 20 sit-ups. Both would be easily achievable and doable. This keeps the workout from being a big shock to the system and also does not take more than 5 minutes. I have no defensible excuse for not doing it. I also set a repeating Next Action reminder in my Vitalist account.
The result of all this setup was that I followed through the first couple of days. I had the delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) I expected. I stopped for a couple days until I felt better. The Next Action reminders, however, started to back up. I refuse to check them as done unless I actually do them. So, a couple days later, I started up again to keep the reminders from piling up any more. I was able to add a few more push-ups and sit-ups to my reps, even if I only hold myself accountable for 20. This is great for reasons that you’ll soon discover. In any case, I had a couple busy days during the Easter Break in which more sessions piled up. Again, I got back on the routine to do my 20, but found I had the energy to do 30 of each. All of a sudden, 20 was no big deal.
This was the big breakthrough, being able to do 30. Finally, I would be able to catch up on the backlog of missed sessions. So, I started doing my 20 reps and went up to 25. I rested a while and then did another set of 20 only. This is another great thing about having such a low achievable goal; if I miss a day, it’s not a major undertaking to double the set and catch up. Later, if I’m up to it, maybe I can triple the sets to catch up with the backlog faster.
Once I’ve caught up on all my 5 minute sessions, I’ll be able to increase the “mandatory” reps to 30. Any more will be icing on the cake. That should take me just a couple minutes more, perhaps. Now, if I miss a day, I have to do 40 reps minimum, more if possible to catch up. Once I’m caught up and increase the reps, missing a day will mean that I’ll be doing a minimum of 60 reps a day to catch up. There is some incentive there to stay consistent.
My goal is to be able to do 40 push-ups and 40 sit-ups easily in one set. When that is no longer a struggle, I’ll move on to more varied exercises. I think so many other exercises depend on you having strong abs and arm/shoulder muscles to be done effectively. I’m purposely limiting my exercise to these two areas for now. Once these are too easy, I’ll start to target other areas.
By doing it this way, I’ll get faster at the basic movements and will be able to fit in other exercises in roughly the same time. By gradually easing into the routine, I am defeating any hesitation due to difficulty or time constraints. If you are doing 20 reps, what’s 5 more? If you are exercising 5 minutes, whats another 2 minutes? Before you know it, it will be a full routine and a part of everyday life. I’m past the 2 week mark, and am still motivated to keep going.
The effects are already noticeable to me. I have better posture. My gut doesn’t stick out so much. I feel more energetic. And there is always the confidence that comes from knowing that I’m doing something good. It all started from setting small, achievable goals that I am committed to achieve. I think if I’d overdone it at the beginning, I may have shocked myself into quitting.
Is there something you have been wanting to do that is daunting in its scope and resources required? Have you tried breaking it down into small achievable goals that you can knock off a little at a time?
Shaine 