Lately I've been trying to implement some "life best practices" into a daily routine. I tend to think of myself as a highly disciplined person and I've run into some challenges that I wanted to discuss here. I have a question as well as tips on things I do daily, take 'em or leave 'em. I'd love to hear your input as it's all part of life's growth.Question to you:
Q: Why is exercise, on a consistent basis, hard to maintain? If it is not, what do you do to keep it going regularly?
Is it because generally we have to leave home to do it? Is it because the words "exercise" and "routine" have inherent negative connotations to them? Is it just the nature of being alive? Ha ha! Exercise in the home via DVD is okay, but there is a social component missing which I find wanes the desire to do it consistently.
Some life stimulating things I do:
1. I have an Outlook reminder pop up every morning at 9am reminding me of some of the important mental states I want to cultivate on a daily basis. I keep these short and I read it every morning first thing. If someone comes into my office, or something is pressing, I still read these first. It takes me about 2 minutes and it reminds me of the state of being I want to be in and often times I reflect on this throughout the day.
2. I have a print out of about 20 short sentences of "who I am/who I want to become" that I have taped to my bathroom wall. I read these when I brush my teeth first thing in the morning and while brushing before bed each night (sometimes I slack on the latter one). The one at the end of the day is particularly powerful because as I read them I reflect back on the day that just happened and smile at how I was able to maintain these, or not. ;)
Thanks for reading and participating!
PS. I LOVE this little Buddha image!
Bobby
ReplyDeleteYes, I think people do usually have negative connotations with the words "exercise" and "routine". Now, I'm not one of the trimmest guys around (I weigh in at 265 pounds and I'm 6 foot 5) but I've found spinning exercises to be real enjoyable (for me it is at least). I've been doing it for the past 2 years every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (Friday being no official class with an instructor, but I go and pedal at my own pace and push myself as hard as I can).
I think it's a matter of finding exercises that you enjoy. Once you got that routine going (rumor has it that it takes 21 days of doing something before it becomes a habit) you actually start looking forward to going to the gym. It's also a good stress reliever. My classes are at 17h45 but I sometimes would be so restless by 16h00 that I go down to the gym and do a few other exercises just to while the time.
Good luck and I hope you find something that works for you.
Oh, and I love your mental states tip. :-)
Hey Bobby,
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with FMaree, that you need to find a routine that you would enjoy, but I also think it needs a goal. I remember in one of your previous post that you talked about a friend who swam the Alcatraz Challenge back in August. He had a dream and trained for that and succeeded in reaching his goal. For him, it wasn't about a daily "routine" (which sounds like a chore, like cleaning the bathroom toilet), it was about having a dream and doing everything you can to reach it. You said it yourself, "It's really the journey in ANYTHING we do that makes it worthwhile and makes us capable of doing ANTYHING we set our mind to. All it takes is an idea and the first step."
So... what's your dream, Bobby?
He probably dreams like the rest of us to become an animator. ;-) Just joking Bobby. :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree fully with both of you. The thing is that I do exercise consistently. I just don't FULLY enjoy it or find the same zest for it. I do a lot of different things to mix it up as that has been a good helper for me; i.e. core classes, climbing, yoga, weights, eliptical, etc. I am at my target weight and target body type. I have the body I've dreamed of and my focus is now on health VS muscle mass.
ReplyDeleteI completed the P90X program back in December and did it to the fullest. The restults are pretty awesome and now I've weened myself off the DVD style and back to the gym.
The 21 days to a habit rings true to me but it only takes about 3 days for me to break the habbit thereafter which is tough.
I'm more focused on why people, in general, have a tough time sticking with exercise. I just watched "The Biggest Loser" for the first time yesterday and found myself emotional and inspired by their achievments. One of the twin brothers who had been voted off said to his brother, "do all you can now while you're here, because when you leave it's going to be really hard to maintain."
This is what I'm thinking about.
Edward, that is a great question. What happens when you consistently meet your goals. You make new, more ambitious goals, then you hit those... that's kinda where I'm at. At some point it almost becomes a state of being VS a goal. Thanks for going down this path with me. It's nice to have the dialogue. ;)
B
ReplyDeleteThat's funny I'm starting that p90x program. I want to live longer. I agree w/ when you slack out a bit you do tend to stop cold.
But the most difficult part in my opinion is starting up again. ( maybe the fear of success, failure and unknown?)
it must be a drive or a high, you receive that you learn to thirst for, I have a brother that works out all the time( Mr. Karate) ever since I can remember, and till this day I heard every morning before going to work, I need to ask what keeps him going?
cool insight thnks.
I've gone through phases of exercising regularly and not exercising at all (right now I'm definitely in a "not" phase) and for me it boils down to what's Convenient and FUN. When I lived two blocks from an awesome yoga studio, forty minutes from great ski resorts, and only worked three days a week, man I was in great shape!
ReplyDeleteNowadays I just don't have time to get to the fun stuff, and what is nearby (the gym) is decidedly un-fun. So it's no exercise for me, until I can reset my priorities :-(
Hey Bobby,
ReplyDeleteYou should really check out this guy called Jonathan Roche on iTunes he has a weekly podcast called the No Excuses Weight Loss...and it's awesome listening to him. He talks a lot about not having to kill yourself working out and activities like walking and hikeing all count as exercise. People also call in with their inspirational stories. All the podcasts are very positive and motivational.
If you get a chance check them out, I don't think you'll be disappointed. They'll get you up and moving and will make you think about exercise in a completely different way.
Good luck!
Bobby
ReplyDeleteYeah, staying motivated is not easy, that's for sure. It really helps if you got somebody that goes with you to the gym like a family member, a friend etc. One day you might be highly motivated and your friend not so you can then help motivate them to go with you, other days vice versa.
Two things work for me:
ReplyDelete* Make the exercise incidental. Walk or ride a bike instead of driving or using public transport.
* Join a team for whatever sport interests you.
Hey Bobby,
ReplyDeleteGreat post, as always buddy. I was really in a great "routine" of exercise up until about 2 months ago, and now I'm getting back on the wagon. :)
Here's what I've come to learn about exercise... the challenge is that every single day you're back to square one. No matter how much you work out, you'll never get to the point where you're so conditioned that, for example, you'll breeze through 30 minutes of cardio as if you're laying on the couch. Sure, there's light cardio and more intense stuff..but the point is you'll be expending energy and working out, and more than likely breaking a sweat. So while you will advance both physically and mentally, every day you wake up and you're back to the starting line of your work out. And that's that mental block that happens to everyone. Everyone starts all fired up at first, and then they get to that stage where that little voice convinces them to stay in bed, skip a workout, etc. And that little voice never goes away! You could be a world class athlete or just doing 30 min of cardio 3 times a week.
The best advice I always recall when I start feeling like a slacker was from a buddy of mine a few years ago. He was always in decent shape in school, but after graduation he went on to the Navy and later, the SEALS. I remember running into him sometime after when he was visiting, and I remember asking him how he managed to train enough to endure the SEALs training.. He just shrugged and said "I didn't. I couldn't have possibly trained enough, because your work outs and training are no longer in your hands.. their in your instructors'. The faster you figure that out, the faster you'll realize that ultimately it just comes down to your mind vs. the rest of your body, and it doesn't matter how much your body screams in pain, it will always obey your mind." :)
Wow! This is great stuff!
ReplyDeleteHerman, I'd love to know what keeps "Mr. Karate" going! Ask and do post if you can.
Nicole, thanks for the tip, I'm downloading the podcast after I type this.
Mr. Fins, thanks for those insightful words! Mind Vs. Body is a great way to look at it. That is actually VERY powerful!
Hey Bobby,
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you think of the podcast...I listen to them usually during the day while I'm at work. If people new they'd probably think I was nuts, but I love the positive energy.
Exercise doesn't have to be negative and you don't have to kill yourself in a gym. It can be fun and enjoyable and another way to experience life. Sort of goes hand an hand with animation. At AM you've always told use not to kill ourselves sitting in front of the computer animating away and forgetting about the world around us. You've drilled it into our heads that to be a great animator you also need to experience life...sound familiar?
Bobby have you tried Capoeira? Little kids don't have trouble excercising because they're having fun, running in place on a treadmill is not fun it's dull and tedious. Find something fun to play that gets your heart rate up then it won't be "I have to go excercise" it'll be "I get to go play".
ReplyDeleteHey Bobby,
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to coordinate, but where I used to live there was an indoor soccer league that played once a week. Just a bunch of guys either experienced or not in soccer messing around. It's an incredible workout, I think because of the competition aspect you ended up working out harder than you ever would alone. I always said if they had an ongoing nightly (or bi-nightly) league, there would be no reason to go to the gym anymore. I never dreaded going either which is more than I can say for the gym. It could be any sport really, that's just was this one was. But if you could put some guys/gals together for it, you'd never lose your motivation again! Also, when my wife's parents were still together, they had a quarter of a basketball court in their backyard, and it was tradition to play a game of basketball at all the holidays, which sure helped with keeping fit even during the holidays! I'm working towards getting a portable hoop so we can start the tradition over.
West Munz
hi Bobby,
ReplyDeleteinteresting topic to dwell upon. exercising regularly has always been very very challenging to me. the way i see it, its because the benefits of exercise is not really instant and they are intangible in nature at least in the short term. but when i do exercise, i immediately feel so much energized in my mind and if i do it regularly the positive effects physically is also seen.
exercise routine can get boring after a period of time and its important to keep the exercise program dynamic so that you don't get bored with it and also so that your body doesn't get immune to it and the affects are not as good as whats desired. personally speaking i hate doing lower body workout (legs), so when its the day of lower body workout i feel so lazy to get up in the morning as against when its cardio, when i really look forward to getting up and sweating it out on the treadmill.
also I have been trying this technique of getting up for exercise as a thing I WANT TO, not something I HAVE TO. Its more of a mental thing to how we condition ourselves, but for me its made a lot of difference. Anything which I see as Want To, I have a tendency to resist. May be its just me.
Bobby I didn't quite get the "mental states" you spoke about. Did you mean say motivating quotes/articles ?
Regarding the questions you ask yourself, I have seen people doing this a lot and almost all self-motivational speakers recommend this. I have not tried it yet, may be because I am kind of scared to introspect myself and let all my defenses(false though) down. Any more insights on this one ?
Wonderful subject for wonderful conversations.
Anirudh
I have the same post it notes on my bathroom mirror too, sentences like, "you are the best at what you do", "do the best you can with what you have and where you are"
ReplyDeleteOne book I really helps me is "Napoleon Hill, 365 Meditations for making each day a success. There are 365 quotes for each day and they are elevating, transcending and uplifting, hope this helps!!!
Reporting back on "Mr. Karate" I spoke to my brother on the phone.
ReplyDeleteAbout "what keeps him motivated"
And besides the typical Playboy answer, to "get Girls", which I threw to him since I know him well.
And he said yeP! and laughed.
But I know I had to get "the" answer, so I asked again and heard him out.
He said to keep him motivated he he does it to give him more ENERGY.
then vary the workout to keep it enjoyable and varies the times the morning afternoon at night, every other day.
He says he works out 3 days a week now, I could have swarn it was more. He's funny though, he advised me to take Salsa classes to pick up.
Have a cool week.
No!!! You can't exercise!! if you do! I will nuke all your files untill you stop. I can't see you when you sleep? but I do have people on the other side* so don't even think about it. now I do have a NFGR from god to see everything you do> so please don't take this as a joke. if you do?? I will have no choice but to let you go.
ReplyDeleteYou should try swimming! =)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great topic. What has worked for me is to embrace activity that is "outside". I used to go to the gym like 4 days a week. It was always very difficult and usually I had 1 or 2 friends literally dragging me with them. I liked the satisfaction I got from the workouts, but I don't think I ever really enjoyed it. Hence, they didn't last.
When I put myself outside (and not in the box I refer to as the gym) I found myself much more motivated. Not sure exactly why that is...maybe it's the crisp morning air or taking in the views around me or being in the water when I'm swimming or surfing. That might sound a bit hippie dippie but that stuff really factors in for me.
That's not to say that the gym is bad either. It's great for a lot of people and I still go sometimes. But, I think along with finding exercise you love to do and having partners, maybe finding a venue that you gravitate towards can also be a real motivator.
Just some random thoughts...love your mental states tip too!
Everybody is probably different but my secret is martial art.I have been practising various sort of martial art for the past 15 years (karaté, Taekwondo, Kickboxing and now Thai Boxing).
ReplyDeleteI would never be able to go the the gym 3 times a week, I would find this really boring but I have no problem going to my martial training 3 times a week.
The good thing about martial art is that I find it useful but also I always want to get the next belt which means: ..... Attending every single training and by consequence staying fit! ;-)
Kind of along the lines of what Nicole said, I get in as much as I can, and I don't worry about how I'm doing it so long as I am. I walk, hike, bikeride, climb some things occasionally, and if I feel I'm not getting some things naturally, I do something to work those, like pushups. I like people too but I don't want to need them to exercise.
ReplyDeleteThis is some awesome input. Luckily kiteboarding season is now ON and i"m in full swing. My abs are already killing me. Ha ha. Tomorrow I have an appointment with a personal trainer who takes on a more "wholistic" approach to exercise. I'm kinda hoping this helps it become more a part of my life instead of something I dread doing. Hee hee. I do exercise a lot already, I'm almost more interested in how to make it more appealing to people in general than I meant specifically for myself.
ReplyDeleteSo, go... 1 and a 2 and a ... Nicole, yup, I agree, the more experience you have the better. Maybe we can all form an exercise Q&A and cam each other to make sure we're not slacking. ha ha!
Ps. By mental states I mean things I want to do become: i.e.
ReplyDelete"I am present in my communication with other," "I am grateful," etc.
I don't just say the words, I try to create images that evoke these states in me throughout the day so I remember, for instance, to stay present with people and really listen to what they say, or to remember that no matter how bad thigns get that I am still very grateful to have my life, my health, my friends, etc.
I hope that makes better sense.
Hey Bobby,
ReplyDeleteI really like your ideas about mental states... I've been thinking about that more and more lately. I've got one more class left at AM and then it's time for me to get a job somewhere out in the world. So I've been pondering more and more... "who I am... and what do I really want out of life" Pretty much the way I've been living life up till now is to put all my efforts into what I've felt has been the top priorities, ie. school or trying to kick-up-a-notch the Autodesk Group here in Atlanta... so many times of doing this though I think to myself that I will get to that next item on my 'to-do' list when I have finished this other stuff... It's easy to get wrapped up in doing things, feeling like there is some finish line that you have to meet, and then when you meet that line you can finally focus on other things. My problem is that I seem to never get to those other things on the to do list. I'm just barely making the finish line. Too often I've gotten caught up in the race and forgotten or put off other things... other things like exercise. I've been reading "Runner's Worlld" magazines lately, trying to find some extra motivation. I'm not a runner... not yet... but I think that it would be so nice to have an outlet like that... it's exercise that can be social if you let it... you can travel to different cities for races... it really sounds good. Now if only I could keep up the walking/running enough for it to actually turn in to just running, haha ;) I've only started a few weeks ago... and so far I've only been really faithful on Wednesday nights... I walk/run on the treadmill while I'm in my class *grin* Doing it during class time has kept me going because I've got the time scheduled already. I've started watching the lectures on the treadmill too ;) So I think for me... I need to come up with some time management scheme that can work for me... and even harder for me I need to figure out how to stick with it. My biggest challenge next is probably trying to fix my sleep schedule.... it's all over the place... and it's really hard to feel like exercising if I'm lacking on the sleep... but so often I'll get caught up in a moment of inspiration or I'll being trying to make one of those 'finish-lines' and I'll push past my 'bedtime'... so it seems sometimes like I've got a rotating sleep pattern going on.
By far the best and most fun time exercising for me is when I'm involved with others. My husband and I have started playing racquetball... and the time flies by when we play. We've even had to stop ourselves from playing just so that we don't over do it and don't end up injured or too sore the next day ;) We are both newbies to racquetball... and we are still ramping up on the intensity of exercising too... (we took too much of a break over the holidays... and really.... they lasted into February, haha) We never play competitively against each other either... we keep it friendly and the competition comes from our seeing how long we can possibly keep a volley going.
With Spring's arrival in the South it's been great weather the past few days, and since I turned in my assignment on Sunday I got this wild idea to work around in the backyard. I painted some of the lawn furniture, grills, etc. And I got this great idea to dig around the A/C unit to get out some weeds that were growing near it... and to level out the area around it and put down the weed fabric guard and then put down some stones over that. So my sleep schedule is weird, right ;) I was out digging last night from like 10 pm till 2am...hahaha I am so sore today from that, hahahaha Luckily my treadmill appointment tonight won't require too much arm movement, LoL ;)
Oh yeah... btw... I caught Michael Gerber a few years back at a WEVA (wedding and event videographers association) conference.
In a way life is like what he points out for the business entrepreneur... 'work on it, rather than in it'
I've been working/living hard 'in-it' for a while now... I think I need to jump back and catch a bigger view...
Thanks for the ideas about motivation... and about keeping 'present'... I like those ;)
Cheers!
~Net
If you into gym / fitness I really recommend Crossfit (www.crossfit.com). It's intense and really hard workouts but they're short and really varied that's what keeps it interesting. There's gyms everywhere for it now days as well but I do it from home with little equipment. Finding someone to exercise with is probably one of the most important things to keep your routine going.
ReplyDeletethere was an interesting and somewhat related article on Wired a while ago about this guy who one day decided to become a long distance runner. His motivation is that he only allows himself to eat junk food when doing extreme exercise:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.01/ultraman_pr.html
Hey Bobby,
ReplyDeleteIt nice to see you have written about such a topic and it is great to see how youare manging, thanks for the tips, i have been inspired by them and might start some on them soon,
Q1:
for me there are two type of exercises physical and mental,
as being a Muslim, I pray five times a day, prayer along being an warship, and it is positive exercise to me, it is kind of meditation and relaxation, and there are some physical movement to it as well, and in Mosque i meet with my neighbors and ask about how we are doing in our lives, so it full fills the social part of it as well.
and i do some other exercises like push ups and pull up every evening while watching lecture or a documentary, that is for 20-30 minutes.
the outlook reminder Idea is impressive, i never utilized my outlook that much, but you can say i do a similar thing using my mobile phone,
there is a great softare that i use for brainstorming and planning other things, it called Mindjet MindManager (http://www.mindjet.com/) just be careful it is a very addictive piece of software hehe.
Printing out 20 short sentences and hanging it on your bathroom, that is what i call dedication :) i never thought of doing that, and i guess i will start it by tonight.
I usually plan in long terms, like at he beginning on every Georgian year. i sit down and draw my self and my goal, and plan how can i reach there, what are the obstacles that i might face and how to over come them. what are my weaknesses and strengths and so on, and i always include my family and my finance in my planning,
but now i know what i am missing a short planning thinking,
great thanks for your tips and thanks for sharing it,
see you in next week's News section, i love it when you appear there with some exciting news,
and i am big fan of your body language, you are very good at it.
Thanks
Saeed Abdul Ghafoor
Saeedag.blogspot.com
Hi Bobby, long time no see man. I read your blog once in a while. And like I said before, very moving stuff. Last few weeks where very though for me. And I tried to see myself what I could do to pick myself up again. After reading this post about routine, I tried to apply it. I have a large poster of the TMNT CG movie. Al the turtles can be seen on it. Everytime I try to think of who I am at the moment. I know not every state of mind can be found in only these for arche types. But it keeps me going, and that gives me happiness. As much as I like to read your stuff, I wanted to share this with you :)
ReplyDeleteSee you later!
Greetz,
Paul-Erik
What kinda sentences are those?
ReplyDeleteYou brush your teeth everyday right? Do you have a problem with the fact that you have to brush them every day until you die? Exercise is something that has to be a part op your daily life until you leave this planet. If you can accept that you will have no problem.
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