How I Stay Active, Even When I Don’t Want To (Updated 2023)
Like anyone, I always have days where I want to sit and binge the latest shows on various streaming platforms or scroll TikTok. But I know my body and mind like it much better when I am active. If I am sedentary for too long, I fall asleep more than I need to, or I get restless, and my mind starts to wander into negative headspace. Physical activity helps with this, probably more than I realized.
Here are the things I do when I don’t have the natural motivation to be active. These are things that you could easily incorporate into your daily routine. My job is mostly driving but has some physically demanding elements for short periods. I also spend a lot of time at my computer or phone editing videos and creating content for social media, blog, YouTube, etc.
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Start Early
I have always been most creative and productive first thing in the morning. So, on my days at home, I try to get up by 530 a.m., but lately, I have significantly fallen off of that routine, which I am working on fixing.
By starting your day early, you can either get a good amount of work done in the morning and work out later in the afternoon or start your day with a workout before heading off to work.
However, not everyone thrives off being an early bird, which is okay. Maybe you’re most creative and productive later at night; shift the start of your day to reflect that. Begin your day with a workout at whatever time you wake up, saving time in the evening/night to be creative/productive.
My point is to begin moving your body early, whether a full workout, walking your dog, hiking, household chores, or gardening. Whatever you do to get your body moving and working with your natural sleeping patterns.
Take Breaks
I have a terrible habit of getting so focused that I forget to eat, let alone get up to move. My dog, Lyla, has a bad habit of not notifying me she needs outside and holds it; she rarely has an accident. So, I try to be a good dog mom and remember to take her out more often. So, I utilize my Apple Watch to notify me if I haven’t gotten up during the past 50 minutes; I can take a few minutes to get up and go to the bathroom, get more water, take my dog, Lyla, outside, make a meal, or walk around my house until my Apple Watch notifies me I got my standpoint, if you will, for that hour.
By reminding myself to take breaks, not only do I make sure that I eat, Miss Lyla and I both go outside multiple times a day. There have been too many times when it’s nighttime, and I’ve been so wrapped up doing work I am starving; I can’t remember if I’ve even taken Lyla outside once. I didn’t do anything but sit, and now my joints and muscles are stiff and achy. I am reminded of why I maintain my active lifestyle. Also, if I don’t consciously stop working, I will continue to work into the night and burn myself out with no breaks.
Do Activities I Enjoy
By doing physical activities that I enjoy, I am 100% more likely to make time to do them than if I am doing an activity I don’t want. I love being outside, so walking my dog is an easy physical activity to do daily. Other physical activities I love to do:
Working out and strength training - My current routine is strength training six days a week with five days of cardio while I train for a marathon.
Mobility and stretching - Since my workout routine is a little intense, I do my stretching routine on my cardio rest days and my long run days. I also like to incorporate mobility training into my strength training routine.
Walking Lyla - We have a huge backyard and are training her to use her designated potty area. So we go outside with her often. It has been SO hot this summer, so taking her for walks has not happened to protect her paws from the hot concrete/asphalt. I am working on my morning routine and getting up early, but I will take her for a walk early once I do. I may change that as it gets colder and take her outside midday. We shall see how that goes.
Hiking - this is one of my favorite activities. This past summer, we have done very little hiking, unfortunately. But every time we go out, it has been super fun, and we cherish every minute.
Backpacking - I love backpacking, but it is also not something I can do daily.. Just hiking for hours, finding a place to camp for the night, and waking up in the woods provides me peace.
Make Healthy Food Choices
By maintaining an active lifestyle, I want to fuel my body to be capable of the stress I am putting it under. This, in turn, motivates me to make healthy food choices. Who wants to put in all their time at the gym (or other physical activity) to undo that time and progress with an unhealthy snack? Not me!
When I eat healthy foods physically, I feel the best. When I eat junk, I tend to feel…. blah. I can’t describe it any other way. I enjoy eating many healthy foods, so it doesn’t feel like I am sacrificing anything to make healthy choices. I have a weakness for sweets, though, and since sugar is an inflammatory food, I limit my sugar content. However, I do not cut it out entirely but limit my intake to smaller portions.
In addition to making healthy food choices, ensuring I drink enough water is essential. Not only does my body thank me for it, I can FEEL the difference. I choose water over almost anything else to ensure I drink enough water. Occasionally, I’ll have soda or alcoholic beverages, but I drink only water and coffee daily.
Enough Sleep
This one took me so long to realize its importance. Sleeping enough at night makes me less likely to nap after work and more likely to get my body moving. Which in turn keeps me motivated and productive. Since I am most productive first thing in the morning, I sometimes struggle to get to bed early, especially in summer when the sun is still up when I go to bed. But remember that if I go to bed early and get enough sleep, I am more productive and motivated to maintain my active lifestyle. Also, I FEEL better both mentally and physically.
I want to note that living an active lifestyle doesn’t mean that you have to live at the gym, but simply just get your body moving - go for a walk, play a sport, go for a hike, do some yoga - just get moving and daily activity in addition to making healthy food choices. Starting small, it leads you down the path to find the physical activity that you love, and you will be more likely to incorporate it more and more into your daily life. What do you do to keep yourself motivated to stay active?
If you are here and reading this, you are interested in your health and fitness and subscribed to My Active Life Members. That is so good; I am so excited for you! Taking care of your body is the best thing you can do for yourself in the present and the long term.
“Do something today that your future self will thank you for”
— unknown
I find that quote so inspiring. Hard work will pay off in the future, but you also have to live in the moment, and I feel like taking care of yourself is doing both. You are doing good for yourself now as well as for your future self.
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