Fit School Epping, Essex, Fitness, Pilates, how to get motivated when you don’t fee l like doing exercise
“When are you going to play tennis with Cathy?” Chris asked me, whilst I was simultaneously trying to prepare dinner, listen in to a marketing seminar and keep half an eye to Naomi during her Zoom Street dance class.
The question came as part of an ongoing ‘marital discussion’ around the fact that he was now going out to play golf on some weekend afternoons whilst I was not! You may know of discussions such as these.
“I’d love to,” I said, “but it’s another thing to organise.
“In order to play tennis, I’ve got to sort out my tennis membership [is it accounted for?] find a time I can play when you’ll be home to be with the kids and then I need to see if that fits with Cathy. Then when I get there, what if the courts aren’t free and I’ve wasted all that time organising, and looking forward to something, and I’ll be really annoyed?”
“Why don’t you call Cathy and organise it all for me?”
[DISCUSSION ENDS]
I’m sharing this not because our marital discussions are interesting but often when it comes to something we know we enjoy doing, with people we like spending time with and which we know is good for our physical and mental wellbeing, this past year of lockdown, uncertainty and ever changing plans has got us into all of a muddle.
There’s extra stress. Some of which we’re conscious of but there’s a lot that’s slipped by unnoticed. Having to learn new stuff, care for relatives or look after neighbours, worries about when we’ll get to the shops and what will be available. The extra stress of being in close confines with loved ones and absorbing stresses for them to keep them safe. It all adds to the load we feel and our brains’ ability to process stuff. It affects our sleep patterns and in turn our motivation.
If we’re doing the home school/school/work juggle, ‘is it really okay to take time out for ourselves?’ Doing some exercise ‘for fun’ can feel like one more thing to organise or plan in a sea of 100 million mini decisions we’re having to make daily. Sometimes a cup of tea and a sit down in the same walls feels safer and easier.
Perhaps you’re worried about your job and focused instead on making sure your CV is up to date, getting stuck into Linked I, reconnecting with old contacts, pitching for new work, just in case.
You might be caring for loved ones or grieving. ‘How do I pick myself up and get back to doing what I know I enjoy?’ When your world has stopped on its axis you may not feel ready or able to jump back on.
There are so many individual circumstances and stories to 2020/21. Key workers, mental strain and disappointments. And whilst many of you have stuck with your regular classes and more during lockdown and beyond, some of you just don’t feel up to it or it doesn’t feel important enough to you to sacrifice the time and energy. Maybe you’ve lost your mojo or lost your way. Maybe you feel out of the loop or a bit excluded. Perhaps you’re desperate to dip your toe in but getting back to it is that thing at the end of your daily to do list that gets bumped to another day.
What if your toes don’t need to get wet? Perhaps you could just show them the water.
My favourite metaphor I learned this year is about how you eat porridge. Stay with me … Porridge is hot. You’d never stick your spoon right in the middle. You always start at the edges and work your way in. So if you’re struggling with getting started or the magnitude of getting back to something, how about you find a way to feel safe at the edge of the pot?
1. You could try an online only class or go incognito (you don’t have to switch your camera on – just let me know and we’ll say nothing). The classes are every Thursday at 1.30pm. It’s a 45 minute class and it’s the perfect way to step back in to a regular class without going all in.
2. You could go for a walk at the same time as your usual class, just to get yourself going again and make it okay to do something for you. Maybe even connect with someone from your class, they could be feeling the same way too.
3. Grab a class from our YouTube channel and do that. Here’s a really popular class with our members. It’s a 30 minute body conditioning class you can squeeze in: 30 Minute Body Conditioning
4. Find some yoga with Adriene or try my 10 minute desk break Pilates class 10 minute Pilates.
5. If there’s a niggle or injury that’s stopping you or you just feel totally unfit then book in for a quick chat or you could book a 60 minute consultation with one of us. We live to plan out programmes for you. It’s our super power! So please do ask for help.
I’ll be honest with you, it’s been a rough few years for us too but asking for and getting a bit of help in a few areas has really eased the pressure and made us feel a bit more ‘us’!
As a community we want you in.
And as for that tennis game with Cathy, well they’re more of a regular occurrence now (although as I write this we’re back to home schooling the smallest who’s off with suspected Covid). So time fo a little re-jiggle.
Good luck. You’ve got this!
How Pilates can help with overwhelm and anxiety