In a previous post, I wrote about my running journey. I love running, but I haven’t always been able to do it. I have had many injuries and other commitments that left me unable to either endure the physicality of running or find the time to run. Usually, when that happens, both my mental and physical health suffers tremendously. Other times, my emotions get in the way; I talk myself out of doing an exercise because of some excuse I came up with. I’m too tired, I’m stressed about deadlines, I don’t want to lose momentum on the project I’m working on, etc. When I fall into this mindset, my workout routine becomes non-existent, or sporadic at best. After years of letting this mentality get in the way, I have finally figured out how to stay fit despite feeling every emotion in the book.
This post has one purpose: to help you stay consistent with your exercise routine. It is not meant to be a training plan, a “lose weight fast” scheme, or a tutorial on how to build muscle. My goal is simply to help you move your body every day, despite what you may be feeling that day. Here’s how to do it:
- Note which activities you enjoy doing. What activities do you instinctively do? Are there other activities you want to try?
- Determine timeframes. How long do you spend on each activity? How much time do you have each day to spend on activities?
- Pay attention to your emotions. How do you feel when you do a particular activity? How did you feel before you started doing that activity? How do you feel after?
- Put it together. Which activity do you do when you feel happy or excited? Which activity do you do when you feel sad, or mad, or nervous? Which activity do you do when you are short on time? Which activity do you do when you want to turn your brain off for a while?
- Make the commitment to move every day. Adjust the activity based on your habits and emotions.
When I first started to track myself, my answers to these steps looked like the following:
- I instinctively go running or do yoga at home. I want to try cycling, swimming, and boxing.
- Running takes me 30 minutes minimum, but I usually drive to a location to run which adds 10-15 minutes each way. Yoga takes less time, usually only 15-20 minutes. I only have 20 minutes to spend on exercise during the week. On weekends, I have more time.
- When I run, I feel free but also impatient to finish. I always feel accomplished and happy afterward. When I do yoga, I feel calm and relaxed. I leave every session feeling more mindful and tolerant. Before running, I am either feeling nervous or stressed about something, or I feel very energized and up for more intense activity. Before doing yoga, I am usually tired or my mind is racing and I need it to calm down.
- See my activity-emotion-time chart below for how I put it all together.
- I now know which activities to do when I am stressed or happy, which to do when I am tired, and which to do when I am angry. From that list, I pick which activity fits in the time frame I have available that day, or I may modify the length of the activity to match.
Activity-Emotion-Time Chart
| Activity | Emotion | Time |
| Running | Before: nervous, stressed During: free After: accomplished, happy | 30 min – 1 hr 30 min |
| Cycling | Before: lazy During: content, inspired After: accomplished, happy | 15 min – 2 hr |
| Swimming | Before: tired, sad During: adventurous, playful After: awake, rejuvenated | 1 hr |
| Yoga | Before: sleepy, anxious, unmotivated During: calm, relaxed After: mindful, tolerant | 15 -20 min |
| Boxing | Before: angry, motivated During: strong, bad-a** After: epic, free, capable | 20 – 40 min |
Reading through the after-effects of the activities I wrote down reinforces how beneficial exercise is to my mental state. I find that each activity gives me a boost in some area of my mood or mentality. When I spend my week trying a few activities, I feel more playful and find that I look forward to exercise. An unexpected bonus is that it prevents me from paying attention to statistics or PRs because I can’t remember the stats for five different exercises at one time!
I now work out according to what I need that day and no longer force myself to do any particular activity because I feel I should. I do the activity now because I want to, knowing that it will help my mental state. Working out is not a punishment for me, it is a tool to help my emotions. Gentler exercises suit me best when I am unmotivated or tired, while the more intense and demanding exercises satisfy my needs when I am full of energy. Since I have been following this method, I have not missed a single day of exercise in the past two months. I feel happier, healthier, more capable, more resilient, and I am in the best shape of my life!
What activities do you do to stay fit? Do you like my method of working out to your emotional needs? Let me know if you try it!
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Thanks for reading. Happy exercising!
-TJ
LambCHNOPS 