For years, I was frustrated with myself. I beat myself up. All because I couldn’t stick to anything. I would try lots of sports and activities, but wouldn’t do them for very long. I would even give up a food, like sugar, but that would only last a couple of days.
I have always loved variety, trying new things and I like to say YES! to most things.
But we all know how important exercise and movement are for…well everything! For delivery nutrients to our cells, for boosting our metabolism, for helping everything move through our gut (peristalsis) and for our mental health (good-bye anxiety!). I KNOW that more than most, but still couldn’t turn it into a daily practice.
No To Do List would cut it.
I found the answer
Then I did some reading, and found some interesting studies:
Elizabeth Barley and Victoria Lawson talk about the 5 theories of behavioural change; the health belief model, the theory of planned behaviour, the stages of change model, self-determination theory, and temporal self-regulation theory, but it’s a little too involved for what I was looking for.
Then I came across this study on patients who were not sticking to their physiotherapy. The study talked about associations with low levels of previous physical activity (seems obvious), but also depression, anxiety, feelings of helplessness, poor social support/activity, perceived high number of barriers (I’d call that overwhelm) and increased pain during exercise. These factors increased the likelihood that patients would not follow through.
What it means
Basically, it means that if you feel:
- Overwhelmed
- In pain
- Mentally low
- Helpless
- Unsupported
That you will be less likely to stick to something. Yeah, who wouldn’t?! So what I did, was I started to
- Break down everything into smaller chunks, so small they were ridiculous for me to squeeze out of. An example was setting my exercise commitment to getting some new shoes. Yep, just one little thing. Then I committed to finding a class that happened at the same time every week. Just one, no more.
- Find someone to hold me accountable to my goals. You might think that I should have been able to do it on my own…I certainly did! But history had shown that I COULDN’T. Plus, I had so much guilt about it all, that even my guilt got in the way of me completing or getting back to it, if I stopped.
AND IT WORKED!
I have tonnes of things that I have stuck to, that I’ve turned into a habit. It seems so simple, but I actually find someone to chat with when I feel like a task is overwhelming and we talk out how to break it down into manageable chunks. Then they hold me accountable to those little bite-sized pieces.
That’s what I do with my clients…and I want that for you too.
My name is Joyce Bergsma and I teach my clients how to understand their bodies and nourish them in the best way possible. I help them on the journey to be symptom free so they are living happier, more fulfilling lives.
But what I ALSO do is act as a cheerleader, a navigator and I hold them accountable.
Book a call TODAY! I’ll help you find freedom in your life.
