REGISTERLearning a new hobby, creating more time with our loved ones, or starting to exercise, especially the last one it can be a bit of a burden if we haven't been physically active in a long time.
However, with a few adjustments to our routines, as well as adapting new habits, we can be consistent with our resolutions and reach our goals. But... How can we get started without dying trying? And even better, without getting frustrated in the process.
A habit is formed as a result of a frequently repeated action that is reinforced by a positive consequence. Many of us believe that motivation is part of, however, motivation comes from action, and doing small actions consecutively that allow us to be motivated, will help us to assimilate in our body and mind, a new activity.
Before this, some actions to do and contemplate are:
Set a short-, medium- and long-term goal. If our goal is to run a marathon, it is necessary that we contemplate the date to do it, and start with small daily routines. The first ones can be 15-minute walks, and gradually increase the time, as well as the intensity until we reach a pace that challenges us, without wearing us out.
If we try to run for an hour a day without an established routine, it is very likely that we will feel heavy, or we will get frustrated for not achieving such demanding goals and end up aborting the mission to start some activity.
Letting go of expectations. Most of the time we generate expectations of the time it would take us to do an activity, however, when for different reasons or circumstance we cannot perform the activities of our new routine, we tend to feel demotivated, and we start to postpone things. Therefore, it is important to keep our expectations as realistic as possible, with the intention of being flexible in order to be able to continue training our mind and body to achieve our goal.
Create a pleasant environment. It can be our home, bedroom, room, hallway, rooftop, etc., or also places like office, gym, school; any space can be good as long as we feel energy and comfort, where we also feel safe to perform our activities.
Get ready. We are past 15 minutes of walking, and now jogging 45 minutes a day, our body is stronger and our breathing feels better than ever. Now it's time for us to perhaps seek out a trainer for a more specific routine, or vary with different types of training to have a higher output, and further target our goal. For those who are just starting an exercise habit, this point becomes a favorite because it is where we break our limits and begin to see our capabilities.
Practice. Trying until we get it right the first few times will always have great value. Because remembering our beginnings and how difficult it may have been for us, generates the feeling that we can try again and/or replicate what we once had.
Celebrate. This is one of the most important points, because the brain when acquiring a new habit has a trigger (objective), trigger (preparation) and reward (celebration). That is, the human mind always seeks gratification, so recognizing and celebrating our small triumphs, as well as great advances in these new habits, will allow us to continue inspired.
Finally, it is important to enjoy the whole process regardless of the size of our goals to generate a new habit. Therefore, we invite you to dust off those sneakers and join this great Bimbo community, where we will be sharing some ideas and tips to get you active for our annual Bimbo Global Race.