motivation Archives - Fran's Fitness Over 50

Procrastinating increases stress

Did you ever start thinking about all the things you have to do – all the things on your list that didn’t get done last week. And all the things people are expecting you to do this week. Then all the things that you want to do to try to push just a little bit further toward whatever goal you want to achieve? And you don’t feel like doing any of it? Don’t wait. Start now. Procrastinating will only increase your stress. Life is stressful enough as it is without adding additional stress to it.

I was sitting at my desk the other day, looking at my to-do list. It never gets any shorter. And not doing any of the things listed on it. I was feeling more and more anxious, and more and more stressed. Why? By not starting a task?

So, instead of actually starting a task, I did a little research. It turns out that procrastinating really does increase your stress. I was not imagining it. A review in the National Institutes for Health indicates that procrastination is a low-resource means of avoiding aversive and difficult task-related emotions.

Yes. Instead of beginning a task on my list, I procrastinated and added more stress by researching procrastination and stress.

We know that stress is bad for our health. It tends to compromise our immunity. And as we age our immunity decreases. Not what we need.

Here’s the deal. If you’ve got something on your list that you think is too challenging, you’ll try to avoid doing it. Or if you said something to your best friend that you probably shouldn’t have, you’re going to put off calling them to apologize. On the other hand, if your dog threw up, you’re going to grab the paper towels and cleaner and do something about it. There are few immediate adverse consequences to not jumping into a challenging task. Your friend will still accept your apology a few days later. After you’ve worked yourself up about it and finally called.

So even though you know you might pay some consequences later, it’s worth it to you to put off taking the action. That action is hard. It might be worthwhile in the end (making progress on a challenging task or strengthening your friendship), but right now you’ll procrastinate. You know that the carpet will stain, though, or someone will walk through the mess, so you clean it up right away. That’s easy. And, as it turned out, my research into procrastination actually did tick an item off of my list: this article!

Procrastinating increases stress. So get to it. Start small. Take one little action. Chances are, you’ll be motivated to do more.

How to resist the temptation of the couch

My sister said it the other day. “I understand how people just don’t get up.” It was one of those days when the knees, hips, and back were creaky. After a certain age we all have those days. You know your knees and hips are going to hurt when you start to get up. And then when you’re most of the way standing, your back feels like it’s going to give. It’s certainly tempting to just sit. Read a book. Drink a beverage. And not get up. But at some point, you’ve got to. And you know that the more you sit, the worse the pain and creakiness will be. And yet, you still sit. Here’s how to resist the temptation, get up, and be productive.

I’m not going to give you platitudes. Yes, you’re going to be creaky. That lessens, but it never disappears. But the more you move, the easier it is to move. And Newton’s first law of physics should also be our first law of getting older. A body in motion stays in motion. The more you move, the easier it will be to move. And the easier it is to resist the temptation of the couch.

And, the more active we are, the more resilient we are as well. When we think nothing of getting up and doing something, the better equipped we are to tackle hard projects. And the more we’re willing to take the extra steps to reach our goals.

If you sit at a desk working, set a timer to go off every half hour. Get up. Move around. I tend to sit for way too long at my desk. And then, even though I am quite active throughout the day (think about a 13-year-old dog wandering the house – Where’s Booker?! Is he wearing his pants?!) I still get stiff. Enter the timer.

And drink lots of water if you’re sitting. You’ll have to get up to go to the washroom. Cause, effect. It’s certainly easy to resist the temptation to stay sitting when nature has an urgent call.

And exercise. The Centers for Disease Control recommends we each should do 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise every week. It keeps our heart healthy, our lungs filled with oxygen, our muscles and joints lubricated. Add to that a couple of days of strength work to keep our muscles and bones strong. It sounds like a lot, but if we incorporate some of that into our daily activities, it will keep us healthy and less creaky.

But, I will say that some days it’s tough to resist the couch.

How to Juggle Your Week & Your Fitness Goals to Fit it All In

I’m a big fan of planning the week ahead late on Friday afternoons—it just helps me feel on top of things before the weekend hits. Usually, my schedule is a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. For instance, my Tuesday and Wednesday nights are always blocked off for teaching Rally classes to some amazing pups and their humans. I usually see a private client early on Saturday, and three afternoons a week I have errands for my sister’s and my online business. Here’s how to juggle your week and your fitness goals to fit it all in. It’s how I do it, and, yes, I get them all in.

Enter monkey wrench

Last week was a prime example of how some things can put a monkey wrench into the plan: my sister and I spent five solid hours making homemade dog food on Thursday, and then I had a board meeting for our dog obedience club that evening since I’m the Treasurer. By Friday, I was absolutely pooped and I knew I wouldn’t be good for anything other than regular work.

Because of all that, my usual Thursday workout sadly didn’t happen. I was actually at a really exciting part of my audiobook, so I was bummed to miss it! But I try not to feel too bad—I exercised earlier in the week, and honestly, running up and down the stairs all day Thursday totally counts as cardio, right?

Planning around a fitness goal means setting priorities

The big takeaway for me is that planning around a fitness goal is really about setting priorities. Some “life things” just have to take precedent. If you have the luxury of being able to reschedule appointments, definitely do it! But for those non-negotiable events, you just have to work around them.

Since I’m not exactly a fitness fanatic who jumps at the chance to exercise, scheduling my workouts is imperative. If I don’t put them on the calendar, I’d definitely find a million other things to fill that time. It’s all about making that appointment with yourself. Making the appointment can actually motivate you to do it. You know it’s right there on your calendar so your brain gets used to the idea. Then it accepts the fact. And gets you up and moving.

The exact how-to

Here’s how to juggle your week and your fitness goals. And, like a jigsaw puzzle, get all the pieces to fit. Use a calendar. (Even the Mayo Clinic advocates scheduling your workout!) I live by my Google Calendar because it’s always on my phone. If you like colorful things, use that to your advantage and block out your time with pretty colors! I always schedule the “can’t-miss” things first (like doctors or business meetings), then family and friend commitments, and then—critically—the workouts. After that, I slot in meal planning and the fun stuff. It makes the “me time” feel like a real treat!

Uncertainty can provide opportunity

We humans hate uncertainty. When I’m faced with uncertainty, my brain kind of jitters. I know I’m not alone. If a repair person gives me a four-hour window, it’s frustrating. If my website goes down and the hosting provider doesn’t have a clear-cut answer as to when it’ll be fixed, it’s scary. At least one neuroscientist, though, says that uncertainty can provide great opportunity.

A shocking result (literally)

There’s a study out that shows that people are more stressed when faced with a 50% chance of getting an electric shock than when faced with a 100% chance. The certainty lets you prepare for what you know is coming. We don’t want to face the ambiguity of not knowing. And how can you prepare for something you’re not sure will come?

Easier to pick up the pieces?

In some ways, it’s easier to pick up the pieces after a calamity. The worst has happened and we can deal with it. We can form a plan and move on to putting that plan in motion. That’s what our resilience can do for us. And to make our resilience even stronger, neuroscientist Maya Shankar says rather than define ourselves by the things we can do, we should define ourselves by figuring out why we do those things. Your why can help you get through those tough times. Shankar delved deep after a hand injury ended her concert violin dreams and discovered that a love of human connection was at the root of that dream. She was able to shift successfully into an avenue that let her keep those human connections.

Embrace your shiny object syndrome!

And Shankar also tells us to embrace the distractions we come across in our lives. They can give us the break we need to let the uncertainty or chaos settle. We humans can get used to just about anything. And by giving ourselves some time, we can let our brains figure out how to deal with it. We’re usually told that confronting the bad stuff right away is the way to get through it. And that works for some of us. But if you’ve tried that and it just scares you more, set it aside for a bit. Let yourself be distracted. Go follow that shiny object. When you come back to face the hard stuff, you might be more ready.

Get mobile

I turn 71 next week. Scary. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, researching fitness topics over the years, it’s that we all want to maintain our independence as we age. We want to be able to do the things we want to do when we want to do them and not be tied to someone else’s schedule. This increases our resilience. And, of course, ties into our healthy aging goals. We need to be mobile, to maintain our balance, and have the strength to carry ourselves and the stuff we take out of or into our homes. You know that I’m a fierce balance advocate. (Join the Balance for Fitness, Balance for Life group on Facebook for daily 2-minute exercise recommendations.) And I’ve talked about incorporating strength work into the exercise programs we do. But what does it mean to get mobile?

Joint mobility means how well an individual joint or a group of joints—like your shoulders or hips—can move. A healthy joint is able to move more and move better, and it’s less likely to cause pain or get injured, according to the Silver Sneakers blog. But how well we move throughout the day requires full body mobility, and that means that all our parts have to work well together.

We need good posture to keep our back straight and shoulders unhunched, a strong core for power. And we need good balance to keep us sure-footed.

Flexibility helps with that movement. If we can touch our toes, then our hips and legs are working. But to truly get mobile, we’ll need some more dynamic exercises that work multiple parts at once. Lunges get those legs working. Go slow and easy with them at first, making sure your knees don’t go past 90 degrees. If you can see your shoelaces over your knee, you’re doing well. If you need a stick to help at first, use it. Do 8 to 10 on each side.

Another good mobility exercise is bird dog. On all fours with hands directly below shoulders and knees directly below hips, lift opposite limbs. Left arm and right leg. And hold for a bit. Lower slowly and switch. Do 8 to 10 of those.

Chair pose works the core. Tighten it, stand with feet shoulder width apart, raise your arms for counterbalance and lower down as if you’re hovering over a chair. Hold for about 5 breaths and stand up. Repeat a few more times.

These are just a couple of mobility exercises. There are so many more. Don’t forget that a part of staying independent is to get mobile.

Not wanting to do something is not a good excuse

I never want to exercise. Honestly. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it because it’s true. I was working at a dog obedience trial all day on Sunday – if you’ve never been to one, it’s amazing watching the amazing teams. Anyway, I was on my feet all day, and the last thing I wanted to do on Monday was get on the treadmill. But not wanting to do something is not a good excuse for not doing it. So I did it.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons that you don’t exercise on any given day. You might be sick with a chest cold. Or you have an important appointment that you can’t miss at the time you originally scheduled to work out. Or you have to take the dog to the vet. Those are certainly valid reasons to not exercise.

But on normal days – what’s the motivation to get you exercising when you don’t feel like it? How do you talk yourself into doing something when you don’t want to? I thought about how I’d feel when I was done. It was a slog, and I probably didn’t give it my all the way I usually do, but I did it. Over a mile at 10 percent incline, over 4 miles per hour. And I was so grateful when the time was up. But I felt completely virtuous.

I also was at an exciting part of the book I’m listening to. The one thing that keeps me getting back on the treadmill is listening to audiobooks. No self-help or non-fiction for me, either. It’s got to be something that holds my attention. It’s great escape so I don’t think about how much I dislike what I’m doing.

I also think about how doing the treadmill thing works into my overall fitness goal. Maintaining my endurance keeps me getting back on. I want to be able to play with my dogs for many years to come. Having that endurance also ensures my independence. So I keep getting on the treadmill and working out..

The site, “Time For Your Life” also suggests breaking down the thing you don’t want to do into “laughably small steps” so that it’s completely painless. Like setting a timer for 5 minutes to get started on something you don’t want to do. I completely agree. I tell people to just start to exercise when they don’t want to. If you still don’t want to exercise after 5 minutes, then it’s okay to think about quitting.

But just not wanting to do something is not a good excuse.

Does your morning routine help or hinder you?

I’ve been reading a lot lately about morning routines. How do you start your day? Do you have the same routine every day? Just the weekdays? If you search for “successful morning routine,” you’ll find about a bazillion answers. That’s because what works for one person is probably not going to work for everyone. People are individuals, our brains are all wired differently. So it makes sense that my morning routine will be different from yours. The important thing is that your morning routine helps to make you as happy as possible.

My morning routine is nothing special. I wake up, get dressed, take the dogs out, feed the dogs breakfast, eat my own breakfast, wash, make my bed, train the dogs, take the dogs out again, and go to work. Lots there. One thing there makes me especially happy. And that’s “train the dogs.” I can see progress almost every day, depending on if we’re working on something specific, but my dogs always make me smile.

And that’s crucial. At least one thing in your morning routine should make you smile and be happy. Whether it’s breathing some fresh air or writing in your journal or training your dogs, something should put a smile on your face.

I read an article about the top morning routines of successful people and it’s got the usual things: wake up early, grab a good breakfast, hydrate, move your body, meditate, write in a journal, read a book, make a to-do-list. But the one thing that kind of surprised me in that list was to practice gratitude. I’ve written about it before, and I do it myself every day, but didn’t really expect to see that Marie Kondo also has a daily gratitude practice.

Being grateful helps me to be happier – it ties me to my family, friends and the world. And it’s part of every day’s routine.

How to know if the work you’re doing matters

How often do we think about whether the work we’re doing really matters? You’re plugging along and then think to yourself, “Why am I even doing this?” Does it matter to your life? Your kids’ lives? The community? That’s really the point of setting goals, isn’t it? To do work that matters. To set us up for success, the way we define it. And to leave a lasting impression.

But, before we start working on a goal, or before the work goes on too long, how do we know? For example, if I’m working on a goal, creating a report that I initially believe folks who read my work will find valuable, how do I really know that people will find value in it? Am I just writing to put words on a page (or white screen)?

Here are 5 signs that the work you’re doing is valuable from Kathy Oneto, entrepreneur and founder of Sustainable Ambition.

First, you can link your work to a valuable outcome. I’ll know my report is valuable when I can prove that if my readers follow advice given, they’ll be happier or healthier. Shouldn’t that be the purpose of a fitness blog?

Next, if people tell me that they get something out of my work, I’ve fulfilled a goal. I mostly write for myself, because there’s no assurance that anyone else will read my articles. But when people tell me that they’ve followed a point and been successful, that’s really rewarding.

If I’m making progress on my own goals, then I know my work is valuable. Much of my work is for others to see, so if more people see it and get benefits from it, I’m succeeding. And that’s motivation to move forward.

If my work aligns with my core values, then I’ll keep going. When I’m training my dog, it’s not always easy. But if the methods I use align with my values, and I see even slight improvements, then I’m encouraged and I know my work matters.

And if I’m growing, learning, and being challenged by my work, then that’s a good thing. If I’m growing and learning, then my work is probably getting better. More people will get value from it. And I’ll know it matters.

If you’re working on a fitness goal – yay! Good for you – not only does the work you do benefit your health, your healthy aging, but it also benefits your family. Haven’t you noticed that you’re in a better mood more of the time? You’ll be around to play with the dog and the grandkids. And you’ll have more fun doing it.

The Productivity Trap: Why Doing Less Can Be Your New Secret Weapon

You know that I’m a strong advocate for thinking, planning, and getting things done. Some people just see the last part – getting things done – and think that equates to always being busy. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s actually a productivity trap. Tweaking spreadsheets and checking a thesaurus does not equal productivity. In fact, it’s burnout that happens when we’re always going, going, going. And that burnout leads to decreased productivity and even health issues.

Burnout is a “systematic depletion that manifests as cynicism, detachment, and plummeting professional efficacy,” according to Natalie Nixon, PhD, and author and creativity strategist. When all this happens, failure ensues. We have so many commitments – from family responsibilities to work emergencies, that burnout can happen in any arena. Dr. Nixon has developed a framework to counter professional burnout, and I believe that it can help outside the workplace as well.

Move, think, rest

Dr. Nixon has coined the phrase “Move, Think, Rest” as a grounded approach to emotional recovery. I align it with “Work hard, then recover harder.” This approach recognizes that our bodies and minds work together to make our lives happier and more meaningful. Physical movement combined with deep thought and then recovery make us even more productive and resilient.

We know that physical movement increases endorphins in our systems and gives us more energy. But that’s not limited to a devoted workout session. A 15-minute walk while you’re thinking about the next step of your project not only maintains your mobility, but it helps your brain to reset.

And when we reflect on our work and are mindful of our surroundings, we’re setting the stage for deeper recovery.

Your brain is connecting the dots

And actual rest – when we’re doing nothing – is really not doing nothing. It’s letting our brains connect all the pieces of our being, our plans, and our work. It helps us connect the dots. Rest is more beneficial, sometimes, than the work itself. Dr. Nixon calls it “essential maintenance.”

So, work hard, exercise, and rest. Don’t neglect any of these elements. Your body and your brain will thank you.

A goal that’s just right

Sometimes I choose stupid goals. Like cleaning off my desk. That’s stupid because I know it’ll never happen. It just doesn’t matter to me. Or being successful at the Side Plank Star pose. It’s stupid because – why? Another stupid goal was getting an agility championship for my dog. I didn’t take into consideration my dog’s desires. He doesn’t care about agility all that much. Sure, I could train him for it, but if he’s not having fun, then I’m not having fun, and it takes a really long time and a lot of weekends competing in trials for it to happen. But I also chose a goal that’s just right.

Not too hard, not too easy

What’s a goal that’s just right? It’s not too hard, and it’s not too easy. As opposed to an agility championship for my dog – a goal that’s just right is one that is doable. One that I can see a path forward to the end.

As an example. I wanted to write a cozy mystery novel. But my days are pretty full, with dogs and the business. So, when would I be able to write the thousands of words that a novel requires? I spent some time thinking about that, and realized that I woke up about an hour before my alarm most days. And couldn’t go back to sleep. So – lightbulb – I figured I could use that time for writing.

Testing tells

I tested my theory for a few days. I sort of wrote an outline. (I realized that while I don’t ordinarily do outlines, a mystery story required one.) I set a second alarm for 50 minutes before my real one, created a Google doc, tested my Bluetooth keyboard on my phone, and started writing. Once I knew how many words I averaged writing each day, I was able to create a schedule for finishing my first mystery novel.

I created a goal that was just right. I drew up a plan and established a schedule. And now I have two published cozy mystery novels. Working toward a goal feels great. When you put work in toward a goal, you feel unstoppable. No matter what happens, you work through it. When you have an important goal, you’re optimistic, you’re resilient, and you feel healthy and strong. (To help you find a goal that’s just right for you, the Get It Done Blueprint lays it all out step-by-step and has a great worksheet. You can download it today for nothing.)

You can do anything you want to when you have a goal that’s just right.