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tank // leggings // running shoes // jacket
Did you set any fitness goals for the new year? In our current pandemic situation, having fitness goals may be the last thing on your mind. Especially when gyms and studios have been closed for so long. You may be focusing more on moving off of your couch than you are about finally getting abs. Running has become a popular form of exercise over the last year, so maybe your goal is to tack on a few miles each time you go running. No matter what the current state of our country is, it is still important for us to take care of bodies.
Over the years my fitness goals have changed. It used to be the standard: lose weight, get toned. Then it became more about trying new workouts and fitness studios. I have always been one who enjoys working out, well, for the most part. I do have days where I wish I were anywhere else besides doing another burpee. I have been active since I was a kid; playing sports, cheering, and dancing. Even as an adult I love to move, sweat, and stay active. It always puts me in a great mood when I have consistently worked out. But I also over exhaust myself to the point of injury; not taking rest days or properly caring for sore muscles. In 2020 that was my fitness goal: to listen to my body and know when to take a rest. Now I feel I have a good handle on properly taking care of my body’s needs. I stretch daily, foam roll, use a massage gun, and most importantly I listen to my body if I need a rest day. I also do a lot of modifications than ever before. Working out from home has allowed me to be ok with modifying a workout. Where if I were in a studio I would become competitive and do everything full out. Obé instructor Kathryn puts it into perspective. She says “modification does not mean easier, it means smarter.” It’s working out to lessen or prevent an injury. It’s still getting the full effect of a movement, but taking care of your body at the same time. Working out from home has helped me realized it’s ok to take a step back. To use 1lb weights or no weights at all instead of 3lbs. That it’s better to put a knee down to lessen the pain in my shoulder than to tear a muscle. Working out smarter is my new modus operandi.
Going into the new year I wasn’t sure what my fitness goal was going to be. Then I realized it was best to not have a specific goal but to have an overall intention of making fitness a priority. I have noticed in the last few weeks my lack of motivation in working out. For someone who used to walk 20 minutes to a studio to workout for an hour to walk another 20 minutes back to my apartment, I sure do find a half hour online workout to be inconvenient. An inconvenience to what? I do not go anywhere or do anything. An inconvenience from refreshing Instagram for the millionth time. Maybe it’s the weather. Maybe it’s the lack of activity or a social life for over a year. Whatever the reason, I noticed myself dreading my workout instead of getting excited for it. Luckily I do Obé Fitness which has a variety of workouts so I mixed things up if I am feeling bored. I can do yoga one day, sculpt the next, and cardio boxing the day after. It does keep things interesting for me. I still do DanceBody and love learning the new dances. This is something I want to do more of in the coming year. I used to go to DanceBody at least 2 times per week. Now I do it maybe once a week if not every other week. Dancing brings me so much joy, I miss it.
This year I do not want to lose my love for working out and continue to have it be a priority in my life. I know how I feel inside and out when I workout consistently, and I do not want to lose it. I want to find the joy again in exercising instead of making it something that I think I have to do. In 2021 I want to continue to make fitness a priority and to find the joy in exercising again.
