"I don't know what's going on, really." She sounded down.
"The last few weeks I haven't been doing anything physical, really, other than walking the dogs."
"I guess I'm just wondering if you have any … ideas."
We were 5 minutes into her monthly coaching call, and she had just talked me through how her workout routine was 'off'. She was trying her best to not to feel guilty about it, but she still did.
The last few months have been tough for 'C'; like pretty much all of us she had cycled through some weeks of dedicated daily movement ("good weeks," in her assessment), while also hitting stretches--like this one--of just… not.
Well, sort of 🧐.
Sparkling like a glimpse of gold amidst the dirt was that passing comment she had tossed in at the end, nonchalant: "...other than walking the dogs."
For whatever reason, her daily dog walk didn't qualify in her mind as a 'workout'.
So I asked some questions.
It turned out her daily walk was a bit more potent than she had estimated…
Every day, she would walk around her neighborhood for 20 or 30 minutes, doing her best to tire out her 1-year-old pup.
And as a working mom, it also offered a rare moment away from all the competing demands she faced every waking hour.
She went on, describing her walks with the dog: "It just feels so good, to feel the air on my face, and get my heart thumping a little."
After listening, I only had one thing to say: as daily 'workout' routines go, her daily dog-walk was right up the list in my book.** **
It had both of the key components that make up 'sticky' movement habits:
She had a prompt, or trigger (her jumpy puppy), that came from outside of her. It was some extrinsic motivation, but--and this is important--not of the shame-y kind. Dogs are excellent at this 'unconditional' kind of friendship
She found regular pleasure in the habit. Rather than depending onlong-term payoffs as her motivation to go for the walk, she actually surprised herself by how much she enjoyed it each day.
Taken together--with the motivation flowing to her from the outside AND inside--C had all the necessary ingredients for a long-term movement habit.
And with that seed, more movement was not just a possibility but actually much more likely: a 20min walk could become 45 minutes of walking, joint mobility, and strength work in a few short weeks, with the right progression.
But it was also working well for her just as it was; she had nothing to feel guilty about.
We have all been sold a lie, when it comes to fitness and working out: that it's supposed to feel bad, hard, almost repentant.
That's just… not true.
In fact, if and when you find a mode of moving that feels good, your ears should perk up a little: you've just found a nugget of gold to hold onto, write down, and capitalize on.
The next step is to find the right external nudge (trigger) that will spur you to act on that pleasure-bringing move. This might be a fun accountability-pact with a friend or an easy schedule/logistical tweak ("right when I wake up", "right after I brush my teeth", "while I'm waiting for the tea to steep", etc).
Or it could be framed as a service for someone outside of you: walking your dog (like C), playing with your kid, teaming up with your neighbors, or anything else.
If there's any magic involved in fitness, it's in combining the naturally-occuring parts of our astounding human nature into more of the stuff that matters most to us.
Just like C needed a little nudge to realize that she had the makings of a superior movement habit already happening under her nose, it will take each of us some effort to find our particular formula simply because we are all incredibly, intrinsically unique.
This is exactly the kind of self-work that we facilitate with our online classes and training, because we think anytime someone can improve their relationship to moving their body, their life feels better.
What kind of habits are lying around in your life, hiding right under your nose?
I'd love to hear about 'em... I bet there's some gold there 😉.
To finding your gold,
Coach Will