Refuse to Accept "No" as an Answer (When Exercising)

Another day I roll out of bed; another day I want to curl up with a blanket and a show.

Although I know the benefits of exercise and how critical it is to my mental health, why is it so hard to roll out the mat, get down and get started? I spend more time contemplating why I “should” work out rather than enjoying the rewards of a challenging, energizing activity.

Since I was young, I’ve been the type of person who only knows two gears: all-out or nothing. Much of my life has been spent working myself into an exhaustive ball of anxiety, followed by days of recuperation. In my attempts to perfectly stick to a routine, it never seems to stick. This all-or-nothing, black-and-white thinking was a major catalyst in disordered eating and other mental health issues I have faced.

Today, I am much more aware of the costs of this behaviour. While breaking the “all-or-nothing” routine isn’t easy, there are a few tricks I have learnt along the way. For one, taking off the expectations I place on myself every once in a while is a rejuvenating experience, giving me the energy to face the next day. If you haven’t done so today, try this: take a big breath; as you breathe out, remove all of your expectations for the next fifteen seconds. Feel the weight lift off your shoulders and relish in the relief of tension.

Simple things like this are what I mean by becoming proactive with my self-care routine. The daily grind doesn’t stop and neither do I. In fact, mental health issues do not just stop. Ignoring warning signs and wishfully hoping things get better rarely works. This is why it’s imperative to find what works for you - it’s one of the ways we show love for ourselves!

So, how can I take this same attitude toward exercise, the best self-care activity we have in our tool belts? For the answer, I turn to my wonderful mother, Shelley.

Shelley was smart in seeking parental classes, gaining little tidbits to make raising a kid a bit easier. One of her favourite lessons helped her when it came to dressing me: Instead of giving me free-reign over my closet or picking everything for me, she would give me a choice. She’d hand pick two outfits and ask which I would like to wear. As a kid, I felt like I had a choice; as a mother, she didn’t have to run after her kid wearing a Batman helmet and Thomas The Tank Engine PJs.

Recently, I started applying this principle to my workouts with great success. In the same way my mom used to hold up two outfits for me to choose, I now hold up two exercises. Will I go for a run or do a bodyweight workout? A bike ride or the gym? Instead of exercise being a “yes or no” question, it has become “this or that”

I think we can all agree that doing something is better than doing nothing. As previously covered, a consistent routine will produce more results than motivation alone. The thing about routines is this: they only work if we do them more days than not. This “all or nothing” style doesn’t lead to a routine. It leads to exhaustion and inconsistent results.

So when it comes to exercise, let’s be like Shelley: don’t accept no as an answer. Giving yourself a choice flips resistance on its axis and makes the choice to workout more enjoyable and empowering. Remember, we always have a choice. Whether we choose progress or stagnation is up to us. Applying this principle makes this choice a lot easier to make.