While Waiting for the Magic Pill to Replace Exercise

If you have not tried listening to music during your workout you are missing out. I used to never listen to music while working out. Mostly this was due to sweat (I mean glistening lol), other issues I had was with all the cords (that used to be necessary prior to Bluetooth being affordable.)

This last year I have been trying to incorporate more cardio into my life.

I absolutely hate it.

BUT it improves my lungs volume and endurance. Significantly.

Enter Bluetooth headphones.

I started using these to workout using the treadmill, Stairmaster and walks.

Typically, I do not use headphones for major lifts because I need to concentrate on activating my core for stability instead of worrying about my headphones falling out of my ears while I’m holding 100lbs.

I am such a huge fan of exercise- not necessarily for weight loss although that can be beneficial. I love exercising for the incredible mental health benefits!

Anxiety subsides, Depression subsides, that problem that you have been stressing at work about- not as important as originally thought. Exercise provides perspective that no other person can. It allows you to solve your own problems. I can count on one hand the amount of people who regret working out afterward.

The problem is convincing yourself to go. Our caveman brains automatically disregard the idea of exerting physical energy for anything besides running from a tiger.

I’ve come to realize that you don’t have to be motivated to go workout. You just have to get to the gym before your brain realizes what you are doing.

Bribe your brain like you would a child, “You only have to do 15 min walking on the treadmill”, then if you do more than that, wonderful, you have cemented another day in a positive habit. If you want to do more, then great but right now it’s not required.

Make exercising super easy. If you have a treadmill at home, walk in your pajamas when you wake up. If you drive by a gym on your way home from work and its super convenient to go there, perhaps paying $15 more a month is worth it to ensure that you actually go. Pack your workout clothes and put them in your car the night before.

I highly recommend the book Atomic Habits. The author recommends “habit stacking”. This is where you add habits to routines you normally do on a daily basis. It is very much a “if I do this common task, then I do this added task immediately afterward”. You can request this book from your library as a physical copy, or they most likely are part of an online library system (like Libby) where you could listen to it for free as an audiobook.

Heck, try listening to it on the treadmill while walking!

The world truly is your oyster.

And at the end of the day, find something you like to do and do it!

Wishing you well,

Carmelite