Three barriers I face when trying to successfully enact my health behavior changes are 1) time, 2) energy levels, and 3) distractions.
Time is an issue because of school responsibilities. I have 2 graduate classes per week. Each class meets once a week and are each about 3 hours long. Of course, they also require time outside of class to be spent on assignments (article/book readings, writing a business plan, other projects, etc). I also have a residency as part of my OTD program, which is ~20 hrs/week. I work on my OTD project/portfolio during the week, too. All of this leaves me with limited time for non-school activities and leisure activities. Chores and caring for my pets take up a nice chunk of non-school time. While I usually don't cook from scratch, I try choose easy-to-prepare foods (love Trader Joe's) that are a bit healthier than frozen dinners and/or fast food. This saves me some time on cooking, without sacrificing too much health-wise (although, I do have a weakness for Cup'O'Noodles and the like). After all my responsibilities are taken care of, I like to spend the rest of my free-time engaging in more relaxing, restful, and/or fun activities (reading, watching TV, shopping, hanging out with friends). Even though working out has such positive benefits and can be fun, it has not been on my free-time priority list.
Poor energy levels have a lot to do with the above time issue. Right now, when I get done with school for the day, I am unmotivated to exercise or be conscious of preparing a healthy meal. Because so much of my day is spent thinking (mental exertion) and requires some physical exertion (taking public transportation, walking around the hospital, etc), I usually come home exhausted and feel like taking an afternoon/early evening nap. It is a real challenge to stay up and not nap because napping would just ruin my sleep schedule. I have a hard time getting to bed early, but try to get to bed by midnight. I usually never feel refreshed when I wake up before 10 am. I also think my poor eating habits contribute to my poor energy levels. If I eat less sugar and more whole grains, I should have more stable energy levels throughout the day. I also notice that when I eat a late lunch, I tend to eat more and end up getting extra sleepy in the afternoons. I should try eating my biggest meal at breakfast and eat lunch more towards the middle of my day, when possible. Energy levels also contribute to why I tend to choose more relaxing and restful activities during my free-time. Coming from my occupational therapy perspective, I feel that because I spend so much of my day in work/school and self-care (cooking, cleaning, etc) activities, I need these rest/restorative activities for balance and health. What I need to realize is that exercise and eating healthy can be restorative activities that make me feel better and give me more energy! I think this association will come with time and increased, routine engagement in these activities.
Distractions come in many forms. Fatigue and my preference for restful/relaxing activities can be considered a distraction. If my favorite TV show is on (Vampire Diaries, hehe), I feel less strongly about working out. If I am stressing out about school work that needs to be done or an apartment that needs to be cleaned, I am really less likely to get to the gym. Friends and family can also be distracting. If they want to go out to dinner or to a bar/club, I would choose that social interaction over exercise and am more prone to make unhealthier food choices. Distractions aren't considered bad events, but rather, I feel like I should learn how to manage my time and my energy levels so that I can engage in these "distractions" while still making room for exercise and healthy foods.
Here are the 2 thoughts that motive me to workout: (A) Get changed into your workout clothes and get your butt out the door! It is very easy to mentally psyche yourself out before even taking a step outside. You should at least TRY getting ready to workout and worst case scenario you go to the gym and after 5 mins feel like crap…….that’s fine, you can just turn around and go back home! At least you made an attempt to go and workout. But I bet you (10:1 odds) that once you’re in the gym sweating you’ll be glad you decided to workout. For example, my workout normally lasts 1 hour with a heart rate of 120-135 bpm (either a 6-7 mile run or 15-20 repetitions of the Santa Monica stairs). If I sat on the couch and thought about how hard I would be breathing/sweating, I would refuse to workout every time that thought crossed my mind. But just like any kind of exercising or sports training, you must warm up and moderately increase your intensity to reach that level. (B) Now I don’t want to sound like a wise old owl but 30 mins of exercising will make the remaining 23 hours and 30 mins of your day that much more enjoyable. The two times I’ve worked out and wish I hadn’t was when I: (1) twisted my ankle on a pine cone while doing fartleks in the rain and (2) working out while recovering from a 102 temperature and throwing up. But that’s all history! I’d be willing to take that gamble every single day considering the rewards of working out are 10x greater.
ReplyDeleteSo in conclusion, (1) don’t psyche yourself out and (2) 30 mins will make the remaining 23:30hours amazing.