How can I motivate myself to exercise?
This is a really big question, and it does call into question whether your body actually needs that exercise.
We should be recovering as hard as we train. So it does call out your recovery. Is your body well enough recovered to go again the next day or whenever your next session is. It would be worth seeking support from a fitness professional here.
Somebody who has seen you train, knows your body, understands what you're asking of it. To give you specific advice here, I'm not able to do that because I can't see you. There are a couple of questions that you can ask yourself. Could you scale down your exercise if you do actually have to go out and do something?
If you do need to move your body, you feel well enough recovered instead of going for a run, could you go for a walk or could you change that gym class for a yoga class? Scale it down so you're still moving, but you're giving your body a bit of recovery time. It's a bit more of an active recovery. If this is something you do feel on a really regular basis, cycle tracking could help you identify specific times where you need to scale your exercise slightly, and times where slowing down and resting would actually be more productive for your body than going out and forcing yourself to exercise.
And be honest with yourself, are you really enjoying what you're doing? If you don't want to go out and do it, why don't you try something else? Try a sports team or a different gym class or something that excites you a bit more than what you're doing right now. Be kind to yourself. It's the winter. Nobody really feels like doing very much at the moment, and it's a tough time.
So try and take the pressure off yourself if you can, and get that professional fitness support.
We should be recovering as hard as we train. So it does call out your recovery. Is your body well enough recovered to go again the next day or whenever your next session is. It would be worth seeking support from a fitness professional here.
Somebody who has seen you train, knows your body, understands what you're asking of it. To give you specific advice here, I'm not able to do that because I can't see you. There are a couple of questions that you can ask yourself. Could you scale down your exercise if you do actually have to go out and do something?
If you do need to move your body, you feel well enough recovered instead of going for a run, could you go for a walk or could you change that gym class for a yoga class? Scale it down so you're still moving, but you're giving your body a bit of recovery time. It's a bit more of an active recovery. If this is something you do feel on a really regular basis, cycle tracking could help you identify specific times where you need to scale your exercise slightly, and times where slowing down and resting would actually be more productive for your body than going out and forcing yourself to exercise.
And be honest with yourself, are you really enjoying what you're doing? If you don't want to go out and do it, why don't you try something else? Try a sports team or a different gym class or something that excites you a bit more than what you're doing right now. Be kind to yourself. It's the winter. Nobody really feels like doing very much at the moment, and it's a tough time.
So try and take the pressure off yourself if you can, and get that professional fitness support.
Katherine Glyde
Menstrual Wellbeing Coach
