To be or Not to be Alone... During Exercise

Starting fitness can be one of the hardest things to do, believe me I know, I've had to start and restart so many times over the years and that's where my problem has been. Once you start.... just keep going.

Hey Cavill Challengers, how has your week been? Have you started your challenge or are you still skeptical? Anywhere you are in your journey, take it from Henry... it's okay.

Adding something new to your daily routine is rough. When you've been a sedentary couch potato for several years... it can seem pretty daunting. Swoop in Henry Cavill to remind us that fitness should be done YOUR way and that:

It doesn't need to be a workout of the gods everyday just a little something.

This is a really good tip when struggling to fit in new things to routines. We all have our struggle times. This week was a bit easier for me. I didn't have any after-school commitments for my students, which made it a little easier to stay on track. I got in several longer walks with my family and the dog we are taking care of for two weeks. She's been a great motivator to get me outside. Much like Kal here, in Henry's post. I also did a couple of sessions of somatic yoga which helped stretch out my tired muscles.

Alot of us struggle to find the time to get our workouts in, but if you make the time, I promise that you genuinely benefit from it in all walks of life. Especially while walking bears. Make it your choice and you will achieve it. Do it for you! - Henry Cavill from the embedded Instagram post.

One of the hardest parts, for me, about working out in general is whether it's better to be on display at a gym, work out privately alone in your own home, or try with a friend group. I've done all of them and trying to find that sweet spot can be a bit disconcerting. I used to live in apartments that had a small gym for residents. I'd go there with my partner after a long day of work and there generally was never anyone else there except for us. However, just even having my partner there made me extremely aware that I was being observed. We then got memberships a famous chain gym which was much more "in the open". Not only did I have my partner there, but I also had tons of already fit people looking at me while I huffed on the elliptical. I've tried walking groups with coworkers, and solo walking. I've tried in-home workouts in the living room with my partner, and also my kiddo... and I've done them alone.

Is it intrinsically or externally motivating to workout with someone else? I guess that depends on the kind of person you are. Getting feedback from another human about what you're doing, right then and there, could externally motivate some...but it can also make people (like myself) feel like I'm not doing enough. It could also be intrinsically motivating because you DO want to look good for others. I, personally, am always hyper aware of others around me while I'm exercising. I think a lot of it has to do with my own self confidence when it comes to my body. I notice the flab. I notice my face getting red, and a whole host of other things.

My daughter, 5, got on the floor with me today during my 15 minute somatic yoga practice. She LOVES yoga (check out Cosmic Kids on YouTube! We love you Jaime!) and was very curious about me starting to do my own 'grown up' yoga. After I was done, she asked if she could show me some of her moves and we did that together for a few minutes. Having my family around, quite literally, ALL THE TIME makes it nearly impossible to workout on my own at home. I'm never alone in my house...which is a whole other topic. My partner doesn't mind working out in the living room with others around. So why is it so hard for me? I'm going to need to bite the bullet, so to speak, and get over my mental block!

I think having a dog is a great way to go. I miss my little walking buddy,

Ruby, who was the bestest

girl. They're just happy to be moving, and are non-judgmental. Henry posted so much about walking or running with Kal, that it reminded me just how much I missed having a dog around. Watching our neighbor's dog has really helped me. So, I guess I'll be in serious thought about getting another dog to help with my mental blocks when it comes to physical activity.

Scheduling Time to Add to Your Routine

Creating new habits is hard. "Don’t worry if it takes a bit longer than you’d like for your habit to become second nature. A 2021 study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology found that people need an average of 59 days to successfully form a new habit in nutrition." - From Change Your Ways on HubSpot

Being consistent seems to be the most important part of forming new habits. You ate healthy today, but tomorrow you're gorging on all the delicious carbs again (my nemesis). That one healthy day isn't going help you form that habit. So getting discouraged is usually why people drop out of the 'I'm getting fit and healthy' phase. People like positive feedback, and if that one day of eating healthy plus a good workout did nothing for them that day...why continue? This is also the same for people who do things for a week (I'm guilty...not gonna lie) and don't notice a difference. So they say why bother.

I'm going to need some grit here! My teaching topic keeps me at school for long hours after the actual school day is done. Then I need to pick up my daughter. Make dinner. Get her settled for the night. Do household work. Do more school related work, and then hope I have some time for myself in there. Starting this week, my work hours start to extend again after a week off from the after school activities. So, how to balance the exercise and healthy eating into that crazy schedule? I'm going to try a few things this week to help keep my momentum going.

• Include my daughter in a workout.

• Meal prep on my day off tomorrow so that the week is easier.

• Try REALLY hard to not bring home work related stuff.

We'll see how it goes! I hope your Cavill Challenges are going well. Cheers.