It’s a beautiful Thursday, and we’re a little more than 24 hours away from the First Annual 18STRONG 2-Man Shamble here in St. Louis – we’re using our friends and family as guinea pigs for this first run, then we’re going to blow it out for the next one:)
I’ve been pretty busy putting this together, so I haven’t exactly been “feeling it” to get in my workouts this week. But, so far I’ve powered through.
So, what do you do on those days when you’re not feeling it?
Getting started is the hard part. Once you’re in motion, 95% of the time you stay in motion.
Here’s a concept I want to introduce to you:
Behavioral Activation
It started as an idea to help depressed kids, but applies to all of us. The idea is that doing things – even though you may not feel like doing them – will improve your mood. At the core, its simply a tool that breaks the cycle of inactivity.
The concept is simple, yet crazy powerful.
By consciously adopting certain behaviors, we’re “activating” a positive emotional state – a state that gets us off the couch and moving.
Here are the steps:
- Make a list of activities you ENJOY (very important) doing
- Pick one, no matter how low-intensity – a 5-min walk, quick stretch, etc.
- Add it to your schedule and commit to it, even when you’re not motivated
The magic happens when you take that first step away from the couch. It creates a domino effect…
…You get started (the hardest part). You feel good that you’re doing something. You want to do more so you feel even better.
You’ll be amazed at how quickly you go from the couch and feeling lethargic, to ready to tackle your workout.
Now, if you excuse me, I’ve got to set up the twosomes for tomorrow’s event. Who am I kidding? I’m ordering the cold brews for the course.
Your #1 Fan,
Jeff Pelizzaro
PS – The goal here is to simply spark movement.
From there, you’ll be able to tackle whichever program you’re doing – hopefully in the 18STRONG Membership🙂