I’m trying (again?) to add more cardio to my daily routine.
I get plenty of low key to moderate exercise but I have trouble getting around to the kind of intense workouts that would really improve my fitness levels.
And I do actually want to improve my fitness.
I do want to be able do more intense exercise.
And I always enjoy more intense exercises sessions – once I’m actually doing them.
The thing is, though, I hate the *idea* of them.
And like anything that I hate the idea of, I end up greatly overestimating the energy required to do it.
And once I’ve overestimated, I end up, trying to optimize the situation so it’ll be the least amount of hassle.
For example, I’ll overthink the *right* exercise to do and the perfect time to do it. Or I’ll try to take something I already do and make it a little harder, a plan that almost always takes the fun out of the original activity and makes me less likely to even do that.
So, I know that all of this overthinking is a ‘feature’ of how my ADHD brain operates, but knowing the issue doesn’t make it easy to overcome.
But I’m trying again all the same.
Here’s the plan:
For the next 7 days, – including today! – I’m going to do a 10 minute kickboxing workout on Apple Fitness + and then I am going to colour in a star on my chart.
At the end of the 7 days, if I have done all my workouts, I’ll get to buy a new book.
Straightforward. Simple. Clear.
But not necessarily easy – especially with all the obstacles my brain is probably going to invent for me.
But I’m hoping the small amount of time and the minimal decisions involved will work for me.
I can totally do this…
Right?
PS – Yes, I do know that 10 minutes a day for 7 days won’t move the needle but I also know that it might be enough to get me to the next step.
You are not alone in this. I often have a hard time getting out the door, even for my bike rides. And I love riding. My best bets are: setting up a meeting with someone else (that’s what will happen tomorrow; getting a “homework” assignment from someone else (gotta admit that occasionally leaves me trying to finish about a half a week’s worth of stuff on Sunday); or a variation on your 10 minute system. When I first ran, I headed to the treadmill or the street or the trail, and told myself I only had to do 10 minutes. Then, if I wasn’t happy, I could stop. 10 minutes turned out to be a great warm up time & I don’t think I ever stopped. Oh, a short bit of walking now & then, no problem. But I always got that run in. Somehow allowing myself to stop if it didn’t work the way I’d hoped seemed to overcome the inability to get out the door. Maybe having that option sort of replaced the initial barrier. Anyway, it worked.
Hope your week lets you do your workouts!