I started the Hybrid Calisthenics routine last Monday and I swear I can feel a big difference in my movements already.
Yeah, I know, it’s unlikely that I actually have many results from a single week of focused training but my brain is convinced otherwise so I am just rolling with it.
In fact, my brain is so convinced that it isn’t fighting me on finding time to exercise every day. Instead, it has let me just get started* when I reach ‘exercise time’ each day. This is virtually unprecedented.
And I think this shift comes down to two things:
- A meditation on Insight Timer called Train Like An Athlete** in which Amanda Sellers said (among lots of other helpful things), “You don’t need motivation, you need a decision.”
I swear when I heard that, I actually said ‘Oh!’ out loud.
I don’t know why that really hit home at that moment – I know perfectly well that I don’t need motivation but perhaps subconsciously I didn’t believe it until just then.
Right after I listened to the meditation, I got out of my chair and did some stretches, squats, and standing twists just to keep myself in the right frame of mind.
And later that day, when I was mowing the lawn, I reframed that chore as exercise and decided to make sure to push myself a bit harder throughout the process. My ADHD brain loved the feeling of that decision and it loved the fact that I was accomplishing two things at once.
The good feeling of DECIDING to move my body more effectively lasted through the rest of the yard work the next day and brought me right up to Monday morning when I realized that I could build on the momentum of the last two days by choosing a new exercise program and starting it RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT.
And that’s when the Hybrid Calisthenics app kind of floated into my mind.
- The Hybrid Calisthenics program app is VERY straightforward and VERY clear.
I have sort of tried the program as outlined on the website before but I didn’t get very far with it because, as I now realize, I don’t do very well with just a list of exercises.
When I just have a list, I always either push myself too far and overdo it early in the process or I don’t push myself enough and I get bored with it.
So, while I love Hampton’s friendly and encouraging style on the Hybrid Calisthenics YouTube Channel I had kind of filed his program away for later. You know, the perfectly logical process of putting a program that will help you slowly build your fitness on hold until you feel fitter. (Note: please read that sentence in a dry sarcastic tone. Include an eyeroll if you can.)
But once I took a look at the app, his routine felt a lot more possible so I once again took Amanda’s advice and made two decisions 1) to give the routine a try and 2) to follow the routine as it was laid out – no second guessing, no figuring things out, just following the instructions in the app.
Before I knew it, I was doing two sets of 30 wall pushups and two sets of leg extensions, recording my progress on the app, and feeling a real sense of accomplishment.
It must have been the perfect combination and level of exercises for me because while my muscles were a bit tired the next day, they weren’t discouragingly sore and I could do the next part of the routine without strain or stress.
And now it’s a week later and I could increase my wall pushups by a few reps this morning.
All because I heard that line “You don’t need motivation, you need a decision.” and made a decision at just the right time.
Now I just have to keep deciding to show up for myself.
Go me!
*Task initiation is notoriously hard for the ADHD brain in general and my ADHD brain in particular. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=adhd+trouble+getting+started
**The full meditation isn’t available without a membership but here’s a sample – https://insig.ht/a0IpEg5jK4b)
