What is different about the fit moms that have been into fitness long term and never seemingly wavered? What keep us going back year after year when so many struggle to stick to a 30 day plan or jump from fitness hobby to fitness hobby looking for something that’s going to keep them motivated? “Where is that magic workout that will do the trick?!”
It isn’t a magic workout plan that keeps us motivated. And we definately aren’t super human. There are days that we want to skip the workout. There are many days that we do skip! But it wasn’t the workout’s fault. It was our mental state. We were feeling tired, stressed, too busy, pmsing, etc. and we thought for a minute the workout needed to slide. But we realize time and time again that the workout… whatever the workout is… helps us. And we go back the next day. Year after year. I've narrowed it down to 3 common traits I see in long term fit moms.
3 Common Traits of Long Term Fit Moms
1. We love training
Long term fit moms love everything about it. The sweat, the shoes, the leggings, the messy hair…. The way our bodies shape up, the endorphins. We love our moment to ourselves. We love the sense of accomplishment and empowerment after each workout. We might say we hate deadlifts (or burpees), but watch us master a new PR and smile and high five. We love that one day a few years ago we finally decide to go after this fit mom thing. We will never be the same.
2. We find joy in challenging ourselves
For long term fit moms, working out is not about getting skinny anymore. It’s become more than that. We love a challenge. Whether it’s running a bit further or lifting a bit more, we have learned that we are capable and our bodies are amazing and we want to keep going!
3. We find training therapeutic and necessary for our mental health
A long term fit mom has pounded out a lot of stress in the weight room or on the pavement. Those days we did let stress get the better of us and we skipped a workout, we learned quickly that skipping what helps most is not the best idea. Whether it’s the endorphins, the time alone to checkout or reflect, the time to do something for ourselves, listening to our music…. some combination of this keeps us coming back year after year. Somedays it’s not about health or building muscle… it’s just therapy.
If you are struggling to stick to a plan, just remember that we all waiver sometimes and struggle.
The difference is long term consistency. Be kind to yourself; don’t beat yourself up. Just jump back in. And I hope you’ll learn to love exercise in a way that keeps you coming back for years.
