“YOUR CHALLENGES ARE REAL, BUT THEY ARE NOT UNIQUE!”
Like a neon sign flashing across my brain, those words really struck a chord inside me. We all have them – yeah, those things called challenges – and somehow we have to deal with them. But they aren’t any different or, in some cases, any worse than someone else’s.
So when it comes to the challenge of fitting training into our lives – whatever that may look like – we know it’s not as simple as Google makes it sound.
I’m sure you’ve seen the fitspirational memes such as “be stronger than your excuses” or “someone who is busier than you is running right now”. Yep, these are literal quotes plastered on our social media outlets to ‘motivate us’. But we know how wrong they are, right? Because we have real lives with real challenges. It’s just not as simple as a meme! Of course, we could go one step further and discuss how detrimental these statements are but let’s leave that for another day.
The reality is that, for most of us, there are roadblocks to fitting training into our lives.
Whether it’s lack of time, injury, age-related or a financial component, any one of these barriers can feel like a mountain too high to climb especially if we compare ourselves to the highlight reels of Instagram!
We each have our own challenges (those “perfect” IG/FB personas included), and the details will be different for each of us. There is no such thing as a unique challenge but rather commonalities in the issues we all face.
Do solutions exist? Of course! And maybe these insights can help get us there…
I’m too busy for exercise!
Are you constantly ‘working on the go’ barely finding a minute to call your spouse or help with homework or even sit down for a home cooked meal? We are ALL doing that too! No uniqueness here.
You have what seems like a thousand responsibilities demanding attention. Life feels like it’s spiraling out of control!
But being busy doesn’t mean you can’t do ANY physical activity. Maybe your schedule does not allow for a dedicated hour of training 3-5 days per week. Maybe you only have 15 minutes. Does your dog need walked? Or a post dinner bike ride with the family an option? Something is more than nothing – the ‘glass half full’ mentality (my fav). Find that silver lining and run with it – literally!
I’m too old to start training!
Mark works out in the Cross Fit box where I currently train. He’s 60 and moving better than he did in his 40s! I am in awe of him each day he engages in the WODs. They are tought, yet he pushes through…with modifications of course 😀
As much as we want to think there are barriers with age, nowadays there are programs and places for most anyone. Certainly that’s not to say that there aren’t challenges as we age. We may not be able to perform back flips when we are 50 like we did at 15. Adjustments will need to be made – totally OK. But some people find they actually feel better as they get older – an awesome phenomenon!
We can begin with training wherever we are in life. It may take some time to adapt, but we can absolutely become stronger, more flexible, and move better – no matter the age.
My body’s too broken for a training program!
Knee surgery? Shoulder surgery? Hip replacement? No matter how ‘broken’ we are, improvements in our condition can be made.
Josie (again she trains in the box with me) has had 5 hip surgeries in the last 3 years – yikes! Yet she still continues to train SAFELY. She knows and understands her limitations and works around them. Thankfully, most people never deal with that many injuries in their lives, but even if we had multiple injuries, Josie is proof that we can work our way back to a functional and strong body.
There are plenty of professional that can help us make our bodies more capable of doing the things we want and need to do (including me!). But that also means working at our own level and aiming for attributes and abilities that support personal goals and not someone else’s. The key is working around limitations to find enjoyable training that will not exacerbate issues.
I’m broke and can’t afford to train!
Money…the root of all evil as they say. Who is ‘they’ by the way? IDK!
Yes, finances can prohibit us from doing the things we would like to. But, with the population of low cost facilities ($10/month) and the plethora of workouts available online for zero cost, this is an easy one to get around. A set of dumbbells and a few resistance bands costs less than a yearly membership. Basement turned fitness room – people do it all the time. Heck, try out some of my FREE workouts here 🔥.
The challenge, of course, comes in the form of doing it without the push from a trainer or an instructor. Dig deep for the self-motivation. You’ll feel better. And so will your pocketbook!
How to Fit Training into Your Life
Our training should fit well into our life, without worrying about what anyone else is doing or recommending. Ah hem…find your fit!
We all have barriers that make it difficult to train – be it restrictions of time, mental fortitude, or physical ability – yet we can get STUCK in the trap of thinking that ‘training’ has one definition.
In reality, training can mean anything that helps us improve our physical condition for the goals and life we have.
Maybe we have the time, motivation, funds, and physical ability to work on a rigorous training program right now. BOOM – go for it! Put in the work and achieve some goals.
But maybe that’s not us right now. Maybe we can’t carve out an hour or so everyday to train. That’s totally fine.
Find what fits best into your current circumstances…and find that silver lining too!
