If you have every got off track in your workouts and failed to exercise with or without a dance pole for a really long time, then you probably already know that getting back into the swing of things is a LOT harder. It’s not only extremely hard to get going again, but get your body back to where it used to be, especially if you are in your 40’s like me.The hardest thing about getting back into a regular workout routine on or off the dance pole as a life habit is time and priorities. Obviously, if you got off track for a long period of time, it’s for a good reason(s). Don’t be ashamed of those reasons because it will only keep you off track for even longer. The feeling of shame has prevented me from sticking to a workout and I believe it’s the true root of what keeps me buried in that feeling that I “just don’t have time for myself”.Priorities are seriously out of alignment when we are not truly making time for ourselves in our own lives. I have been making this mistake now for a very long time and today, I’m in route to get back on track and share my story in hopes that it helps you. Overcoming The Time Trap That Blocks Your Workout Schedule Not enough time to workout and priorities that are out of alignment to achieve our best selves is very common and, in some ways, I feel it’s an underlying evil in society.For me, to overcome this I know it’s very important to go inside myself, reflect and ask myself “what are my reasons for not working out?” “How do I really feel about that?” When I get my answers, my first instinct was to find a logical reason why my reasons for not working out are bad or stupid. By doing this to myself, I created a sense of shame upon myself on the inside and I just continued to not get any exercise in any form. This negative cycle perpetuated itself.The solution? Rather than finding reasons to make my “reasons for not workout out” a bad thing and invalidate them, I decided to validate them and really listen, like I would listen to a dear friend. And why not right? Why is it so easy to be there for a friend yet we find it hard to share the same loving compassion for our own internal drama? Here are some reasons I discovered that I was not pole dancing as much as I used to: - I decided my business computer work was more important. My reasons for doing this was a fear that I would fall short and fail at my obligations. By listening with compassion, I instantly noticed that by freeing up some time by NOT working out, I didn’t really spare myself from the fear of failing at my obligations. The reality was that I failed as some of them anyways! Resolution: Time to put the workouts back in my life as a priority over computer work. - After realizing #1 above, I worked out for a little while, but then quickly fell off track again. Repeating the process……”What is my reason for not working out?”. “I was too tired in the mornings” I heard myself say. I always knew this but instead of telling myself that’s not an accuse, I listened with compassion, like I would a friend. “Why don’t you want to workout when you are tired?” I realized that pushing myself to exercise in the morning used to be a priority because exercising on an empty stomach will make your body to burn more fat. However, now that I’m older, I guess I just don’t care about that kind of fat loss extreme any longer. Not that I don’t care about fat loss, it’s just that I realize I really love a very slow wakeup in the morning, I love sipping my coffee, and talking to my cats (for you it might be your kids) in the morning. I didn’t want to miss out on the little enjoyments of life. My priorities had shifted – in a good way – but because I was so critical internally about not working out, I didn’t immediately notice the shift! How crazy is that! Resolution: Enjoy your mornings and let go of working out on an empty stomach. Work out in the afternoon instead.This process of asking yourself why you are not working out then listening with compassion and validating your excuses – giving them time to speak and be heard – is so powerful in removing all blocks in the way of putting your exercise and health back into the forefront of your life where it should be.This same process can be used to overcome negative emotions and self talk to become confident in your pole dancing. A Regular Pole Dancing Workout Is Enjoying Life Working out, eating healthy, and thriving in our bodies is paramount to fully enjoying life! Without health, we will suffer in our careers, not be there mentally for our families, and potentially allow too much time to pass by in life when we could have been enjoying the journey.None of us know how much time we have left. It’s important to be enjoying each day in the little things. The only person who can do that for you is you.We have to do this for ourselves.Listen to your own internal dialog with love and compassion, seek understanding as to why you have put your exercise activities last place. Enter the healing love flow that pole dancing for fitness offers and you will find it's easier than you think!When you do, share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to share my journey with you, we can overcome this together : )
