It’s early morning and the alarm sounds. You reach towards your night table and swat at the clock, hitting the snooze button. As you drift off for another nine minutes of sleep, you think about the workout you have scheduled and a feeling of paralysis overcomes you. You work through an endless list of excuses conjured up to convince yourself why it’s okay to sleep in this morning. The internal battle begins. Can you relate?

If this scenario sounds familiar, you may be experiencing resistance. Aches and pains, lack of sleep, work commitments, family obligations, feeling out of shape are all ways we can talk ourselves out of working towards the intentions we set to enhance good health.

How do we move past these barriers and not engage with the “should or shouldn’t I” struggle? One way is to acknowledge where you are now and where you want to go. Then find effective ways to navigate that distance with compassion.

While wellness hurdles can sometimes be tangible, such as recovering from injury or the flu, mostly it’s our own inner dialogue of thoughts and feelings that can trip us up. What’s behind the chatter? A little detective work can go a long way in getting to the root cause of resistance and making proper adjustments.

Here are some places to start:

Track your patterns: Use your calendar to plan workouts for the month and revisit the schedule at the beginning of each week. This allows you to take work and personal commitments into account and adjust accordingly. To remain accountable, check in each evening. What was your plan for the day and how did you do? Along with logging your activity, notice how you felt. Did you have difficulty starting? How did you work through it? How did you feel after the activity? Are modifications needed going forward?
Note what makes you feel good: Pay particular attention to patterns that include the positive feelings that follow a workout. Perhaps you like the rush of endorphins after a cardio workout, the camaraderie of a class setting or the feeling of power during a strength workout. When we make the right choices for ourselves, we never feel regret afterwards. In fact, we can ride the good feelings of making healthy choices throughout the day, using the momentum to spiral up instead of down. The good vibes will continue to multiply over time.
Note what’s getting you down: Are your workouts becoming monotonous? Are you sticking with a regiment that you just don’t enjoy? It’s okay to make it fun. Be creative as you plan your activities. You can train for a specific event, get involved in a charity activity, or make something up that’s unique and adventurous. You can plan to run all the streets in your town over a period of time, create an obstacle course using natural objects or hit the trails.
Forget perfection: If you have an hour workout scheduled and can only fit in 20 or 30 minutes that day, make the most of the time you have. Sometimes you may not feel like working out or don’t feel up to the effort. It’s okay to not go full throttle every single time. Do the best you can each workout.
Find ways to connect with yourself: One of the joys I experienced when training for long distance endurance events was the time I had alone on the paths and trails. I used those hours to really be present in my body, connect with nature and sometimes listen to music I loved or catch up on podcasts or audiobooks that were meaningful.

Working through resistance will help you find new ways to support your wellness aspirations. It’s not about maintaining a struggle with yourself, rather, the information you gather can be used to realign your wellness routines with your values and your life. Each time you feel resistance is a chance to practice self-acceptance and compassion.

Journal Reflections: How have you been feeling when starting your day? Are you enthusiastic about what’s to come or do you feel the weight of resistance? What can be changed to make your morning routine more aligned and enjoyable?

Overcoming Resistance