You have decided  that you want to make a change in your life, in terms of improving your wellness, by getting active. This is a great start and it will help you to take that very important first step . What types of activity can you do and how do you go about getting started, getting the motivation and a good plan together?

There are a few very important steps. Here they are:

Don’t run before you can walk – don’t focus on getting your activity done as soon as possible or as quick as possible. As an example, don’t try to do a 30 minute HIIT class if you’re only just getting into an active routine. Start with 10/15 min of low to moderate activity. Everyone progresses at their own pace and it’s important to follow your progress step by step.

Don’t compare yourself to others – everyone’s journey is different . Just because someone may be further along their journey than you, doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not doing enough. They may not have the same circumstances as you. In a world filled with filters, photoshop and half-truths, it’s pointless comparing yourself to others, who may not be showing the full side of their journey. The only indicator of your progress and growth is YOU. 

Focus on taking small progressive steps daily, instead of giant leaps inconsistently – attempting a 5k run once a week,  when you haven’t been running at all , is not realistic and can set you up for failure. However,  a routine of walking/ running 3- 5k, 3 times a week is definitely a good start and something you can find time for . Focus on being more consistent rather than being extreme. Any activity is better than none. 

Enjoy the process rather than being fixated on the results – find an activity that you like, it’ll be easier to stick to it. Focus on being  consistent and changing daily habits and the results will come :) Create challenges for yourself, find incentives, make the process fun by adding things you love. 

How to start being active - how to incorporate activity into your daily life.

From an Active by GOE perspective, we are going to speak about just how you start being active. Is it a case of waking up one day and deciding to be active? Is it something you need to plan? This very much depends on the personal preference. 

Some people will prefer to know the stuff they can do to get started and decide when it fits in with their schedule. Others will need to create a habit and factor that habit of becoming active into their busy schedules.  Find a time of day most suited for  your activity. If you’re an early bird - get it done in the morning, get up 30min earlier than usual. If you prefer staying up late, get active in the afternoon or maybe during your lunch break.  Generally, if you’re getting started, pick the time that suits you best and stick to it.

First and foremost - before embarking on your active journey, ask yourself WHY and really delve into that WHY. A surface level reason, such as wanting to lose weight or wanting to build your stamina won’t really get you out of bed when times get tough. A much deeper reason, such as wanting to be fit enough to play with your kids, will keep you going , on the days when you really don’t want to be active.

Second -  you have to find activities which don’t affect your normal daily routine much. You want to cause the least amount of disruption to your daily schedule, in order to make your active journey as sustainable as possible. Can you cycle to work instead of driving? Can you add a 30 minute walk during your lunch breaks? If you’re working at home or in the office, can you stand up more rather than sit down? These are things that will help you to be more active daily, without disrupting your routine.

Thirdly - you want to think outside the box and make your activities fun, otherwise you’ll see them as a chore and become demotivated after a while. When I say think outside the box, you could relive your childhood and go back to things like hopscotch, hula hooping, playing on the swings, swinging on monkey bars, whatever your childhood activities used to be. You don’t always have to go the conventional route, try to mix it up and make things more interesting.

Another  important thing is to keep accountability when being active and document your activities in a journal or planner. Planning ahead and logging your progress is vital to maintaining your active journey and keeping yourself accountable. Don’t be too hard on yourself, if you miss a day or two here or there. Be patient and kind to yourself. A journey is never perfect. Be realistic about what days you can be active and allow yourself rest days to recover and reset your body and mind.

How to find motivation - the drivers of success to reaching your goals.

You're embarking on your active by GOE journey, yet how to find motivation to be active and stay active?

In our experience, when it comes to finding motivation to be more active, it can be broken down into 3 different areas.

1. The first area is finding motivation to be active when you’re not feeling motivated. The way to tackle this is to find fun and creative alternatives. Look into things that you may have done as a child such as hula hooping, playing hopscotch, roller blading, riding a scooter or skateboard - these are all forms of being active which are non-conventional and can be really fun. 

2. The second area is finding motivation to start a new or old active method which you don’t like. To tackle this, try to find ways to combine the active method you don’t like and some activities you do like. One example of this is if you like reading but hate cycling, grab your book and jump on a stationary  bike at your local gym or health centre, and read while cycling. If  you like watching your favourite programme but hate walking, why not grab your smartphone and watch your series while walking on a treadmill?

3. The third area is finding motivation to keep being active consistently instead of every now and then. Try to add incentives and challenges to your active lifestyle which will spice things up a bit. Here’s a few examples – interval training. If running, skipping, cycling or anything similar is your form of activity, try changing your speed every minute so that you’re alternating between fast and slow paces. Challenge yourself  - if you know you can run a certain distance in 20 mins, see how far you’ll run in 30min. Every week, see if you can match or beat that distance. Find daily, weekly or monthly challenges that’ll help you stay on track. Lastly, try to give yourself some incentives: allow yourself a reward for completing an active task you set out to achieve. It could be anything from meeting up with friends, going to a party or just allowing yourself to be completely lazy for a day. It’s ok to feel proud of yourself and reward yourself for achievements. 

These are some  ways in which you are able to stay active on the days where you’re not feeling motivated. It’s also important to remember that even with all these methods, there’s going to be days when demotivation gets the better of you. It’s completely normal and is to be expected from us as we’re only humans. Be mindful and don’t beat yourself up for it. Negative thought towards yourself can sabotage your progress.

Listen to your body and find out what it really needs from you.  Believe that you’re doing something towards a healthier and happier YOU.  How is that for motivation? ;) 

The guide to creating a plan which will keep you consistently active.

Active by GOE feels that one of the best ways to stay committed to your new journey is to create a SMART plan for your activity. A SMART plan is one which is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic & timely, and it’s the foundation of building a strong active plan which can last a life-time.

Before creating a SMART plan for your activity, it’s good to think about what’s holding you back from achieving your active goals. This will likely be the basis of how you set your SMART plan.

Let’s go through the 5 components of a SMART plan and how it should be approached:

S - be SPECIFIC. What do you want to achieve in terms of being active? For example, do you want to be more consistent with your activity or do you want to increase your intensity? This means putting numbers/times to have specific aims,  for example -  increasing your active sessions to 1 hour a day 5 days a week.

M - the goal had to be MEASURABLE. How will you track your progress? For examples, how will you track the length of your activity, the consistency of the days you’re active, your heart rate etc

A - it has to be Attainable. It is super important that your active goal and plan are achievable. If you set your bar too high at the start , you’re more likely to give up.

R - be REALISTIC. Make sure you’re not  too hard on yourself. For example, if you don’t run at all, it’s not realistic that you’ll run 5km within the first month. Smaller goals will keep you on track and satisfied with the results. 

T - Timely. What’s the time frame for your goals? If you measure your goals by time, you’re more likely to keep the consistency. For example, set yourself a goal of being able to run constantly for 2km by the end of week 4 of your programme. Note your times. Once you get there, extend your desired distance but give yourself again a 4 week period to achieve this. And so on…

We hope that gives a bit more clarity into how to develop a SMART plan for your activity. 

Remember, find the activity that gets you motivated and encouraged and that will allow you to keep engaged and consistent while feeling good about it. Find something fun, a goal you always wanted to achieve like run 5/10km or a marathon, or to take up rowing or be good at tug of war or walk up Kilimanjaro. 

Setting an ultimate goal will help you keep focused on the smaller ones, which will be the stepping stones to a bigger success.  You can achieve anything and it's important to keep on trying. Some days will be easier and others will be harder, but if you can pick yourself back up, over time all those small steps will create a big, desirable change. Incrementally and sustainably you will achieve the activity level  you crave and it’ll become your daily habit.

Welcome to your holistic journey to wellness.

GOE is focused on small steps that make big changes, #smallsteps #bigchange.

Please feel free to reach out, engage with us anytime on your journey and we will support you all the way. 

Let us know how your active journey has been so far and what steps you’ve made to start being active. Comment below or get in touch directly via Instagram or Facebook, or by emailing us. Good luck, take care and keep in touch!