Recall surmounted obstacles to fitness progress
Over the past 20 years or so, I’ve experienced many of the same obstacles as my clients. Work demands, health problems, family responsibilities, stress and all sorts of other factors have cut into my ability to exercise from time to time.
When I think back to those periods, I’m reminded not so much about the obstacle itself, but how I eventually overcame it. I think that’s an important perspective for future success, and one I’ll discuss in greater detail this week. Plus, I’ll share an exercise that can be a great “slump buster” movement for those experiencing a downturn in activity patterns.
Listen, we all go through periods when exercise is not our top priority — for all sorts of reasons. It’s inevitable, and so it’s important to prepare for those times with the right mental approach that prevents a catastrophic collapse in motivation altogether. But it’s even more important to be able to recall how obstacles were overcome, how motivation returned, and how the results were so much sweeter after going through a tough time.
The importance of remembering one’s success can be summarized in one word: self-efficacy. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines self-efficacy as people’s beliefs about their capabilities to exercise control over their own activities.
Self-efficacy is so important. Unlike self-confidence, it is specific to a certain skill set or knowledge base. Self-confidence is more of an attitude or general personality trait, but self-efficacy is unique to one situation. People can have extremely high general self-confidence but experience very low self-efficacy in terms of their ability to, let’s say, get in shape.
And that’s exactly why it’s important to recall successful experiences in which one overcame obstacles related to exercise adherence and fitness progress. As successes occur, one’s self-efficacy for overcoming similar challenges rises. It becomes easier and easier to overcome future challenges because you know you can.
This week’s exercise is a great thing to tackle when you’ve been having trouble adhering to your workout schedule. It’s a simple movement that challenges the whole body. The Walking Dumbbell Burpee is appropriate for all fitness levels and can be modified easily to adjust intensity.
1. Select a pair of light/medium-weight dumbbells and hold one in each hand while standing. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
2. Squat down by pressing the hips back and bending the knees. As you reach the full squat, place the dumbbells on the floor in front of you, right next to each other. Do not let go of the handles.
3. Walk your arms forward with the dumbbells by moving each one a few inches, then the other.
4. Allow your hips to drop as you continue walking all the way out until you are in the “up” phase of a pushup. This is your endpoint.
5. Slowly walk the dumbbells back toward your feet.
6. As you reach the feet, let go of the dumbbells and stand up for a few seconds. Then repeat the sequence.
7. Five repetitions are one set; aim for two sets.
The Walking Dumbbell Burpee is an exercise that reminds us of our former selves. If someone has had a long layoff, performing this exercise will provide a great jump start to get back in the groove. And once the self-efficacy starts flowing, there’s no limit. Enjoy!