When sidetracked on the path to better health, cutting yourself some slack can help you get motivated again
The longest journey begins with a single step. That’s not the hard part, though. The real work is the millions of steps that come afterwards.
Gyms get busy in January as we all promise ourselves we’ll stick to New Year’s resolutions. This year, we swear, things will be different.
How long does our collective resolve last? Usually until February, according to Jenna Buckley.
“We see a decline six weeks into the year,” says Buckley, Adult Fitness and Lifestyle Co-ordinator at the Jamie Platz Family YMCA in the west end. “The most common reason people stop is simply losing motivation. They fall off the wagon and decide it’s just game over and they stop coming.”
Helping people change their habits and make better lifestyle choices is the ultimate goal for personal trainers and other health professionals the world over. This year, the YMCA of Northern Alberta is trying something different: the Community Health Challenge, which launched earlier this month and runs until the end of March.
The challenge, which Buckley is helping coordinate, gives 14 Edmontonians—each with diverse backgrounds and goals—gym memberships, nutritional consultation and personal training to help them on their journey to better health.
The participants are now two weeks into the program and getting acquainted with their trainers, with each other and with the sensation of sore muscles. Each has stuck with the program so far, though for different reasons.
“Making time for myself and getting fit has been a priority for me, but I seem to have struggled with accomplishing that on my own,” says Terra Biollo, a challenge participant who works in communications for PCL Constructors.
Biollo played softball and skated when she was younger, but the responsibilities of adulthood made it hard to find the time to stay active. When she did manage to do so, often she would suffer an injury, like when she hurt her knee right after she took up skiing.
Then there are the pressures of parenthood.
“I feel guilty spending time on myself when I could be spending that time with my child,” Biollo says. “I tend to put him first, above what I need.”
Since the Castle Downs Family YMCA, which Biollo attends, offers child minding for members, she can hit the gym without worrying about who is looking after her seven-year-old son. This also exposes her son to sports and exercise, giving him the chance to learn healthy habits for life.
Meanwhile Danielle Nault-Canning, another challenge participant, is motivated by the thought of what will happen if she doesn’t change her lifestyle.
“I know I need to make some changes,” she says. “I’m getting older and some things are not as easy as they once were.” Tying her shoes and climbing stairs have become more challenging lately for Nault-Canning, who recently turned 38.
The positive attitude each participant brings to his or her workouts is important, says Buckley. But a positive outlook alone is not enough.
Buckley, who has worked as a personal trainer since 2012, says understanding and selfcare are indispensable for those trying to create new, healthier habits.
“The most important thing for anyone starting with these changes to know is that lapses happen,” she says. “Don’t beat yourself up over that lapse happening in the first place. They happen; it’s normal. The important thing is to get back on track.
“If you’re driving and you hit the ditch, you don’t stay in the ditch for the rest of your life. You get out and eventually you start driving again. We should approach lifestyle changes with the same mindset.”
Buckley also recommends finding some form of social support for a new lifestyle habit. That could mean working out with a group, making an appointment with a trainer or sharing your workouts with friends through social media.
If Buckley is right on that last point, challenge participant Willy Grant is on the right track.
Grant, who works for Postmedia, wants to lose weight, and has a workout partner—her husband, Glenn, whom she signed up for the challenge along with her.
“It helps to have him here, for sure,” Grant says. “Some of the things we do are extremely challenging, I’m not going to lie. I’ve been very sore after some of the workouts.”