After many year in the fitness and wellness industry I’ve noticed a pattern of high and low seasons when it comes to consistency.
Every so often, we get really excited about a certain fitness routine or way of eating that it becomes effortless to show up everyday. Then one day we decide to take a break then again and again until we’ve completely fallen out of touch with our practice.
It’s perfectly normal to experience high and low seasons with just about anything in life but when it comes to fitness, this is especially true.
Now, one of the most important things I’ve learned in my fitness journey is that just because we don’t feel like it, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t. After all, action creates motivation. But also, we must learn to be gentle with ourselves. The key is in knowing how to keep moving in a way to feels compassionate yet purposeful.
Do not judge yourself during a sudden decrease in energy or motivation. It’s okay to take a break and focus on giving our bodies and minds what it needs at that moment.
Giving ourselves space to process and just be is part of how we move forward towards sustainable growth. But even within this space, I like to practice what I call “autonomous routine”.
Autonomous routine is a term I’ve been using for years. It basically means that while I may take a little more time for myself to do what fills my soul at a given moment, there are some non-negotiable things.
Here’s an example: I love plyometric HIIT workouts but sometimes around my monthly cycle my body just simply doesn’t want to do anything too extreme. But I still want to do cardio or move in some way so I decide to go for a really light jog or follow one of my pilates flows instead. Then, when I’m ready to get back to my more challenging workouts, I resume.
Exercising is my non-negotiable routine but giving myself the autonomy/freedom to do what feels good for me at that moment is how I practice self compassion. This is the only way to make a practice sustainable in my opinion.
We want to be consistent and have structure but even within that consistency, have some room for freedom.
Another non-negotiable for me is core work at least 4 times a week and a sweaty workout at least 2 times a week. When it comes to nutrition a non-negotiable is at least 2 green things a day even if I have a slice of pizza next to my salad.
This is how I like to have freedom within my routine so I don’t have the need to fall off the wagon because I’m too exhausted with my “strict routine”.
This is also why I created the VB FIT METHOD. My workouts include a variety of routines so you can choose according to what you’re able to do that day without feeling like you have to kill yourself every single time. Some workouts are gentle classical pilates flows and others are a mix of high intensity pilates with plyometrics so you can work hard when you have the energy to do so and give yourself a break other days through active recovery workouts.
If you haven’t yet, make sure to check out my 7 day FREE TRIAL and try it for yourself.
I hope you found this read helpful and encouraging to keep moving forward amidst the occasional low that comes with being a human;)
If you have any question, concerns, or requests, feel free to reach out by filling out the contact form on the menu bar above.
xo,
Vilmaliz
#VBMETHOD
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