I have never really been motivated to workout in any capacity. I always thought that in order for it to be considered a workout, one must have a comprehensive plan or go to gym with a bunch of fancy equipment. However, once I changed that mindset, I not only began exercising more but also enjoyed what I was doing more.
More often than not, society conditions us into believing that in order to have a proper workout, a person needs an extensive workout routine in combination with some expensive equipment you can only find at the gym. This is simply untrue. I have always hated long workout plans with a variety of exercises and activities, leading me to avoid working out altogether.
Then one day, I simply began doing pushups because I just felt like it. I continued to just do pushups whenever I felt like it for the next couple days.
I had no set number in mind, no goal to achieve, only to do pushups until I no longer felt like doing them. Of course, this started out slow, only doing around ten pushups at a time, but as the weeks went on with this idea in mind that workouts do not have to be set in stone, I started to see improvement.
Eventually I was able to do quite a number of pushups. Keeping the whole idea of working out as low stress and flexible fueled me with the motivation to continue, which in the past would burn out only a couple of days after trying to stay on a workout schedule.
I eventually got tired of doing pushups, so instead I switched to another simple workout, situps.
The exercise that you are doing does not matter, but it is the effort being put forward which matters. Do not be afraid to switch up what you are doing, even if you may feel compelled to keep that consistency, listen to your body and what you enjoy doing at that present moment.
Despite what the gym bros post all over their social media, big equipment and protein shakes are not necessary to have a productive workout. Allow yourself to feel proud of doing just a couple of pushups in your living room while watching your favorite show. Exercising is exercising and no one can take that away from you.
At this point there are some days where I practice doing pushups three times a day and other times where I do not even think about moving my body unless absolutely necessary. That does not mean I failed, it just means that I am listening to my needs and incorporating that into how I work out.
Do not be afraid to take a break, to come back to it later or to keep it simple. No matter how modest it is, your workout is still valid.
