Aug 12

Aug 12 Fitness and Motivation with @gabbyschey [Canadian Creative Collab Month]

Today's fabulous fitness influencer has a ton of important info to share with you, so I'll keep it short. Gabby and I went to university together, and in the short few years that I have known and gotten closer with her, I have seen her grow SO MUCH. Fitness is a difficult thing to incorporate into your life, let alone to have a career in. She's managed to build a huge and vastly dedicated following of (269k!!!) women whom support and empower each other to be the best they can be (as is the purpose of this month). Here's what @gabbyschey has to say:

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A common challenge for people who are beginning to integrate working out and eating healthy into their lives, is sticking to their plan or staying motivated. The issue with focusing on “motivation” is that motivation is fleeting. NO ONE is motivated every single day. There are some days when my alarm goes off at 5:00am and I sure as hell do not want to get out of bed to go to the gym. If I relied on motivation to get me up every morning, I would have quit a long time ago.

Instead of focusing on keeping yourself motivated, focus on being dedicated. Make a commitment to yourself to stick to your goals. Getting started is the hardest part, but once fitness becomes a part of your lifestyle it will get much easier to stay dedicated and motivated.

The first step in keeping yourself dedicated to your fitness journey is developing a workout routine that you enjoy doing. You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. If you love to bike or swim, include that in your fitness plan. If you hate going for runs, don’t go for runs! Doing workouts you do not enjoy doing is a definite way to make it harder for you to stay dedicated. Remember to be reasonable with yourself. If you are new to working out, don’t jump into a 6-7 day workout regimen. Start with 3-5 days per week until you think you can handle more. If you do not know how to create a fitness plan for yourself you can try doing group fitness classes at your gym, F45 classes, dance classes, join a sports team, or buy a fitness plan (like the Gabby Gains Guide - shameless plug). There are tons of free workouts online on website such as bodybuilding.com or fitnessblender on YouTube.

Once you have determined a fitness plan for yourself, the work begins. It helps to set short and long term fitness goals. For example, a short-term goal could simply be “I want to workout 5 days per week for the entire month”. A long-term goal could be “I want to do 5 un-assisted pull-ups by the end of the year”. Hold yourself accountable to these goals. No one is going to hold your hand and motivate you every day, you have to put in the work if you want to see results. Some days are going to be harder than others, but keep in mind giving up will get you nowhere. Even if you do not see results for a couple months, trust the process and do not give up. Time will go by no matter what, so use your time wisely. A year from now, do you want to look back and think about how many times you gave up and had to start over, or do you want to look back and think about how much progress you have made mentally and physically?

I go to the gym for my physical health, but also for my mental health. Working out and feeling good has become an addiction, it is just a part of my life at this point. Motivation is never an issue for me anymore, because fitness is just a part of my daily routine. I wake up and workout first thing in the morning, I make healthy meals because that is what I enjoy to eat. Of course, I love treats like cookies and ice cream and I never deprive myself, but I have also learned how GOOD my body can feel when I eat healthy foods 80% of the time.

Do not be too hard on yourself when you are starting your fitness journey, but make sure you are still tough enough on yourself to see progress mentally and physically. You are the boss of your life- YOU CAN DO THIS! You can do anything you put your mind to.

Enjoy the process. Enjoy food. Enjoy fitness!

Gabby