How many times have you decided to start your fitness journey and stopped it midway or even earlier?

How many times have you decided no more junk food only to find your feet going back to raid the fridge to get that tub of ice cream or that piece of leftover pastry?

And how many times have you hated yourself for indulging your gluttonous and lazy self?

AND how many times do you find yourself saying “It's okay. I will start afresh tomorrow.”

What was your answer to these questions? If I have guessed it right you are still waiting for that tomorrow.

And let me tell you something, that tomorrow will probably never arrive.

Because this definition of a tomorrow when all things will be perfectly conducive for you to start working on your goals is only that – just a definition. It only exists in your mind.

We wait for that ONE day when everything will fall in place and we will be able to begin this new chapter of our lives and suddenly every single thing will turn out just perfect and we will all become Queen Victoria! But because we never run out of excuses to give ourselves, we never reach that perfect sunrise. We are always telling , oh today I have this work, this party, this event, this project, my baby, my back, my legs, my head, these guests, this function, this festival , my birthday and the list is endless. And therefore we never start. Because we never run out of reasons to postpone.

You may think it's so easy for me to say because I am already working out everyday so I am fitter. But my friend I wasn't always this way. In fact if anything, you would be able to relate a lot to me because I was this extremely unfit blob until a few years ago.

I never played any sport except the occasional badminton. I hated PT period and sports day would make queasy. I had super slim friends and I was always in a constant state of self criticism thanks to being compared either by me or the society in general. I have written in some of my past posts about the hugely detrimental effect of body shaming either by the self or others.

But the point I wanted to make here is that IT’S NOT EASY. In fact for a lot of us, it's tough to begin or even think of starting.

The journey to fitness doesn't have a finish line. It ends with you. The road you take will have you as the lone traveller. Off course you will have friends and comrades who will come and go. But mostly it will be you. There won't be anyone cheering for you each time you lose a kilo or lift a heavier weight or get a difficult pose right.

And you know something. That's how it should be. Working out should be about getting healthy in body and mind. It should be about delving inwards and getting to know your deepest self. Most of the times it will reveal things you are too scared to see. But that will help you become a better person. It shouldn't be about wanting to impress an audience. We are humans and we can't help being vain. But if you are working out to gain validation, then it's not going to work because you won't be able to keep up for long. Because there is always going to be someone better than you and getting more likes than you.

Why do you think there are so many people posting pictures of themselves in twisted poses and tough routines? Because we all want validation. It's funny because I honestly don't remember feeling this huge urge of showing off before internet came into existence. So there must be some correlation between the desire to be desired by the whole world and the presence of social media.

Again I digress. Let’s talk about self motivation. How do you will yourself to get on the mat and finish the damn workout when all that your mind wants to do is just lie down and have a bag of chips while flicking mindlessly through Netflix?

The answer is simple. You keep the bag of chips away. Close Netflix. Get on the mat and finish the damn workout.

Okay maybe that was too simple to be true. Well it will be one day when you have crossed a huge river getting over something called as DISTRACTION.

Each time we are giving excuses to ourselves, we are not giving reasons to ourselves to not workout but we are actually getting distracted from our goal. We may think it's laziness or boredom, but it's actually the result of a highly distracted mind.

When I first began working out seriously 3 years ago, I hated every moment of it. I was fat. I would do 3 jumping jacks and start panting. My body jiggled in unimaginable ways only making me feel ugly. I was constantly having sore muscles and the very thought of exercise would get me into panic mode. I would always come up with excuses to skip the next workout.

I started working out 90 minutes twice a day. None of it was high impact because I was recovering from a case of runner’s knee (funny ailment for someone who hated running) I was monitoring my; weight every 3 days. I remember the first time I checked my weight after working out 3 days in a row. I was so excited to see the results. The scale had not budged an inch. And I remember declaring that this was a waste of time and I was never going to workout ever again. I also binged on MacDonald’s that evening to get over my grief only to find a half kilo gain the next day! It took me a good one month to notice changes in my weight. And from then slowly but steadily my journey began from 73 to finally 57. The second time around ( this was after my delivery last August) was a bit easier because my body and mind knew what to expect.

But motivation is something you will always have to keep working on because it is so easy to convince your mind otherwise.

Here are some tips that have helped me the most in my fitness journey.

1. Have small tangible goals and write them down. Rather than saying ‘I want to become katrina kaif in a month’, decide to lose a certain number of kilos. I usually keep a target of 1kg a month when I work on weight loss. You will most probably end up losing more.

2. Every time you feel lazy to workout think of how you are going to feel after the completion of the workout, when you will have sweated it out and accomplished the workout for the day. I feel an amazing rush each time I finish my exercise. The endorphins released after an intense blood pumping session always end up making me feel glorious.

3. Visualize. This is my favourite tip. I always imagine how I would look in a certain outfit once I would have reached the target. And that helps me a lot. Trust me when I say this, imagining yourself looking all hot and sexy is a huge self esteem booster.

4. Chart your progress. If keeping a weight log works for you like me, keep one. Or get one of those flexibility tracker charts online and keep checking your full split progress at regular intervals.

5. Dress up for your workout. It may seem like too much but having a few trendy outfits dedicated solely for working out will give you a high. Invest in a few good quality sports bras both high and low impact, some tanks, leggings, tracks. Keep those old tees inside and wear bright clothes while exercising. And do this even if you are not going out to the gym or for a run. You may think working out at home in an old t shirt with some worn out slacks is enough but seeing yourself look like a ragdoll is not going to motivate you.

6. Reward yourself for small achievements. Say for eg- every time you lose 1kg you can have an ice-cream or a pastry. Or say after 2 weeks of workout have a small cheat meal. This will keep you looking forward for more.

7. Try the kind of workout that you love. You don’t have to follow a particular style just because it is supposed to be good. A combination of strength, cardio and flexibility can be attained through various forms. Also workout in a group or with a friend that motivates you. Personally I prefer working out by myself because I always tend to get competitive in a group and I feel it kills the purpose of my fitness journey.

These were some of the tips that have helped me a lot and still continue to do so. I have never worked out in a gym. I use the internet and my yoga training to my benefit. Especially when you are a new mom, it is difficult to set aside a specific time to workout. You just have to find a window sometime in your schedule and go for it.

Avoid any social media when you are working out. That will only distract you further. Dedicate that 1 odd hour just for YOUR body and mind.

Also remember that motivation comes only with practice and habit. You have to keep talking to yourself. Every time you feel like giving up, remind yourself why you started in the first place. If getting fit were that easy there would be no unfit person in the world. This takes effort. It is literally your blood and sweat working for you. The returns you will get for investing ONE hour a day, 6 days a week are going to last your lifetime.

It will be very tough in the beginning. You will be working hard but there will be hardly any visible changes. But be patient. Be kind to yourself. Know that your body has already started working from within when you began your first jog. The results will take time, but when they arrive you will be amazed with what your body would have achieved.

The beauty of getting into a fit and healthy lifestyle is that once you get the taste of it, you don't want to stop. It is the initial phase that is the hardest to cross.

Sometimes none of these are going to work. All the theory will feel like crap to you. I wish I could give you a magic potion for such moments. But no. What will keep you on is sheer will power. And determination. Get stubborn and deal with that lazy self. Be hard. Bear that pain and then pat yourself on the back. Tell yourself how proud you feel of what you have accomplished. That will egg you on.

Because you always ALWAYS feel good after a workout.



Till the next time!

Have a safe practice.

Stay healthy. Stay happy. #slayfitmama