The Treadmill, elliptical, jogging around the track, 100 sit-ups, lifting free weights... Does working out really have to be that painfully boring?
Really, what does working out have to do with image consulting anyways. Lots, actually. When we look good, we feel good and vice versa - when we feel good, we look good. Many people who come in to see me for image consulting say that they want to wait until they "lose to weight" before they proceed with the wardrobe edit, shopping trip, styling, etc. My answer is always the same - look good NOW, feel good NOW! If you "wait" to lose the weight, there's a good chance that you will never lose the weight. Honestly, how many people right now can say that they wouldn't mind losing 5-10lbs? SO - my philosophy is get to a place where you can feel good (or as good as possible) about they way you look now. Let the snowball effect work for you in a reverse sort of way...
If you feel like you look "fat," "gross," "overweight," "ugly," "undesirable," etc.. and then you never leave the house (or you only go out for grocery runs in your baggy sweats that you have worn in every day for the past month, then how are you supposed to feel any different about the way you look. Regardless of your actual size, if you don't take pride in what is good about your body now, then how can you expect to change it?
So again I say, look good NOW, feel good NOW! I advise my clients to come in now and start to change the way they feel about themselves. Put on makeup, even if you are just going to the grocery store. Find a cute outfit that you want to wear out to dinner or for drinks. Start to love yourself NOW. The comes the fun part...
Once you start to love your body, you start to make healthy changes. You will start to push away that dessert option at dinner. You might decide that you want to walk instead of driving to the restaurant. You may decide that trying a fun new workout class sounds like a good idea. You might even decide that you will do whatever you have to in order to FEEL good about yourself. Viola. The reverse snowball effect.
You can't make any good decisions about how to take care of yourself if you have been chained to your couch for the past year. You need to get up, get out, and realize that you have a great body worth taking care of. I always start with the outside as it ALWAYS impacts the inside.
I have my clients go through a regular image consulting regimen. We do the style assessment, wardrobe edit and shopping trip. My deal with my clients is that if they do lose 30 lbs or more over the next year, I will re-do the shopping trip with them for free. It really does work. Once you start to take pride in yourself as a worthy, interesting human being, you start to take care of yourself.
So good... we have you feeling good and ready to get on the workout bandwagon. What does that look like? Like I said earlier, who wants to jog on a treadmill for an hour? Those days are long gone! There are so many great workouts these days that there is no need to suffer through an hour of mediocre cardio.
Some of my favorites:
- CrossFit. I just started this so I can't say a whole lot about it but I do know people who have done it for months and LOVE it. It's a combination of weight training, cardio, unconventional toning exercises, and nonstop movement that will have you sweating and feeling the burn within the first 5 minutes. The good thing - they cater each workout to YOUR level. You are not being compared to the guys who have been doing it for years - you are doing your own, catered workout. A good gym to check out is D-town CrossFit in Denver.
- Barre Ballet classes. I would love to have the body of a ballerina so why not try a ballerina's workout?? These classes will make you feel the burn as you go through a large series of sculpting and toning exercises, but you will feel SO good afterwards.
- Yoga. Some people do yoga to lose weight, others do it for meditation - I think it can be good for both. If you are looking to lose serious weight, I don't know if it's the best way to go (then again, I am not a health expert - I am just relaying my exercise experience). Yoga is good for flexibility, peace of mind, toning, breathing exercises and so much more. It's something that is definitely worth trying. If you go to a CorePower Yoga for the first time, you will get one week of free classes to decide if it is something you like.
- Pilates. I wish that I could say that I have done the reformer pilates with the machine but I have not tried that, although I know people who swear by it to keep them fit. They have mat classes that are a good workout. It is something that everyone should at least try.
- Kickboxing. I love kickboxing. This has been one of the greatest workouts that I have tried. You get your aggression out, you sweat out all the toxins in your body and you get a really good, full body cardio workout. I would recommend others try this workout!
Finally, you have classes like Zumba (and other fun dance classes), instructor-lead cardio circuits, group aerobics classes, outdoor groups, hiking, cycling, swimming... there are a ton of FUN ways to get in shape that don't require mindless (and monotonous) treadmill or elliptical workouts.
Try a fitness class and see if it's for you, if not, try another one. Feeling good about our bodies is one of the best ways to help us start to feel good about how we look and how our fashionable new clothes look on us.
Happy sweating and shopping :)
Xo, Kristin @ Kristin Golden Image Consulting
www.kristingolden.com
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