Obstacles to Yoga Practice // Lifestyle Edition

Routines are important. I can’t emphasize this enough. And guess what? Sometimes including exercise as part of your routine isn’t easy. For people who don’t struggle with wanting to stay in bed a bit longer, or relax on the couch instead—good for you. But for the majority of the population that isn’t the case! Exercise is a decision. It’s a choice you need to make to include it in a routine and- here’s the important part- stick to it! 

In my opinion, making exercise a routine is becoming increasingly difficult when things like streaming companies and social media and other distractions are becoming more and more prevalent. I mean, who hasn’t ever been asked the question “what are you binging right now?” . Our culture is all about the binging! Don’t get me wrong, I think Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming companies are great. Relaxing on the couch with my husband at the end of a long day, watching my favorite show is a great way for me to wind down. But when streaming and watching television gets in the way of regular exercise this becomes a problem. 

Another challenge can be work. Having to work specific hours Monday-Friday can be consuming, and even more so if you have a commute. And that’s just from a time standpoint! If you are working remotely from home right now, a lot of people have a hard time “clocking out” since work is always there. There’s no escaping it! Regardless of where you’re working, add in work-related stress and fatigue..and finding the energy for yoga can be even more challenging.

When the weekend hits we take this as our opportunity to see our family and friends (even if this is socially distanced). Too often, these social hangouts revolve around food. Specifically: sitting down, talking, and mindlessly eating not-so-healthy food. Instead of eating and sedentary activities, when is the last time you and a friend made plans to go to a yoga class together? Or go for a hike? Or go on a beach walk to search for sea glass? 

Now let’s hit pause. Take a minute (or more) here to think about your lifestyle and take inventory on how you’re spending your time. If you notice your lifestyle may not include as much exercise as you’d like, here’s some tips: 

• Try to find a time of day for yoga (or another form of exercise) that fits in your lifestyle. Forget about what other people are doing. Figure out what works for you.
• Give yourself rewards for exercise. For example, I reward myself with a good television show when I’m riding on my indoor trainer. 
• Try to get in 5 minutes of movement during your lunch break (you can do several yoga poses while seated at your desk). 
• Make plans with a friend to take a yoga class together. 
• Join a virtual fitness challenge with a friend. Having an accountability partner makes a huge difference! 
• Focus your yoga on relaxation vs strengthening. After a long day at work often times it’s easier to find the energy to exercise if you know it’ll be rejuvenating vs more fatiguing. 
• Tell yourself to do at least 10 minutes of exercise. Most of the time you’ll keep going once you start. But on the days that 10 minutes is all you can manage, that’s still 10 minutes more than you were planning on doing!

I hope you find this helpful! Comment below if you have more tips to share with others ♥