This may surprise you:
It’s all in the language you use.
Your wording influences how you feel.
I spent the last two summers in Miami.
The first week, I started swimming forty laps each day while my kids were playing.
I called it my “Daily Forty”, and soon my kids were joining me
(I like to think it was because of my enthusiasm rather than the $5.00 I paid them).
I didn’t even think about my ‘daily forty’ as exercise –
my workout was my evening run on Bal Harbour boardwalk.
It was just part of our daily Miami routine,
and I swam slowly, rested after every ten laps, and never really got breathless.
Yet I quickly noticed how toned my arms and chest were becoming
which was amazing to me because it didn’t feel like hard work.
But there it was, definite results.
I also noticed that I never missed.
Even if we were out all day, I would dash down to make sure I got my ‘daily forty’ in before the pool closed.
When we came back to Toronto, I drove to friends’ pools until they froze.
And my family always accommodated my ‘daily forty’.
Only because I called it that.
It was simply a reality.
I never consciously made a commitment to swim forty laps every day.
I believe that the reason it became a regular part of my day,
with no resolutions or struggle or will power
is because of the words I used to describe it to my self and to other people.
The Daily Forty.
Kind of makes you think it’s a daily occurrence huh?
Sort of like showering.
Not something you really think about.
Just happens because you think of it as a daily occurrence
so it becomes one.
If you’re yearning to become a regular exerciser with ease and fun, join me and the unbelievable Marda Sperber for a 6 week life-changer: one hour of zumba followed by one hour of weight loss coaching. I rarely coach in person so if you prefer live interaction, here’s your chance! Here’s all the details!