What Does It Take To Be a Well Woman? Find Out in February

I made no new year’s resolutions to get fit. It seemed useless when I have no exercise equipment, a yoga practice that went out the window after giving birth, and barely enough time to sleep as it is. When I went to my first general physical appointment in years and the doc asked, “Why don’t you exercise,” I just shrugged my shoulders and said, “Because I’m lazy?”

He didn’t buy it. Because he knows I have two young kids and run after them on a daily basis. He knows how strenuous it can be on a body to live in a city, and how utterly taxing it is to simply sit at a desk all day.

And he knows all these examples are just excuses regardless. Do I move my body more than just playing monster with the kiddos a few times a day, or walking to my DiDi or the school bus? Not really. Do I have time to exercise? Not the way I think that exercise should look. But do I have time to just move my body 30 minutes a day? Yes, I do.

That is why last week I signed up for the Well Women Fitness Challenge, the first fitness challenge I have ever signed up for, honestly. For one thing, it’s run by WellWomen Rebecca Archer and Hannah Northcutt, who are such positive beings that I enjoy being in their groups in general, and I figured if any two people could motivate me to move, they stood half a chance.

When I asked Northcutt what advice she’d give for people like me who have no fitness habits but want to start, she offered these thoughts: “It’s often been said that life is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. There’s no quick fix to being fit and healthy. It’s a way of life. Women who joined WellFitness will be in different parts of their fitness journey. Some have taken years before they post or join a challenge and some hop off and hop back on again. What I’ve seen is that those who consistently find ways of moving their bodies, commit to a program, tap into the power of community by engaging in the group, and do this consistently are those who have found long-term results.”

Well Women post a ton of great articles, including the one that I first connected to, called “Well Mind: A Magical Morning Routine.” In their Magical Morning reflections, I found a way to start my day not worrying about shoving toast or eggs in front of my kids before the school bus, or how long I could snooze before we would be late getting out the door, but Well Women offered me a strong routine that fits my mentality and makes me – dare I say it – want to wake up 15 minutes earlier than I absolutely must.

Does that mean I will now wake up even earlier to exercise or to simply move my body, as I”ve now started thinking about it? I might need to print this mantra from Archer’s article “Well Body: How to Start Exercising When You Really Hate It”:

If your mind is full of negative thoughts about exercise, you’ve only got one option. Change your thinking. We have already talked about ‘redefining your normal’ and to use simple mantra’s – such as ‘I move my body every day’. Start thinking these thoughts as often as possible. Write them down and stick them around your house. You don’t have to make yourself think “I love exercise”, because a jump that far in your thinking when you are used to thinking the opposite, is just not realistic and you’ll never convince yourself to believe it. But to think “I move my body every day” is a much more accessible thought that you can believe. When your mind goes back to the negative thought, just correct it with your mantra.

So how does one start to change their thinking on exercise? I suggest following these instructions to sign up for the Well Women February Challenge. Don’t feel intimidated by all the conversation and women who are much further along than you are- from my few days of experience, they are incredibly encouraging to newcomers too.