Motivation Meditation to Start Exercising When You Really Don't Feel Like It

Feeling like you don't want to exercise today? Well, listen to this short meditation to boost that ability to push through feelings of resistance that we all feel sometimes. Just like we need to warm up before exercise, resetting our mindset is really important. So take just a few minutes here and you'll get ready and motivated to move and boost that ability to push through those initial feelings of resistance. And not only that, you'll be setting up those consistent habits that will increase your ability to be able to just automatically exercise. Welcome to the Mind Body Space Podcast, where you can stress less and boost your performance and wellness down to the cellular level just by listening. Hi, I'm Dr. Juna Bobby MD, a mom MD passionate about sharing evidence-based tips to keep you and your family well. For the past 10 years, I've been teaching the science of resilience to high-achieving individuals at many different schools and organizations, and currently I'm on faculty at the Juilliard School Pre-College Division teaching gifted students how to stress less and perform at their best. I started this podcast because I wanted to share what I learn with my students, fellow parents, educators, and anyone who's interested as I explore fascinating topics like neuroscience and meditation with experts in education, medicine, and psychology. Your support makes this possible. Please subscribe and share with a family friend, anyone who needs to stress less, boost performance, and be happier. If you have questions for my guests or for me, or if you have a topic that you'd like us to cover, please head on over to mindbodyspace.com/podcast and ask away, and we will answer your questions on the podcast on the last Friday of every month. If you need a good night's sleep, head on over to my YouTube channel, Fall Asleep Easy, to drift off and sleep like a baby. Hi there. Whether exercise is a part of your normal daily routine Or perhaps you're just getting started. We've all had those days when the thought of exercise can feel daunting and we just wanna crawl back into bed. Even the most dedicated athletes experience moments of hesitation before working out. Well, this is where mental motivation comes in. Taking a few minutes to visualize on positive feelings and affirming the goals you have for yourself can make a world of difference in shifting your brain from reluctant to ready. Now here's why. Just like warming up your muscles before a workout, our brains need priming, just like warming up your muscles before you start full-out exercise. Sometimes your joints might feel a little stiffer or your muscles are crampy. That can happen with our brain too. Just think about it that way. So mental motivation is just like stretching for our brain. It helps us to get into action. It actually creates physiological changes in our body when we start to think about what we want to do. When we tap into the why behind our exercise goals, it makes it easier to overcome the urge to skip our workouts. We can also counter negative thoughts because, you know, negative thoughts pop up all the time. This is a normal situation for our human brains. So priming our brains with motivation techniques can help us to replace this negativity faster and more frequently. Every time you visualize yourself feeling good and exercising, your confidence around the benefits of exercise will increase and you'll boost that ability to push through. Those initial feelings of resistance. So remember, motivation doesn't have to be natural and it doesn't have to be dramatic. It might take a few moments, especially in the morning if you're slow to wake up like I am. It can take a bit of mental training and brain reset to get us moving. If you haven't already, put on your workout clothes and have your sneakers or whatever else you need right by before you start this meditation. You could hit pause and do that and come back. So find a quiet space where you can sit for a few moments. If you're ready, just settle in, sitting comfortably with your spine tall, and slowly inhale and exhale, closing your eyes if that's comfortable for you, or just lowering them to a gaze on the floor. Now take a few deep breaths, inhaling slowly through your nose if you can, Expanding your belly. Inhale. And exhale slowly through your nose if you can, releasing any tension in your neck and shoulders. Now bring your attention to your body, noticing where you're contacting the floor or chair beneath you. Now notice the rise and fall of your chest as you inhale and exhale, observing any sensations without judgment, noticing the temperature around you without judgment. On the next exhale, whenever that is for you, Just release all the tension in your face, your neck, your shoulders. And now imagine yourself moving in a way that you enjoy. Perhaps it's running or dancing, or maybe it was when you were a child playing a game of tag. Imagine yourself moving joyfully. Perhaps you're lifting weights and feeling that confidence and mental clarity that often comes with exercise. See yourself feeling strong and capable and doing what you can See yourself feeling stronger with every move, inhaling and exhaling to match your breath to movement. Notice if there's any particular type of music that you're listening to that motivates you to move. Whatever comes to mind is perfectly fine. Now let's shift focus to after your workout. Imagine how you feel. Whatever you've done, the length, the amount of calories burned does not matter. Just see yourself after you've exercised, feeling just a little more energized, Or fully energized, feeling like you can do it, feeling just a little more confident. Notice the positive glow in your skin. Notice the positive energy nourishing your body after this exercise. Now gently repeat to yourself, my body is ready to move. I choose to move because it feels good. I get to move my body. The more I move, the more energy I feel. I am grateful that my body can move and has the strength and ability to exercise. Now slowly shift your awareness back to your breath. Stretch if you need to, taking a deep breath in Inhale, bring your arms up over your head, and exhale, floating your arms down. Another big inhale, and exhale, stretching and moving whatever you need to do, feeling ready to move, feeling increasing energy. Inhale, bring your arms up overhead and stretch. And exhale. Now grab your things, put on some music, and get moving. There's more brain resets and mindset shifts coming up. Head on over to mindbodyspace.com/podcast and submit your requests for more brain resets like this, or to ask questions, or to request specific topics or meditations. Please subscribe and share with anyone who needs a little bit of pick-me-up and motivation for their brain. Until next time, this is Dr. Juna Bobby MD wishing you wellness.