A lot has changed over the last couple of years for Traci and yet she always seems to stay so consistent with her workouts no matter what and is a personal inspiration of mine. So today I asked Traci to share about her personal experience with exercise, how she came to love fitness and how she personally stays motivated and consistent in her routine.
Although Traci was a soccer and track athlete through high school she essentially stopped working out in her college years and didn’t catch the fitness bug again until she found herself living in the Mid-West without friends or family. Insert weekend road races that ended in good food and drink tickets. :)
What started off as something to just fill her time and meet new people, ended in a newfound love for running. And although how and what she did for exercise evolved over time, she has stayed consistent since then.
Traci talks a little bit about the different types of motivation: intrinsic vs. extrinsic and how recognizing which one she is has played a big part in helping her stay the course.
For example, once she was introduced to a local studio where she got into strength training she started to feel accountable not only to herself but to the other people within her session. Once the pandemic hit, she knew she needed to find another way to find another group or community that she could feel a part of - even virtually.
“Fitness is a journey...when you have someone else who’s also interested in your journey, you’ll be more successful”
Fitness is a journey and that journey comes with ebbs and flows. For Traci, it became evident after children that her workout time was about so much more than just getting in physical movement but also about creating that emotional space and managing overall stress while also being a strong role model for her young girls.
And this is what helps her stay the course now. It’s about how she’s going to feel by starting her day with a workout versus NOT starting her day with a workout. It’s about showing up for the other people within her online fitness community. And it’s also about giving herself the permission to do a half of a workout or even sleep in if that’s truly what her body needs that day.
“You just need to move forward one day at a time.”
Traci’s Biggest Tips for getting & staying motivated:
- Don’t set yourself up to fail. Look at your schedule realistically.
- Put in the effort!
- Be flexible. Be flexible with what fitness means to you. It doesn’t have to be a long intense workout, it can be just moving more, etc.
- Find a friend! Find an accountability buddy.
If you are looking for a fitness community to join and help hold you accountable on your journey, we would love to have you in our Making FIT Work private community on Facebook. Be strong, be healthy, be happy.
