5 Ways To Trick Yourself Into Hitting The Gym
The gym is not bae.
I love the after effects of working out; it gives me energy, starts my day on a high, and honestly sets me up to tackle the day with a boost of strength my grande vanilla latte simply doesn't provide.
But the actual act of getting up and going to the gym fits within the same category of making a dentist appointment--I just don't want to.
Recently, I've attempted to get my behind back in gear to be more active. While I was in college, I had access to a gym right on campus and was on the step team. There was no way I could experience sloth because I was running, jumping, and stepping my way to health.
Post-grad life has allowed me to slip into inactivity and my bank account simply cannot afford lofty classes like boxing. A proud member of my local gym, I'm ashamed to say the only way I walk right around the corner to get in a sweat session is through some Jedi mind tricks.
It takes 30 days to build a habit. So, until I have developed the habitual gym ritual, here are five tricks I've employed to encourage me to get some exercise:
Get a buddy
My nieces are eight and two and as their overprotective aunty, I am a lover of all things buddy system and accountability. If the two-year-old falls, the eight-year-old is accountable for a detailed report as to how this occurred.
The same strategy can work with working out. A buddy can work in two ways, they can be your fellow gym rat sweating with you – which for many make for a more pleasurable gym experience. Or, if you work a crazy schedule like myself, this buddy can act as your gym mom, holding you accountable for the days you slacked off and reminding you of your goals. Just be sure to choose the right person, it's best to work with someone who is equally as invested and needs the same push.
Rack up on workout gear
It's not like I need another excuse to shop, but purchasing some get-fit gear is a fashionable excuse to hit the elliptical. Whether it's purchasing a couple sports bras in your favorite colors, yoga pants that make you feel like squats are life, or dope running sneakers, you have very limited occasions to rock these items and it certainly isn't at your desk.
Try a new class
Like I said, the gym can sometimes give me anxiety. I get bored with the routine and once I'm bored, I completely check out until I feel sloth-like again. To add some spice in my gym routine, I try to incorporate a variety of ways to stay in my tip-top shape.
Whether you incorporate bike riding in the park (snatch up this last wave of good weather), pole dancing with girlfriends, Zumba, or some other inventive workout, a little variety will go a long way.
Create a workout payroll
Recently, my best friend started paying herself after she completed a workout. Dedicating three solid days to #gymlife, she in turn drops a dollar in a jar. The jar is kept in a visible spot in her room so that she can see her progress and act as a reminder that it only gets fed if she puts in some sweat equity.
The best part about this workout payroll is that not only are you sculpting your body, you're giving your savings account some added muscle definition.
Take a selfie
Sweat is sexy. Showing off that hard earned glistening glow is a great way of tracking your progress and getting some positive reinforcement from your followers for logging in those hours.
Fold in another round of selfies to your timeline, you know you want to.
What are some things that you do to motivate you to work out?
Featured image by Giphy
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Stress Awareness Month: Sneaky Workplace Triggers Affecting Black Women, And How To Cope
We all know about the major stress triggers of everyday life, from relationship woes to monthly bills to unexpected emergencies, but there are small, subtle triggers that impact Black women in a big way, especially when it comes to work. It’s good to be aware of these sneaky stressors in order to maximize your day and find ways to incorporate solutions into your self-care routines.
Since it’s Stress Awareness Month, we caught up with Keanne Owens, LCSW, founder of Journey To Harmony Therapy Center, to talk about these triggers and what Black women can do to manage and cope.
Owens is an experienced South Florida-based counselor and social worker who offers her services via Grow Therapy, a therapy and medication management platform. She has worked with Black women professionals to unpack issues related to workplace stressors. “One is the pressure to perform–having to meet deadlines and deliverables. And a lot of times, these subtle stressors from performance are put upon ourselves as Black women. We want to make sure we’re doing our best. We don’t want to be critiqued in certain ways.”
Excessive micromanagement leading to fear of overly critical bosses is another subtle trigger that can negatively impact Black women in the workplace.
“Whenever something is done wrong, or we experience some type of injustice and have to report it, it’s the fear of retaliation–[fear that] we won’t be taken seriously or [our words] will be taken out of context because of being deemed as the ‘angry Black woman,’” she said.
Black Women And Workplace Stress Triggers
Her sentiments are backed by research. A recent report by Coqual found that 28% of Black women (compared to 17% of White men) say their supervisor uses “excessive control or attention to detail” when managing them. There’s more: A survey by the National Employment Law Project found that Black workers were “more likely to have concerns (80 percent) and twice as likely as white workers (18 percent) to have unresolved concerns at work, with 39 percent reporting they were “not satisfied with the employer’s response or did not raise concerns for fear of retaliation.”
The survey also found that 14 percent of Black respondents said they “avoided raising concerns to their employer for fear of retaliation—more than twice the average rate of 6 percent for all survey respondents.”
Owens pointed to the fact that these subtle stress triggers can negatively impact our physical health and our career advancement. “A lot of time it’ll affect our productivity,” Owens added. “We start to have negative thoughts of ourselves. The stressors can also cause fatigue. We’re no longer meeting or working up to our desired potential.” Other challenges as a result include insomnia and increased insolation, withdrawal, and lack of motivation to apply for jobs or promotions even when qualified.
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How To Manage Subtle Stress Triggers
While there are systemic issues at play for Black women at work that has less to do with us and more to do with major overhauls that must be addressed by the powers that be, there are steps we can take for the betterment of ourselves and our mental health. Owens offered the following tips:
Tap into a support system, whether it’s a coworker you trust, a family member, an organization, or an outlet like a hobby.
Create a good work-life balance before burnout even starts. “Having certain boundaries [is the goal] such as, for example, if you get off at 5, you get off at 5. If your job description is this, you don’t go above and beyond because that brings you to a lot of burnout,” Owens said.
Prioritize self-care, whatever that means for you. “If you don’t have a routine, create one. Practice mindfulness and even some meditation,” she added.
Create structure in your life outside of work. “Even if you have a family, applying some structure in your routine helps relieve stress,” she said.
Get into grounding techniques. “Do a real quick square breathing exercise, that’s literally 30 seconds, or you can do a grounding technique that’s less than two minutes, right there where you are. You don’t need any other materials. That’s something you can do with just yourself and your body.”
Ask for help. “As Black women, we don’t ask for help enough,” she said. “Find where you need to ask for help. A lot of times, people think that’s indicative of weakness, but we need to rewrite that narrative. It’s okay to ask for help where you see fit. [If] you’re a mom, [it could be] every Wednesday from 5 to 6, your children are with the dad. You have to carve out that time.”
For more information on Grow Therapy, visit their website. You can also find out more about Keanne Owens, LCSW, via BeginYourJourneyToHarmony.com.
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Featured image by Charday Penn/Getty Images