Here are 3 simple steps to help build a weekly routine.
Whether you regularly attend classes (in person or online) or not, creating a home practise to do on your own is great to help keep you moving. The first thing to remember is that the key word is “practise”. It does not have to be perfect; it is something that you are always going to be doing, there is always going to be some new challenge/exploration that is going to come up. It is a lifelong commitment – but so it should be if we are talking about self-love and self-care, we always need to love ourselves and care for ourselves!
Here are 3 simple steps to help create and structure your home practise:
Step 1 - What do you want to achieve?
Do you have a long-term goal you wish to achieve such as improved strength, flexibility and mobility or help with relaxation? Are you looking to compliment another form of self-care exercise such as running or tennis? Then obviously your practise time at home will reflect this. Or maybe it’s more vague and you just want to improve overall health and fitness – if that’s the case then you will need to think about some cardio work (e.g. walking, jogging or very vigorous indoor exercise) strength work (using your own body weight, resistance bands or hand weights) flexibility/mobility work (movement and stretching) and final some balance work. If you want help to switch off and relax, then your home self-care practise will reflect that with maybe mediation or slow mindful movement.
Once you know what you are working towards then it is much easier to work out what sort of home practise work you need to focus on – though not every session needs to be the same!
Step 2 – Create a Routine of When to Practise
Decide how many times a week you want to commit to your self-care then work out some regular times throughout the week when you can schedule it into your diary. Maybe even write it into a calendar/diary as a reminder and then stick to it - think of it as you would any commitment that you can’t get out of. It could be split up into a couple of sessions through the day e.g., a brisk walk in the morning and some relaxing stretching in the evening. Then work out what type of activity you want to put into your session, maybe have a list of activities to pick from so on any given day it is easy to go ‘Today I am doing that’.
Then think about ways of making yourself stick to that routine, are you always going to do something after you have cleaned your teeth for example, or as soon as you have turned the work computer off. A routine that is part of your day already tells the body it is time to practise.
Think of a reward to give yourself after your session, perhaps a good cup of coffee, a hot bath or time in front of the television, your body will learn to want to do the practise if it knows something nice will follow!
Finally, why not make a pact with a friend and message them at the end of the week telling them how well you have done in hitting each practise time.
Step 3 – Daily Check In
On your allotted day/time check in with your self and see what you think you need. Is it a day to get outside and enjoy the elements, or is it more appealing to stay in. Are you ready for a good work out, or is your bodymind telling you to take it easy, or maybe you need to do something to wake you up? Then choose your activity to suit that. So, for example one day you might run, another day some strength work, and then on the third day some gentle yoga stretching and meditation. But make sure you are honest with yourself – don’t confuse laziness for tiredness and equally on a day when you need to be gentle to yourself don’t worry about being lazy and push on through a hard workout. By taking a self-check in before each session and factoring in gentle days and hard days it makes it much easier to stick to the routine, as does having some variety. It doesn't matter what the self-care activity you do from your suggestion list just make sure you do something on that allotted time (unless of course you are really ill etc) to keep the routine going, the more you commit the easier it becomes to stick to that commitment. Your home self-care practise, should at some level be fun, challenging at times certainly but if you aren’t enjoying it it is much harder to stick to it.
So, remember:
Step 1 – work out why you want to do it and what you want to gain by it
Step 2 – set times and stick to them
Step 3 – check in with yourself, and keep it varied to suit your changing needs.
And make it enjoyable and fun, so you learn to love it.
If you would like some more hints or tips then watch Creating a Home Practise
In my next Blog – ideas on creating your own Mindful Movement Class.