Bounce back to move forward

​Hi there!

How has your summer been?

It is time to get back to routine and before we know it, it will be September. 

My holidays were nice. I use the word holidays but really mean my staycation. We had fun getting lost in a corn maze, exploring many playgrounds and enjoying the warm summer evenings with walks and time in our backyard.

Last summer was also different - not in a bad way - simply a demonstration of how change is a part of life!

At the end of August 2019, my husband went in for surgery. This was a new experience for him, never really having any hospital encounters of his own. That past Spring he had completely torn his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee and had been anticipating surgery. Thus, our usual active summer looked a little bit different. 

The surgery was a success and for the past year he has been diligently working on his rehabilitation. 

For the man who fully admits to only wanting to chase a ball (be it a soccer ball or ball hockey ball) for his exercise, it was a huge shift in his exercise routine. 🏒

As you can imagine, being married to me means that on numerous occasions I had tried to get him to the gym. Yet, it never really struck his fancy.

Fast forward to this past year and I am blown away to his commitment to his resistance training and running (yes, running and really fast!) for his exercise.

What is his motivation?

In the early days post injury and up to surgery, his main comment stemmed from being able to play with our boys - in whatever capacity that looked like. He also desperately wanted to get back to playing soccer again. 

Both motivations highlight specific goals, extrinsic to himself. As discussed before, he was using identified regulation, the extrinsic motivation driven by personal goals to participate in certain physical activities and sport.

But when COVID19 hit, his gym routine also took a hit. Things had to change and he came up with a new routine. Weeks in to the facility shut down, he said to me, "I really miss my workouts at the gym."

This was the man who only ever wanted to kick a soccer ball that moved to the gym going man, it was clear that motivations had shifted from external goals to an intrinsic drive to formalize his exercises in a gym. Now this was not an overnight shift. Imagine years of playing sports for exercise and it wasn't until his rehabilitation workouts were solidified into his lifestyle and then abruptly stopped that he had the realization that he truly enjoyed the sessions at the gym.

Here is an example of how things can change. Just like a bouncing ball can change directions, so can WE change our path too. Our motivations are not static as they can change from decade to decade or even week to week. 

The important part is that we continually listen to our internal chatter (yes, I know you talk to yourself too!) to help determine what is your driving force. 

WHY do you want to/need to/like to move?

Putting a little effort into our thoughts around physical activity can really help with the actual behaviour!

In case you missed it a couple letters back, here is a tool that might help. A Motivation Note can be used monthly, weekly or heck, even daily to keep track of what you are thinking (and saying to yourself)and thus, what is motivating you to move more.

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​Resources that you might find interesting…

Have you exercised with a mask? I have and boy, it takes some getting use to. Here are a couple articles (and an infographic!) that might help you navigate the mask wearing world we are living in. 😷

Exercising While Wearing a Mask

Should People Wear a Face Mask During Exercise


Stay well and happy moving, Lisa