I Only Go To The Gym for 20 Minutes
I’m in and out in no time and still reap the benefits of a good workout
When my schedule is jampacked, it’s hard to convince myself that I even have enough time to go to the gym. But after several months past of feeling like I couldn’t sacrifice the time for a workout, I decided to try something different: I told myself I only had to go to the gym in my apartment complex for 20 minutes.
That window of time was too small for me to make any excuses about it. And I learned I could still reap the benefits of a good workout in that small amount of time. I could get a cardio session over with while listening to two short podcasts or a longer one that might encourage me to stay a few minutes longer.
I don’t regret going to the gym afterward. It’s getting there that’s the challenge.
I always feel better, more energized after working out. I just let my thoughts get in the way sometimes. As much as I try not to, I wonder how I look to other people at the gym. I think it’s normal for everyone to do that, but that isn’t what going to the gym should be about.
“Our minds create harsh conditions for our bodies.”
Movement is movement.
Taking the pressure off is how I’m able to make progress. If we’re being realistic, it’s 20 minutes of movement or sitting at my desk all day. I do wonder if I can challenge myself more but as someone whose had sports-related injuries, it’s better to let myself just move freely and safely. Some days I might only be willing to walk on the treadmill instead of running or going on the elliptical. I don’t beat myself up about that anymore because I know it will deter me from exercising later when I’m concerned about pushing my limits or exacerbating old injuries.
If you take care of your body, it will take care of you.
What changed for me was when I began to appreciate what my body does for me. It may sound weird but I needed to have a better relationship with my body. I dreaded working out because I hated that my injuries were “holding me back,” when my body was really doing the best it could to heal itself and I was making it harder. When I stopped getting in the way of my recovery, I actually discovered that movement could be restorative and I wanted to embrace that fact.
We ask a lot of our bodies, especially sitting at our desk jobs all day.
I used to be a competitive figure skater. And while I’m proud of what I was able to do with my body, it was a lot to ask of my body and I had to learn how to move in other ways that were safer and healthier. Working a desk job though, it also isn’t ideal for our bodies to be sitting still all day. As a Pilates instructor once told me, “Our minds create harsh conditions for our bodies.”
Now, I marvel at what our bodies do for us. What are we, after all, without our bodies? Twenty minutes a day is the least I can do to take care of my body, but I know it counts.
