An introvert's guide to exercise 💪

Welcome to The Introverted Path!

Happy Thursday y’all. I am just getting over COVID 😷 so it’s been a challenging week for me. This was my first time getting it…I was really hoping I could brag to my grandkids one day how I never got it. Oh well 🤷‍♂️ 

Luckily for me, it wasn’t too bad. And I would like to think part of the reason is because I am a fairly healthy person with a regular exercise habit…which leads us to this week’s topic!

In today’s email:

• Why exercise is important for introverts

• Finding your exercise style

• Overcoming common barriers to exercise

• Links to other content I enjoyed this week

Let’s dive in 🤙 

Why exercise is important for introverts

One of the biggest unlocks to overall well-being is finding a physical activity you enjoy. It can be as simple as walking outside with a friend or partner, or as intense as joining a competitive sports league.

The key is finding a version of movement that works for you.

As introverts, we prefer low-stimulation environments; our homes, coffee shops, parks. This inclination to be alone can lead to sedentary lifestyles.

It’s important to both our physical and mental health to find ways to get moving.

Everything else in life starts with your health. If you don’t have your health in order, all the other things become more difficult.

On top of the physical and mental health benefits associated with exercising, it can also be a great form of recharging. I wrote about the importance of recharging your batteries a couple of weeks ago.

Finding what type of exercise activity to do and overcoming barriers are two of the biggest challenges to getting started…so let’s dive into those below 👇️ 

Understanding your exercise style

Finding an exercise style you enjoy is an important first step. Many people try to copy what their friends or favorite celebrities are doing before thinking through if they will enjoy that activity.

If you aren’t finding enjoyment in something, you aren’t likely to stick with it.

Think about activities you have tried in the past that you enjoyed:

• Maybe you played pickleball recently with friends and thought it was a lot of fun

• Or you have a friend who brought you to a yoga class with them and now you see why they enjoy it so much

• Or do you enjoy walking around your neighborhood and commenting on your neighbors’ questionable style choices?

The key here is trying different activities to learn what you like.

I know I know, trying new things can be scary. But once we come to terms with the fact that people aren’t nearly as concerned with us as we think, we can realize it is perfectly OK to be a beginner.

I have been big into yoga for the last few years. Yoga is a perfect way to exercise for introverts. For those of us that sit at a desk most of our day, it becomes an even more beneficial practice.

It is amazing how much better I feel after starting a consistent yoga practice; both physically and mentally. When you are on your yoga mat, that is 30-60 minutes of time with yourself. It has had huge benefits on my stress and anxiety levels.

But guess what - I was a complete beginner for months. Had no idea what any of the poses were. Constantly looking around at other people. I still frequently feel like that.

And you know how many people noticed? Probably zero. Getting over our own initial fear we build up in our heads is the hardest part.

Overcoming common barriers to exercise

This is one of my all-time favorite quotes. If you apply this to exercise, it means that every time you make a point of working out, you are signaling to yourself that this is the type of person you want to become.

Even if you only go to the gym for 15 minutes to walk on the treadmill or stretch - you are developing a habit and being consistent.

Consistency > Intensity

The most common excuse we typically tell ourselves about exercising is that we don’t have the time. When we say this, what we really mean is that we haven’t prioritized it. Plain and simple.

When picking up a new habit, we need to make a plan for how to make it consistent. For me and my yoga habit, it meant getting up at 6am and going before work.

For the first few weeks, this sucked. Most mornings I wanted to snooze my alarm. And some mornings I did.

But after I finished class? I was glad I did it 99% of the time.

Here are a few other tips to getting started:

1. Try working out from home. There are so many apps, YouTube videos, and home programs to get started. That way you don’t feel the pressure of being around others.

2. Find an accountability buddy. This can be someone who exercises with you, or you help hold each other accountable. It can be as simple as sending a text every time you do your work out as planned.

3. Start small. Don’t set too high of expectations. Like all good things, it takes time to see results. Make small, achievable steps. The long-term goal is to build a consistent habit so that it becomes part of your weekly routine.

My thoughts 💭 

I feel very strongly that working on our physical and mental health are the two most important things we can do for ourselves. This lays the foundation for everything else in our lives.

I’ve dealt with anxiety throughout my adult life. I’ve tried all kinds of different things to help curb that, including medication.

I can say without a doubt that exercise has been the greatest antidote for my anxiety.

Exercise releases feel-good endorphins. Takes our mind off stresses. Teaches us we can do hard things.

And once you start to notice how you feel afterwards, it becomes easier to make it a habit.

As introverts, we tend to let the fear of what others may think of us get in the way of trying new things.

But once we realize people are far more concerned with themselves than anyone else, things become easier.

So go out there, try an activity you’ve never done before, look like an idiot, and laugh about it afterwards 🤜🤛 

Links that I enjoyed this week 💥 

• Podcast where Chip and Joanna Gaines talk about working together as an introvert and extrovert (link)

• Graph that shows the rapid decline of cigarette use (link)

• Rapoport’s Rules: How to criticize constructively (link)

That’s it for today - hope you enjoyed this weeks newsletter!

B