Running With Perseverance

I enjoy many of the inspirational fitness slogans that make their way around the internet, and have a Pinterest board with some of the ones that speak to me. But sometimes “fitspiraiton” goes to far, and I don’t agree with all of the messages out there.

I think this is the one that bugs me the most:

 Because this is my reality:

I have regretted the treadmill workout that tweaked my knee, the run when I tripped and got a gash in my elbow, and the week of yoga classes that I thought I could handle until a backache told me otherwise. While I haven’t gotten mugged, I recently realized that the possibility is the one thing that scares me about running.

So, let’s be real. There are times when you do regret that workout.

That said, I usually am motivated to get out of bed for my o’dark-thirty workouts because I know that I will regret it later if I hit the snooze button instead. Still, there are some days when more sleep is the right choice, or when I really don’t have time for a workout. Maybe I could get up at 4:00 am to exercise before a 7:00 am flight, but that wouldn’t bode well for the responsibilities I have later in the day. Maybe I could exercise after dinner, but spending time with my husband after we’ve been apart for a few days can be more important than burning a few hundred calories.

[Tweet “Do you really never regret a workout?”]

One motivational slogan that covers all of these bases is “what you can when you can” (also known as #wycwyc). #WYCWYC really is a movement started by Roni Noone and Carla Birnberg. As Roni explains, the idea is “to inspire people to throw away the perfection mindset when it comes to diet and exercise” and encourage people “to do What You Can When You Can because it all counts.”

When you are doing WYCWYC, you don’t have to offer excuses for doing less than someone else, less than you did last week, or even less than you planned. As Carla says, doing WYCWYC is enough because it really is all you can do.

That last thought is important. WYCWYC is not an excuse to do less when you could do more but just can’t peel yourself away from that second cup of coffee or Facebook or the next episode of your current NetFlix binge show. Living by the principles of WYCWYC requires you to be honest with yourself and accountable to your goals and priorities. When you are doing WYCWYC, you can sleep soundly knowing that you are doing your best–and you can hit the snooze button without guilt when it really is the right decision.

Have you ever regretted a workout?

Is it hard to accept that doing #wycwyc really is enough?