Motivation to move and write.

I've been MIA for the past several months. I've been to Europe and back, and I've settled into another fall routine with work, school and activity. However, I've been struggling with motivation to move and this has translated into a lack of inspiration to write.

How do we get out of the funk and actually inspire ourselves to move more? Walkabout helps provide the resources to support individuals in taking the first step, however what actually motivates someone to want to step on the bridge and support change? As I struggle to find time for activity - in my case running and going to the gym - in the midst of my busy day, I received a sobering thought: we all struggle with our lives and the health messages we receive to be active. However, knowing what to do and doing what you need to do are often two different things. And, even when you know what to do, and take steps to do it, there's the cold hard fact that the supports and environments required to support the decision are not always in place.

This is what I pondered as I pushed myself to go for a run yesterday. I didn't want to run. I wanted to sleep, or watch TV --- anything other than the physical act of running. It was a mental battle. I had to negotiate with myself: I will just put my sneakers on and go outside; I don't HAVE to run. I can just walk, or sit outside, but I have to get outside. Twenty minutes later I convinced myself to get out the door, and I headed to Point Pleasant Park. I tried to focus on the fresh fall smell and the colors outside to distract myself from the nagging feeling that I didn't want to be active. I'm not going to lie - the truth is, it didn't help. I was well aware that my body was screaming for me to stop and no amount of re framing of the other benefits of this active experience was going to override that reality.

This is my journey. And I'm sharing it with you. Research tells us that social supports are important in steps to behavior change. So, my step today is to acknowledge how I feel and to try to identify what's affecting my motivation. This may be one of the first steps on the road to change and to finding my passion for moving and writing again.