The 10-Minute Rule

It’s funny how our energy levels can shift from day to day.  One day, we may jump out of bed, complete the necessary tasks for the day, and still have enough energy left over to roll out our yoga mats (or lace up our sneakers to do some other type of exercise).  Other days may look quite different – we might hit “snooze” on the alarm clock one too many times, stumble out of bed, and drag ourselves through the day with the help of LOTS of caffeine.  On these days, it can be incredibly challenging to muster up the motivation to do any kind of physical exercise.  But unfortunately, it’s on those days that our bodies can benefit most from a little extra movement, as it can elevate our mood and increase our energy levels.

So what to do when our yoga mat (or sneakers, boxing gloves, tennis racket, etc.) is staring us down from across the room?

Give the 10-minute rule a try.  No matter how unwilling you are, roll out your mat and set a timer for 10 minutes.  Then, commit to moving until your alarm rings (and no, 10 minutes of savasana doesn’t count!).  You may want to do a few poses that are more restorative in nature, or maybe do few sun salutations to warm up your body.  If it feels like the worst thing in the world for your body, then remind yourself that it’s only for 10 minutes, after which you can resume laying down on the couch.  But you might find that after 10 minutes, your body has acclimated to the activity and you want to continue moving!  If that’s the case, then ride it out for as long as you can – and chances are, you will feel happier, more energetic, and less sluggish for the rest of your day.

The hardest part, as you can imagine, is making yourself roll out your mat for 10 minutes when everything within you says NO!  Not today!  But the more you practice meeting that resistance and choosing to be active for 10 minutes anyway, the more accustomed you will become to moving regardless of how you feel.  And you might even find that, over time, you will be more motivated to roll out your mat when you aren’t feeling so great – simply because you know all too well how much better you’ll feel afterwards.

[whohit]blog-10minuterule[/whohit]