The purpose of these questions is to help you determine if focusing on this area of your health is right for the next 90 days. One of the hardest questions to answer is “where do I start?” When it comes to getting healthier, there is so much to consider which makes it easy to become overwhelmed. This series of questions will help you decide if exercise is the right focus for your current season of life. We’ll use a “red light, green light!” method to determine yes or no.  Lots of “green lights” means go for it! Lots of “red lights” means you might want to consider focusing on nutrition or stress reduction. If you get a mix of both, you can choose! Pay attention to any feelings of overwhelm and indecisiveness; this can be an indication that you may not feel confident enough yet to tackle changing your habits.

 

How to score: 

1 or 2 “Green Lights” = not a recommended focus to start with.

3 “Green Lights” = this is a possible focus to start with. 

4 or 5 “Green Lights” = this is a great focus to start with.

You can always take another questionnaire to see if it scores more green lights. If it does, start with that focus and plan to revisit this later.

 

QUESTION 1: What will this require of me?

Setting aside time each day to exercise. Not hours, minutes. The amount of time required will depend on where you workout; home workouts require less time but more accountability. Workouts outside of the home will require a little more planning to accomodate travel, maybe a sitter, and may take longer if you need to wait for equipment. Most beginners underestimate the amount of time and effort it takes to get started; i.e. setting out or changing their clothes, setting up your workout space (for example, exercising at home might require clearing things from treadmills, taking out the dog, occupying the kids, etc. In the gym, it might look like parking, walking in and changing shoes or clothes, waiting for equipment, etc.) So give yourself some “get ready time” and add that to the total workout time. This gives you a better idea of the total amount of time you’ll need to invest.  

• Red light (I can’t see myself currently committing to this)

• Green light (I can handle this!) 

 

Determining your exercise location: Based on the time commitment you have in this current season of your life, is it more realistic to do at home workouts or go to a fitness center (private studio or bigger gym)? Once you establish where you will exercise, then you can determine how to exercise. 

• Red light

• Green light

 

Proper attire: Investing in exercise clothing and supportive shoes if you don’t already own them.

• Red light

• Green light

 

Learn about exercises: Learning about muscle groups and how to strengthen each, how to create an effective workout, and what modes of activity are interesting to you. 

• Red light (I can’t see myself researching options)

• Green light

 

Possibly going to bed and/or waking up earlier. If your day already seems jam packed, where can you create a boundary that frees you up for the best of both worlds? Are you able to keep your commitments but take a little time away to fit in some movement? Remember, you won’t always need to get sweaty and you won’t always need to spend a ton of time in one session to be successful.

• Red light

• Green light

 

QUESTION 2: How realistic is this time commitment in my life right now?

You can figure this out by looking at places in your life where you can exchange time spent on what you’re already doing with exercise. When we want to improve our health, it can be tempting to feel like we “should” do a lot of things and it opens the door to overwhelm. You can actually do a lot for your health in just 10 minute efforts throughout the day. The reason most of us spend those short blocks of time checking emails, texting people or scrolling on our phones is because we didn’t have a plan in advance to better utilize that time. If committing to getting in shape is important to you right now, is there time in your day that you can fit it in, even if it’s for short periods of time initially? If the answer is yes, then it’s another “green light.” 

• Red light

• Green light

 

QUESTION 3: On a scale of 1-4 (1 being most important, 4 being least important), how important is achieving success in this area of life to me?

• 1-2: Red light

• 3-4: Green light

 

QUESTION 4: Am I ready to dedicate 12 weeks to this being my new focus?

Look ahead in your schedule; are there vacations coming up? Big work deadlines that require more of your time? A new baby here or coming? Are you getting ready to move or start a new job? If the answer to any of these questions (or other circumstances) is “yes” then you may need to start with nutrition or stress management. If you can say that your calendar looks good then you can give a “yes” to committing the time required for this season focus.

• Red light

• Green light

 

QUESTION 5: Can I financially afford to invest in the help and support I’ll need to accomplish this well?

If this is not your first “go” with trying a new exercise routine, or exercise in general, what worked and what didn't? The solutions can be as simple as a new book to teach you how to structure your workouts or as specific as hiring a personal trainer to meet with. It all comes down to the level of accountability you need. FOr home workouts, you’ll need to invest in a subscription for home workouts or spending time to research workout routines as well as any required equipment. This can be as simple as body-weight only workouts (no equipment required) or investing in cardio equipment like a treadmill, indoor cycling bike, rower, etc. 

• Red light

• Green light

 

So, is this the right time in your life for you to focus on exercise? If yes, then check out my programs below. If “no”, then go see if nutrition might be your place place to start!