Tired? Cold? Rainy? Slept weird last night? Don't feel like changing into workout clothes? Dog ate your workout program? Making some other silly to excuse to not get your body moving? I FEEL THIS! Let me help ya out and tell you about one of my best kept NOT so secrets: the 10 minute rule. Bet you'll get that workout in after this one, Babe!
website: www.hilarybalancedlifestyle.com
Tired? Cold? Rainy? Slept weird last night? Don't feel like changing into workout clothes? Dog ate your workout program? Making some other silly to excuse to not get your body moving? I FEEL THIS! Let me help ya out and tell you about one of my best kept NOT so secrets: the 10 minute rule. Bet you'll get that workout in after this one, Babe!
website: www.hilarybalancedlifestyle.com
Well, hello, you guys. Welcome back to the show. If you are new here, I'm so glad that you are with me today. I'm guessing you clicked on this episode because the title resonates with you, right? It's time to get that workout in, you know, that you need to get it done, but man, you just. Don't feel like it. Well, in this episode, I am going to share with you a tool that we use at balanced by Hilary. And I'll just tell you, I came up with this tool, which we've coined the 10 minute rule. Whenever I started my 100 pound weight loss journey nearly a decade ago. And I will tell you. Almost 10 years later, I'm still using this 10 minute rule. Not only that. We have shared this with our audience, social media, with our clients, and this is hands down. One of those tools that just resonates with you guys. I love when you send me a message and you're like, I used the 10 minute rule. Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for sharing the 10 minute rule. Like. That makes my life. I'm so glad that this tool is being used by you guys. That you love it. And I thought, you know what I share about it on social media, I've got like a little highlight on my Instagram page, but it's time that I put it in a podcast and I really explain. What the 10 minute rule is how to use it and what the benefits of it are. So if you're not feeling like getting your workout in today, This episode is for you. All right. You guys full disclosure at the time of recording this episode? I actually implemented the 10 minute rule today. So it's just super relevant that I'm recording this episode. I had planned to record this episode, like. Weeks ago, right? Like I put it on my schedule to record this episode. I had no idea when I set the date for it, that this would actually be a day that I used the 10 minute rule. All right. Here's the thing I'll just tell you like, oh, we're in you. You know, winter it's like seasonal depression time. It's we had an ice storm. I've had. Sinus just EQ. If I sound funny, that's why. And I'm just not feeling like super motivated right now. I mean, I'll be honest, like hottest fittest bod goals that I have for 2023, you know, January has come to an end. I'm like, You know, this is the time of year where it sets in, like you're going to show up or what are you going to do? And it's normal for your motivation to come and go. In fact, I am recording another episode today. For you guys, it may or may not be out at this time. Definitely just check because I'm not exactly sure if scheduling, but it is called stop, relying on motivation and do this instead, but that's a conversation for another episode. What I want to talk to you about is this 10 minute rule and. Before I even jumped into it. The whole premise with the 10 minute rule is that you use it when you don't feel like working out. I mean, it's literally that simple. There's no nothing fancy going on here. It is simply on those days when your motivation is low, maybe it's dark and rainy and icky, or you're kind of tired. Maybe you do have some sniffles now I'm not talking. Full-blown sick. Okay. I'm not talking like. We truly need a rest day. I'm talking, you just don't feel like showing up for your workout, but you also know that your excuses are not valid. Right? Sometimes we've got to adults and we've got to ask ourselves, do I genuinely need rest? Am I genuinely in a place where, you know, trying to work out, it's only going to make me feel worse or. Is it just that little voice inside my head that wants to keep me in my comfort zone. That's telling me. We could just cuddle up on the couch or we could just sleep in. I'm guessing it's not the sleeping part. If you're, if you're listening to this, you're probably not sleeping. Right. But. This is relevant for the next time that you feel like hitting that snooze button. So I did use the 10 minute rule, literally from the very beginning of my weight loss journey. It didn't have a title at that time. I was just like, Had these days where I had, you know, a baby and I was tired and I didn't feel like working out. And it just kinda like made this deal with myself, which I'm about to explain what that is in the 10 minute rule, but I've used it throughout all the years since. And. Never forget. There's one time in particular that Tom, my oldest who's now nine. I think he was like, gosh, like six anyways. I remember. It was raining outside and I was gonna go to the gym with them. I had like an evening workout planned. I don't do that often. I don't love evening workouts, but. I didn't feel like going, and it was not a legit reason or excuse that I didn't want to go. I just didn't want to go. And I remember I was voice texting my mom. So I said out loud, like to my phone, like, you know, It's raining. I don't know if I'm going to go to the gym and I'll never forget, like without skipping a beat. Tom who's like five or six looks at me and is like, is it raining in the gym? Humbling moment. I was like, oh, what? Like, how dare he? Right. Like it was like this moment of like he's so right. It's so funny how our brains. We'll convince us that like, this is such a legitimate reason, right? It's raining outside. So I can't possibly go to the gym where I'm going to be working out inside. Right? Like that one minute walk less than one minute, walk from the, you know, Card to the building is so uncomfortable. I can't possibly do it. Right. Like, you know what I'm talking about? You know, those kinds of excuses, right? The ones that just aren't legit. And it's easy to make them. It truly is. And when Tom said that, Not only was it a humbling moment? It was also a really great reminder for myself in that moment. Like, Hey, you've been using the 10 minute rule for years. Let's just use it now. I can tell you without a doubt, this rule, it changed my life. Again. I feel like sometimes I sound really dramatic when I say things like that, but truly it shaped my life because it allowed me to make exercise a habit and a part of my lifestyle. So. Let's talk about what is the 10 minute rule? All right. So what the 10 minute rule is, is it, is you saying. I am going to show up for 10 minutes of my workout. Now this can look different. Maybe it is. I am going to go for a 10 minute walk. Maybe it is, I'm going to pull my dumbbells and resistance bands out of the corner. I'm gonna adjust. Get in 10 minutes of some weights. Maybe it's going to your gym and saying, I'm just going to walk for 10 minutes on the treadmill. Like, yes, I'm supposed to get in a whole strength workout today, but I am just. I don't know if I can show up for that. I'm tired. I don't maybe feel a hundred percent. I'm not super motivated, but I'm going to just walk for 10 minutes on the treadmill. Maybe it is a literally that you're going to just walk around the gym. Maybe it's 10 minutes of. I'm going to do. Three sets of one exercise like that, is it. And if after 10 minutes. I still don't feel it. Like I still don't feel like doing this workout. I just want to call it quits. I give myself permission to do so. Now I love this concept. Before coming up with this. So early on in my weight loss journey, because it really created this radical shift in my brain of. I can do hard things I can show up when I don't feel like it. I can overcome that little voice in my head, but also, but also. As with all things, there's a balance. And. I'm also going to give myself permission to listen to myself. And if after 10 minutes. I still hate this and I don't want to do it. Then I'm not gonna. So in short, really the 10 minute rule is just saying That in those moments when you just don't feel like working out, you don't really have a legit excuse but you just aren't feeling it. You're still committing to showing up for at least 10 minutes. Now let's talk about why this is incredibly effective. But also really important. So many of you ladies can probably relate to that feeling where you are like going so hard in the gym, or your workouts at home. You're like really showing up for it. And then like you take a break you know, maybe it's travel, maybe it's holidays, vacation, you know, sickness, something happens. You know how hard it is like that next workout to get back to it. Right? This is why some people go. Months, and months and months without getting back to their workouts, is it's like, man, you were just in the habit, you had that ball rolling. That momentum was just going. And then all of a sudden, boom, stop, pause. The reason the 10 minute rule is so important is because you have put all this energy. Into getting, going with your workouts and I'm talking, even if you've just been going, this is your first week. Okay. You have spent all this time, all this energy, getting into this habit of showing up for your workouts, and now the motivation is falling off, which is going to happen and if you stop and you get out of the habit of going, it's hard to get it back going again. So. The first reason that this is so effective is simply put, it keeps the habit alive. Staying in the habit is something I don't hear. People talk about much, but man, it is so important. Like as a coach, As somebody who is rooted in psychology, I have my psychology degree. Like habit formation is so important and staying in a routine helps you build habits. Right? So it's one of those things that. If the first time your motivations kind of like wavering, you just are like, Nope, I shut off. That is going to kind of create this habit of every time. Your motivation is off you. Shut off. Instead, what we want to do is build some resilience, right against that. We want to kind of get this mental toughness flex this muscle of, well, I can overcome that. But that's easier said than done. And oftentimes if we already don't feel like working out. Committing to going for this hour long workout. Like if the option is like, I've got to go for a whole. Our, or I may as well not go at all. Like if you really don't feel like it, if your motivations really suffering. You're probably going to pick the easy way out. Right. Because as much as we want to. You know, be committed and dedicated at the end of the day. Sometimes our brain wins. So if you have another option, which is okay. I either got the 60 minutes. Or I can just go for 10. And at 10 minutes, if I'm still not feeling it, I'm let off the hook. I can be done. This is where the magic happens in that you are keeping the habit alive because you're still showing up in some capacity. I can tell you speaking from experience and you probably know what I'm talking about. That next day feeling of like, oh, I didn't go to the gym yesterday. Like it never feels good. Right? Like, I'll always love this saying like, you never regret getting a workout in, but a lot of times you really do regret skipping. You know? I mean, if you truly need the rest, that's different. You're like, Ooh, I'm. Rejuvenated and refreshed, but you know, if you're skipping for reasons that aren't valid, It never feels good the next day. So this 10 minute habit, oftentimes we think like let's just 10 minutes. Like why does it even matter? No, no, no. I am telling you. Even showing up for 10 minutes. I can guarantee you that feels better than showing up for zero. So oftentimes we just want the momentum to be this like ball rolling down the hill, always picture like you're pushing a. Ball, you know, over a hill at the top of this hill. Right. And we just want it to like room straight down. But the fact of the matter is like the hill is not just this straight line down and. What is better than just stopping the ball completely is keeping the ball going. Even if it's slow. That's the 10 minute rule. Keeping going, showing up for the habit. Even if it's just 10 minutes. That is keeping you in the game. Other reason that this is so effective is you're going to see better results. If you are on a journey to lose body fat, get fit, get in shape, get toned, whatever it is, maybe you're just really focused on getting stronger. But if you are really focused on like getting leaner and all these things, like showing up. For even 10 minutes is going to get you better results. And here's why. Oftentimes the hardest part is getting there. Right. So once you're there. You oftentimes realize like, Hmm. Maybe this isn't so bad after. All right. Like, all right. You know, you're walking on the treadmill. You really didn't feel like showing up at your here. And you're thinking. I can go another 10 minutes. Maybe you've done. One set that one set. You promised you do yourself for the 10 minutes and now you're like, well, what's another set I'm already here. Better results because you're actually probably going to end up working out for longer than 10 minutes. I don't have an exact number, but if I had to just kinda like guesstimate on this. I would say of the 10 years, literally, that I've been like using this 10 minute rule. I would say that all the times that I used it. 95% of the time. I ended up working out for more than 10 minutes. And I would also say that. 50% of that time. I had some of the best workouts of my life. Now hear me out. Oftentimes the reason that I don't want to show up for my workout is I'm stressed. I'm tired. My energy is low. Well, what does a workout do? Well, it helps me relieve stress, gets those endorphins going, gives me a boost of energy. Oftentimes the reason that I want to skip the workout. The workout's actually going to give me the thing that I need. The most, and there's something just really awesome about. Feeling like, okay, I almost skipped this. I almost didn't do this, but like, look how freaking tough I am. I showed up anyways and now I'm here. And also now I'm crushing this workout. Like that feels so good. And so many times I have had the best. Workout of my life. Like I can literally visualize these incredible workouts that I had. That all came from me just saying I was going to show up for 10 minutes. That's it. I think we all pretty well understand that if we're here to get results, We've got to show up consistently to get those results. And using the 10 minute rule helps you show up consistently. It helps you. Knock down that barrier of I'm skipping. There's no reason to skip. When you've got this out, you can leave after 10 minutes, if you really don't feel like it. But you're going to see those better results because you showed up. And again, most of the time you're going to end up getting that whole workout in. Now let's not ignore the 5% of the time where you're like, yup. I'm out of here. I mean, I can. I can also vividly recall. You know that 5% of the time I'm like, I don't want to be here. Usually what ends up happening is I'm like, eh, maybe I really don't feel good. Right. A couple days later I might end up sick. And it was just those early days when you didn't know yet. Right. Or. You know, sometimes you just really don't feel like doing it. Okay. Gave myself the permission dipped out at the 10 minute mark. But again, that goes back to my first point. I'm still really freaking proud of myself that I showed up. I'm still really glad I stayed in the habit because then when the motivation does kind of come back or I'm feeling better, whatever. I'm like, okay. I didn't got in blow it. Like I still kind of showed up. I'm still in this habit. Um, you know, I'm still rolling. Instead of, well, I took a whole week off. Right. 10 minute rule. You guys. It's a game-changer. And the last thing that I want to say about the 10 minute rule to close out this episode. It's something that I talk about with you guys a lot. Which is using the 10 minute rule builds confidence. Your mindset, how you feel about yourself, how you feel about your journey. It really is all about that mindset and if you're in the mindset of. I'm somebody who skips workouts. I make excuses. I say, I'm going to do it. I write down my goals and then I don't show up. Let me tell you that when you use something like the 10 minute rule, To show up, even if it's not the whole thing. There is a level of confidence of like, Hey. I can actually. Set goals and like follow through on them. Like, sure. It wasn't the whole thing, but like I still showed up. You're not going to be like sad that you didn't get the whole workout. And I promise you, like, you're still going to be proud of yourself that you did 10 minutes instead of zero. And then for those ones where you ended up getting the workout in and it was like the best workout or even just like a good workout, you're going to be like, man, I am mentally tough. I am stronger than my excuses. I am a woman of her word. I keep my word to myself. And because I do that, I feel competent in myself. Well, let me tell you that is one of the best feelings. In the world and it bleeds. Over into everything else that you are doing in your journey to creating a balanced lifestyle. So babe, listen up. I know, I know. How easy it is to want to skip the workout. Okay. I know that you can probably come up with all kinds of excuses. Like it's raining. But here's what I want to tell you, even if you got to switch it up today, right? Like maybe you don't, maybe the strength is just not happening today. Okay. Go for a 10 minute walk. Do a 10 minute yoga. Show up for one set, go walk on the treadmill. Do. Some thing, because I'm here to tell you. You will absolutely not regret doing it. I'm like, uh, I'm telling you, you can send me a message if I'm wrong. Okay. DME at balanced by Hillary on Instagram, Hilary with one L. You can tell me, Hey. I had a horrible workout. You are wrong. But I promise you won't I promise you will be like I'm so freaking glad I went. I'm so glad that I'm a woman of her word who shows up for herself and the goals that she sets in the promise is she makes. And that workout was exactly what I needed. I needed to get out of my head. The hardest part was getting there. Once I was there, I got into it. It ended up relieving my stress, giving me energy, making me feel strong, physically and mentally, and I am better for it. You won't regret it. I promise you that. Next time you're feeling like you just don't want to get it done. Use the 10 minute rule and shoot me a message. Well, let me know that you used it. I love connecting with you guys. I will see you in the next episode. Bye.