OUR Wellness
Life After Fitness
by Erin Calderone
Wellness Coordinator
Congratulations!
You made it through another semester. You empowered, cajoled, and gently (or more emphatically) pushed another cohort of students into their career and academic futures. Now for a big sigh of relief, a day to tidy up the office, and then start preparing to do it all over again.
Our health and fitness goals tend to work in this cyclical fashion too. We set goals, make plans, work at them for a time… and then when we reach our goals we’re done right? After the sense of accomplishment and pride in achievement wears off, many people wonder “what’s next?” What will keep us motivated to continue our healthy lifestyle? Goals may be short term, but our health is not! It is literally a life-long process to both maintain and grow.
There are a couple ways to consider this question: What do I do after reaching my goals? And it really boils down to what type of motivation works best for you.
Intrinsic Motivation
You engage in healthy behaviors because you love doing them. You enjoy eating all kinds of fruits and vegetables, love hiking or yoga or (dare I say) the gym, and look forward to de-stressing with meditation, prayer or chatting with friends. You rarely need to talk yourself into doing something healthy because you have found the things that you truly enjoy. For most people this is easier to maintain than extrinsic motivation, which is why I always encourage everyone to find something healthy to do that they really have fun at – it doesn’t matter what!
Extrinsic Motivation
You engage in healthy behaviors because you have a goal or encouragement from other people. You may not enjoy salads but you are trying to reach a goal eating more greens so you pack a salad for lunch each day. You go to the gym to meet up with your friends, or go on a hike because you are training for Mt. Whitney. And maybe you go to the Wellness lectures just for the FLEX! *wink* This is still a GREAT way to stay motivated, but once a goal is accomplished, you’ll need to set another one to keep going.
So if you don’t yet have a plan for a healthy summer, start thinking about ways to find either intrinsic or extrinsic motivation.
- Partner up with a colleague who is also teaching a summer class and agree to meet for lunch or a walk around the track.
- Have your kids help you plan weekend hikes and help you pick out fruit for healthy snacks.
- Register for a 5K and download a training plan (like the Couch to 5K training app).
- OUR Wellness program is also here to help this summer:
OUR Wellness Summer Schedule: June 18th through August 9th
Staff/Faculty Fitness Center hours:
Tue/Thur 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Including 30-minute BURN circuit at 4:30 p.m. with Coach Deo
Mon/Wed 2:00-3:30 p.m. (workout with Erin J)
Zumba at Garfield: Dates TBA: 12-1 p.m.
I hope you can join myself, Deo and Ani this summer, or other friends, family and colleagues who are enjoying the journey of healthy living with you! See you there!
Keep up with Vaquero Wellness or follow @vaquerowellness on instagram and facebook!
