Let's
get started
Scroll through this page for an overview of the COUCH to ACTIVE program.
Then sign up for your discovery session with Lyn today.
Here we go!
What to expect
COUCH to ACTIVE is designed to quickly create real and lasting transformation in people's lives.
Below is a high-level overview. No more failed exercise plans, no more wishing you could.
At completion you will also have a two year action plan to ensure your life change sticks.
Take a moment to skim the plan below.
Schedule your discovery session with Lyn today.
my body needs exercise
Think about this: staying active is pretty much the only thing that all scientists agree on. Regardless of age, race, religion, or political views, all science agrees that staying active is important for your health.
Yet, the majority of us struggle to even come close to attaining a baseline of activity to help prevent disease.
Wow.
Take a moment to remind yourself right now that adding exercise back into your life is an absolute non-negotiable.
Memorize this so that you can quote it to others:
My body needs exercise.
My body will always need exercise.
THIS WILL NEVER CHANGE.
It's not negotiable - it's science.
Your assignment
Memorize the quote above.
That's it, you are done with Step 1.
Easy!
step 4
i'm HEALING myself
- NOT HURTING myself
When it's within your control, injury-free must be your decision 100% of the time.
Right now - make this commitment to yourself:
I am healing myself.
I will not injure myself from over doing it.
NO EXCEPTIONS
I made this commitment to myself several years ago and this commitment, along with having compassion for my personal and physical challenges, has helped me stay strong.
The link below takes you to a blog about how this recently played out in my life.
What can you do to show compassion for yourself and stay injury free?
Your assignment
Memorize the quote in blue text above.
your activity recommendations
This is the Center for Disease Control's recommendations for the activity YOU NEED to help reduce overall health risks.
You already know this - you don't need to be told to do more exercise. You've already spent plenty of time feeling frustrated over how impossible fitting in the exercise is. So take a moment to look at the guidelines and take note of what thoughts and feelings you have around it.
As you look at this please be kind to yourself and try not to make any harsh judgements of your current life.
YOUR WEEKLY GOAL
150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise
2 days of muscle strengthening
There are of course many ways to approach how YOU accomplish this. The CDC provides an easy at-a-glance view of additional options that can help in brainstorming what this could look like in your life.
I know, you already have lots of ideas of the exercises you could be doing. In fact, you might even have programs you have paid for that have gone unused. The issue isn't so much WHAT to do, but rather creating a life where exercise is a normal part of it.
Let's not dwell on this - let's move on and start working through your next steps below.
Your assignment
This step is informational only.
If you've carefully read this step 3, then you are ready to move on to step 4.
call your doctor
You body is yours alone and you have your own complex set of physical and environmental factors. There is no one size fits all, and that includes exercise and health needs.
I spent years frustrated with my lack of fitness results. I trained by the book, yet I always finished in the back of the pack. I completed 10 triathlons, multiple bike rides of 200 miles or more, and over 6 half marathons. This was incredibly frustrating.
My frustration flipped on it's head when I got myself into my doctor and got seriously in tune with what was going on with my body. After a year of working through multiple appointments and seeing specialists I discovered that I was functioning with only 65% of my lungs. Asthma had me more compromised than I realized.
I would not have learned this if I didn't make myself dig in
and become my own scientist.
This discovery helped me become more compassionate towards myself. It's no secret that we all need to work with our REALITY, but it can be almost impossible if there is an undiscovered health issue holding us back. Seeking sound medical advice is not a weakness, it's an information gathering mission. With more information about your health, you will be more empowered.
What questions do you have about your health?
What doctor appointments do you need to schedule?
Your assignment
Schedule the doctor appointments you know you need.
START YOUR
pick-1-challenge
Here's how the PICK-1-CHALLENGE works:
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Pick 1 exercise.
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Do this exercise 1 minute every day for a month.
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Track it.
It's that simple.
If you already have another exercise program or plan, go for it. But for this month add the PICK-1-CHALLENGE and make it a priority every single day.
With this challenge you will see improvement in the area you select. This will be an exciting boost you need. Also, you'll use the Pick-1-Challenge in the next three steps of this program.
Your assignment
Work through the PICK-1-CHALLENGE by following the steps below.
1. Go to our PICK-1-CHALLENGE page and read about it.
2. Print your tracker and put it somewhere that you will see it every day.
3. Ask one person to remind you to do the challenge every day.
"I am going to ask my friend _______________
to help remind me to do this challenge every day."
As soon as you have your PICK-1-CHALLENGE started, continue to step 6.
IT'S TIME TO Get social
Going public with your goals is much deeper than making connections and finding accountability. It's the beginnings of shifting how you see yourself and how others see you with regards to being active. It's the first step of what eventually makes all of this stick.
Your assignment
Pick 3 ways you can start talking to others about your goal to be active. The first one is filled in for you because you already completed it in step 5 above. Next, commit to having these conversations during the month you complete your PICK-1-CHALLENGE.
Make each item something you are drawn to. Your gut will likely be spot-on in telling you what is best for you. Don't overthink it. Trust your immediate instincts on this one.
Additional ideas to consider.
In addition to having conversations with people you currently hang out with, imagine reaching out to an old friend or a new friend. Sometimes reaching out via email to a group of friends can actually be less intimidating. When interacting it's important to stay as positive as possible. Say something like this, "I am figuring out how be active again and I know that being open about it will help me stick with it."
Use social media such as Facebook.
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Start sharing your story and journey.
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Ask who else is working on this same topic.
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Start liking, commenting, and cheering on friends who are also posting about staying active.
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Wish others well. People admire and respect those who wish them well. Be that person.
Join COUCH to ACTIVE's private Facebook group. This group is at its infancy and I monitor the group. It is intended to be a safe place to post struggles, celebrate successes, and make connections. Everyone in this group has the common goal of staying active and supporting each other.
What if my support network feels weak?
Sometimes the people closest to us aren't ready to support our goal, and sometimes they flat-out make it incredibly difficult. Other times, we just feel alone. If you are currently faced with this, then this step will be difficult. It will also be a very important step for you. We will look more closely at how to manage this challenge in future steps.
In the meantime, be sure to join COUCH to ACTIVE's private Facebook group. I'm there for you.
PICK-1-BARRIER - AND BREAK IT!
It's normal to get overwhelmed by how crazy busy our lives are. It's even easier to feel stuck. But how many of us actually take the time to analyze it all? I mean really analyze what's getting in the way of exercise?
In this step we list all of our barriers to being active. By looking at each barrier one at a time we can become more grounded in the REALITY of our UNIQUE lives.
By breaking only 1 or 2 barriers
you will be well on your way
to making a
big transformation.
The empowering piece of this exercise is when we recognize that we don't have to break through all of our barriers at all. In fact, most of our barriers can stay right where they are - barriers. Everyone has barriers. I have barriers and always will. You also have barriers to being active and always will.
Your assignment
Get a notepad and make a chart with these two columns.
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Column 1: What got in my way of being active TODAY?
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Column 2: What are possible solutions for this issue?
As you go through your days, pay close attention to everything and notice how it either supports or distracts from your goal. For the entire month that you doing your PICK-1-CHALLENGE, keep adding to your list. Treat each item as just a data point to find interesting.
Then, as you brainstorm solutions, assume every single item is solvable. If you get stuck on a solution, leave it blank. Your mind will continue to process this without you even knowing it. What's important is that you work through this list every single day along with your PICK-1-CHALLENGE.
By the time you've created your list, you have probably already started working to break some of these barriers. At this point, pick ONE item at a time. Challenge your limiting beliefs on what is possible. Try bold new solutions as experiments.
You are working to get out of feeling stuck, and into realizing solutions are right inside of you. Continue to take an even closer look at what is right in front of you.
Remember, many barriers will stay right where they started - as barriers. This is perfectly fine. We've never expected life to be perfect.
IT'S TIME TO DIG DEEP
The more clarity you have of your unique life, your goals, and how to get there, the better chance you will have of reaching those goals. This step requires the most sustained focus of all steps in this program. This is why I'm asking you to print these sheets and work though them away from the distractions of your phone or computer.
You are going to dig deep, challenge your assumptions, and see your life in a new light.
Your assignment
Spend about 30 minutes to 1 hour on each sheet.
You're not giving up
It will realistically take a full year before you begin to feel settled into your new active life. However, after a year, the magic finally happens. This is when your NEW NORMAL begins to take root. Your new-normal becomes your normal-normal.
To stay the course and not give up, you need to continually revisit these steps for about a year. Then at each major life change, you'll need to revisit them again.
Your assignment
Right now, set up monthly calendar reminders for the next 12 months. Have the reminders point you back to this webpage.
Copy this text into each calendar reminder:
Making my move to an active lifestyle.
I will never give up.
Work with a calendar you already use. Online or paper calendar, it doesn't matter.
are you stuck?
The struggle is real.
If you've worked through this entire program and still feel stuck, don't lose hope. You are facing challenges that are bigger than you realized and you might need to make some huge and difficult decisions to transform your life.
It could also mean that you are experiencing a unique season of your life and you need to give yourself extra compassion.
The good news is that when you feel completely stuck, it actually means you haven't given up on your dream to make a breakthrough.
It means there's still hope.
Your massive frustration is where radical transformations begin.
