Let's
get started
Hello there,
This guide is designed to help you to get back to an active lifestyle.
Whether it's outdoor sports, walking, the gym, signing back up with a personal trainer, or you want to eventually be the next ninja warrior - you're in the right place to get the ball rolling again.
You're not alone. In fact, currently in just the United States, you have over 250 million friends who are in the same boat. You carry a level of stress because you know you should be exercising more but just can't seem to make it happen consistently. You know you can do better and you need to make a breakthrough.
You are here because you have not given up. You want to puzzle this out and create your own active life that fulfills you.
You simply want to feel better - to smile more.
Your life is unique, and you need to discover a solution that works with the REALITY of YOUR LIFE. You want to be left feeling truly empowered and able to make changes in your life - that will last.
This program is designed for us who are serious about making this shift. It is a full month process. Get ready to dig deep, see your life in a new light, and of course - move more.
I believe that the message of helping others find an active lifestyle is so important that I'm making this version of my program available to the public on this page, right now. I've already received requests to have a printed version. It's not available yet, but I'm working on it!
Bookmark this page, you'll need to revisit it many times over the month.
Stick with me - YOU WILL find your ACTIVE LIFE again!
Here we go!
Lyn Lindbergh
Founder and Author
COUCH to ACTIVE
What to expect
This getting started program is divided into several steps. I recommend doing a quick read of this entire page before starting the program.
The time needed to complete each step ranges from quick reminders taking 10 minutes, to full month-long practices. It's meant to be completed all at once over a month. However, life isn't perfect, so I also designed the program so you can complete it one step at a time or in random order.
The work of creating
your active lifestyle
is about to begin!
Tip: Bookmark this page. You will need to revisit this many times over the coming month.
10 minutes now
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
15 minutes now
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.
10 minutes now
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.
1 - 4 weeks
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.
