It’s the beginning of a new week! This is the perfect time to commit to exercise this week and to finding time to focus on you and the wonderful feeling of moving.

FitnessGlo teacher Petra Kolber shares her thoughts today on how daunting it can be to begin or restart an exercise program, how damaging negative self talk is, and offers insight into how we can all restart together this week…five minutes at a time:

I have been moving for as long as I can remember. I was a dancer for many years and then fell into fitness. Well, basically made a dramatic and fast career shift after my first dance audition on Broadway. Hmmmmm – not quite as good as I thought I was.

With all my years of being in dance and fitness I still have had times when I fell away from my regular routine. Sometimes it was for a week, sometimes a month and occasionally it was for longer period of time. Right now as I sit and write this I have been off my regular routine for almost 3 months. I moved across country in December and in between getting settled and my travels with my work I have not been in my regular workout routine for quite a while. The reason I am sharing this is that I do understand how challenging it is to begin, or restart an exercise program. I know it may seem crazy as I actually do this for a living. The fact that people “expect” me to be living a fit lifestyle 365 days a year also contributes to the guilt, the internal beating myself up for “not being perfect” not having the “willpower” etc. and all the other mental chatter that comes along with the negative self talk. I get it – I go through it – I understand it. But the bottom line is (and sometimes my bottom does get bigger) it doesn’t serve me in the slightest.

What happens for me is a disconnect between what I do and how I feel. Simply stated, when I move more, I just FEEL better, happier, more alert, more focused and have more energy. It is NOT about numbers – the size of my jeans, the number on the scale – trust me I’ve played those number games and there is no way to ever win that one.

So if you are in that place where it just may seem too much to add another thing into your day, know I am with you. We here at FitnessGlo appreciate you and together, let’s begin by taking 5 minutes today to get up and get moving.

The sun is out today and it feels like spring, so I think I am going to take a walk into town and explore the area where I now live. Are you ready? 5 minutes – let’s do this. Time to get started.

Let’s do this, indeed! See you on the FitnessGlo site this week or on roads and treadmills and parkways all over the world as we commit to each other to move this week.