We hear it all the time. The list of reasons why someone needs to cancel their membership. But before you cancel the one membership that is likely most beneficial to your well-being, consider this: what lies beneath the reasons you want to cancel? Is it a real obstacle, or a perceived barrier standing in the way of your best self?
1) You Don’t Use it Enough.
Ask yourself, “Self, how much is enough? And how do I define “enough”?
Let’s unpack this. If you believe you have to workout 5-7x a week to make an Alkalign membership worthwhile you may actually be overtraining. Did you know that you can over exercise and actually impair your physical and mental health? Recovery is so important. It’s 50% of the fitness equation.
Or perhaps you’re not working out “enough’ because you aren’t motivated. That could be because you are overtaxed and exhausted, or it could be because you associate exercise with punishment. An attainable and reasonable goal coupled with a consistent practice is the key to sticking with something vs. feeling burned out.
2) You Need More Accountability.
When it comes to exercise, accountability is key. The concept of signing up for something and putting it in your calendar increases accountability. The act of showing with or for someone else increases it even more. That could be a workout buddy who you meet (live or livestream) or an instructor who you know is going to be happy to see you.
At Alkalign, we offer LIVE, two-way classes so that you can see us and we can see you. No more spacing out or getting distracted by what’s going on in the room or on your phone. We are there to keep you present, connected, and accountable to yourself. That’s the best self-care there is.
3) You Need a Change.
We get it. Sticking with anything “too long” feels uncomfortable thanks to our ever-shrinking attention spans. And with the world at our fingertips, you have more workout choices than ever. We are conditioned to move from one thing to the next. The promise of the “next best thing” fills our inboxes and social media feeds.
Alkalign is designed to be the foundation that conditions your body to do all the other things you enjoy doing. We encourage you to try new things. Play tennis, go for a run, cycle, ski, etc. But consistently incorporate the one thing that perfectly complements anything else that’s going on in your life. Just because you decide to whiten your teeth doesn’t mean you stop brushing. Alkalign is the thing you add on to, not the thing you take away.
4) You Want a More Intense Workout.
As much as I’m a believer that It Doesn’t Have to Hurt to Work, I appreciate that people want to crush the caloric burn and sweat out the toxins. I was the exact same way. Unfortunately it didn’t end well for me because I didn’t realize that a gentle and consistent practice is more effective and less detrimental to your body and mind than a harder/faster/better approach. I also didn’t realize that overexercising could be working against me both metabolically and hormonally. What if that workout that I thought was additive was actually doing more harm than good?
Alkalign is the training, the knowledge and the practice you need to do all those more intense activities in life with better performance and reduced risk. While you can certainly opt to Alkalign without adding more intense workouts, it unfortunately doesn’t work in reverse.
5) You’re Tired of the Screen.
The COVID struggle is real and we are experiencing burnout with masks, testing and screens galore. Part of the challenge of the screen is that we are staring at it for Zoom meetings, television viewing and workouts. If you have an opportunity to workout LIVE in an environment that is safe and comfortable, go for it. Unfortunately, Alkalign only has one brick and mortar location, making in-person access challenging for many. However, we have created a differentiated livestream model where not only is it LIVE, but we can see you and interact with you, making it less one-dimensional and more dynamic. Step away from the screen. Close your eyes and tap into your auditory processing vs. watching the demo’s every move. Give your eyes a break from the screen while still leveraging the safety and convenience of a workout that comes to you.
6) You are too overwhelmed.
We know there is a lot on your plate. What is more important than your health? Does your self-care have to go on the back burner? What is the risk in doing so?
No matter what you have going on, a little self-care goes a long way. And without it, you open yourself up to more burnout, illness and injury. A short 30-minute workout a few times a week is a game changer. Schedule it in your calendar and protect that time like you would your more precious resource. It’s all about gentle consistency. Start small vs. not at all.
7) You are injured.
Sitting on the sidelines of Alkalign when you are injured may be the worst thing you can do. While we 100% encourage rest and recovery, we also encourage you to continue to strengthen all the parts that are going to help you recover from your injury. Core strength, glute strength, mobility, etc. are important elements of living in a strong, functional body. Lucky for you, Alkalign is designed to be flexible so that you can adjust based on what works for you and your specific needs on any given day. We understand the biomechanics of the body and our instructors are trained to help you adjust exercises as needed. Alkalign was not designed to put you in a box but it will help you maintain and rebuild strength if you happen to trip over one. 😉
If you need a break from Alkalign, no hard feelings. Take a break and if and when you start to miss us, come on back. The door is always open. 💙
Xo,
Erin
