I was a
skinny kid. I’m not sure if was because my metabolism was awesome or if I was just hyperactive. Maybe a little of both. My mother rarely let me watch TV, though that
didn’t bother me much, since we only had 2
channels and there was never anything good on. I spent most of my days outside and rarely ran out of fun stuff to do—climbing trees, turning cartwheels, building forts,
playing tag, swimming, tether ball, shuffleboard. As I got older I stopped climbing trees, but
I started taking dance class, gymnastics, and swimming lessons. During my high school years I remained active
through cheer-leading, dance-line, and softball.
I gained a little weight, but still considered myself in good shape.
Then I went
off to college and the most physical thing I accomplished was walking from
point A to point B. After college I was
even less active. My first job required
sitting at a desk all day, 40 hours a week.
It’s not hard to imagine what happened to my body, (especially when you
count up all the 20-ounce Cokes I drank from the downstairs vending machine).
By the time I
decided to do something about it, even walking felt like a burden. I’ve tried off and on to regain my former
physique, but it’s usually short-lived.
I look at exercise as one more unpleasant thing to shove into my
already packed schedule. Now if it were something
I enjoyed, like reading a book or eating cheesecake, I’m sure I would find time to squeeze
it in somewhere. Unfortunately for me,
exercise is about as fun as going to the dentist (no offense my dentist friends). It’s painful. I just don’t like doing it.
I’m no
fitness guru. I’m not speaking to you as
someone who has mastered this. In fact, I
struggle with this habit more than anything else. That's why I chose this topic. There are so
many good reasons for getting into shape. Here are the top 7 benefits of regular physical activity, according to
MayoClinic.com:
- Exercise
controls weight
-
Exercise
combats health conditions and disease
- Exercise
improves mood
- Exercise
boosts energy
- Exercise
promotes better sleep
- Exercise
puts the spark back into your sex life
- Exercise
can be fun
No surprises
for me in that list, (except perhaps the part about exercise being fun). Even
though I know about the benefits I still find a thousand excuses for NOT exercising. If I do happen to dredge
up enough motivation (see habit #2) to start a fitness plan, I have trouble
staying with it beyond the first couple of weeks. Do you have this problem too?
Exercise is like shopping for shoes…you have to try on a bunch before you find the one
that really fits you and doesn’t leave you with blisters or a sore back. You also have to wear them for awhile to
really break them it. Until then, you
just have to put up with a little discomfort.
Exercise is like car shopping. It’s helpful
if you do a little background research and know what you want before you walk
in the store. There’s usually some bargaining and haggling involved.
Exercise can be like online dating sites. You are more likely to find long-term success if you take the time to explore your personality to find a compatible match.
Not everyone is meant to be a
distance runner. Not everyone is meant for Zumba. Not everyone is
meant to be a rock climber or power lifter. Don’t get discouraged. Maybe you just haven’t found your perfect
match.
Your Challenge:
This week’s
healthy habit is to find your body’s “soul-mate” activity. Your
goal is to discover a form of exercise that works for you. Something you connect with. Something you can stick with. Once you’ve found it, start doing it. Try for 30 minutes a day at least 3 to 5 days
per week. Granted, this process may take
longer than a week. It might take a
whole year for that matter. Don’t let
that thought deter you from getting started. Every day we put
it off is another day of unhealthiness.
No idea where
to start? Take an inventory of your
strengths, weaknesses, and personal preferences to help you find the right fit to get fit.
Sarah’s "Exercise Compatibility" Assessment
Think back to
your childhood (or teenage years or whenever you felt you were at your peak
physical condition) and then answer the following questions.
1.
What
activities did you participate in then that contributed to your overall fitness
level?
2.
What
did you enjoy about those activities or what motivated you to do them?
3.
What,
if anything, did you dislike about those activities?
Now think about your current lifestyle
and answer the following questions.
1.
Are
there any obstacles or challenges that stand in the way of getting physically
fit?
2.
What
top 3 excuses do you usually use to get out of exercising?
3.
What
are your own personal reasons for wanting to be physically fit?
Look at the
pairings below. Take a piece of paper
and write down the one that best describes you now.
Prefer being
indoors versus Prefer being outdoors
Tend to be
introverted versus Tend
to be extroverted
Prefer
individual sports versus Prefer team sports
Tend to be
competitive versus Tend to be non-competitive
Prefer doing
cardio versus Prefer doing weights or resistance
training
Adrenaline
junkie versus Scaredy cat
Overly packed
schedule versus A few chunks of free time
Have some
money to invest versus Little to no money to invest
Have room for
equipment versus Little to no room to store bulky
equipment
Okay. Now let’s
assess your answers.
Below are the original questions followed by another question in red. Consider the answers you wrote down and then answer the questions in red. I've included my answers to give you an example.
1.
What
activities did you participate in then that contributed to your overall fitness
level?
Looking
at your answers, are there ways you can incorporate those activities into your
fitness routine now?
The activities I wrote down were gymnastics, cheerleading, dancing, and softball. How can I tie those into my life now? There might be dance classes
available in my area, such as ballroom dancing, or at the very least I could get workout DVDs that are
dance-based. For softball, there are
summer recreational leagues available in most places. Maybe just going to a batting cage once a week or playing catch with my kids would be fun. Chances are, if you really enjoyed it when
you were young, you will probably still enjoy it as an adult. At least it’s a good place to start. Set some time aside to research your
community and find out if any of the activities you listed are available to you
(in some form or another). Keep your eyes open and
don’t be afraid to ask around.
2.
What
did you enjoy about those activities or what motivated you to do them? Can you
incorporate the parts you enjoyed into your current workouts?
I enjoyed the personal challenges
involved with gymnastics. I liked stretching
the limits of my body in order to achieve the next level. I could use that to my advantage now by
keeping track of my progress and making a game out of trying to surpass my own personal
bests. For dance, I loved the moving to
the music. That one is easy. Having music playing at home naturally
inspires me to move more. I can’t help
but dance to my favorite songs. In the
other sports I listed, I enjoyed the more social aspects like building
friendships with my other teammates. Perhaps
that means I would stay more motivated in the long run if I worked out with friends. Take your list and brainstorm ideas of how
you might incorporate those qualities into your current fitness.
3.
What,
if anything, did you dislike about those activities? What
can you learn from your answers?
Danceline started at 6:30
am, which meant I had to leave my house by 6, which meant I had to wake up long
before my brain was engaged. Let me
state for the record that I am not a
morning person. My energy levels have
always been lowest during the first few hours of the day. I really loved Dance, but having to do it at O-dark-thirty
was a huge challenge for me. If it’s that
hard for me to get out of bed to do something I really love, it’s gonna be
darn-near impossible to get my butt out of bed for something I don’t really want to do at all! That would be setting
myself up for failure. From that
experience I learned a very important fitness lesson. I need to plan my workouts later in the day
when my energy levels are higher.
Whatever aspects you remember disliking from your fitness-past are
probably the very same things that will trip you up now. Do you best to identify those things and
either remove those obstacles or find ways to work around them. Write them down.
Now think about your current lifestyle
and answer the following questions.
1.
Are
there any obstacles or challenges that stand in the way of getting physically
fit? Once
you have your list, scrutinize them. What
can you do to remove those obstacles or counter those challenges?
Heck yeah I have obstacles. I’ve got three kids. That means I can’t just go out jogging
whenever the mood strikes me. I would have
to take them with me or plan my excursion for later when my husband gets
home. This is a strong deterrent for me.
Inevitably, when my husband comes home, I’m no longer interested in
jogging. I’m cooking dinner, helping
with homework, writing a blog, too tired, or just plain not in the mood. This requires a work-around. Maybe that’s letting the kids ride their
bikes while I jog alongside them. Maybe
that’s doing a workout DVD at home instead.
If you plan in advance how you’ll respond to your obstacles, you might
respond in a healthier way the next time that situation arises. Have a plan prepared for each obstacle or
challenge you listed.
2.
What
top 3 excuses do you usually give to get out of exercising? Dismantle
them.
My top excuse was “I don’t
have time.” I admit it…that is a
ridiculous excuse. Yes, my schedule is
overly packed. I must also acknowledge
that I created this circumstance by saying “yes” to more things than I should ever commit to do. Yet, even on my busiest days,
I can surely find 15 minutes to benefit my health. Maybe that means only taking10 minutes to get
ready instead of 30. Maybe that means
taking a shorter lunch or cutting back on Facebook time. The truth is…I always find
time to do the things that are important to me.
That means my choice to avoid exercise really has nothing to do with lack of time
and everything to do with lack of priorities.
Being fit is simply not important enough to me; otherwise I would make
it a bigger priority. Here's the reality…Every excuse masks a painful
truth. Tackle those excuses one by
one. Expose the underlying painful truth, and correct it.
3. What are your own personal reasons for
wanting to be physically fit? How can you turn those reasons into
motivation?
My kids are getting to the
age where they are starting to participate in team sports. They want to practice at home with me. They want to play catch or kick around a
soccer ball in the back yard. I want to
enjoy these kinds of activities with my kids, but I can’t if I’m totally out of
shape. It’s winter now, so we are inside a lot more. I bought some of
those “Just Dance” games for the Wii. My
kids love doing those and they are fun to do together as a family. It feels like playtime, not work, which helps
me stay engaged. Whatever reasons you
have for wanting to get fit, make them an integral part of your fitness program.
Now onto those
pairings of opposites…
Indoor vs. Outdoor
Bad weather
is my favorite go-to excuse for skipping a planned activity. I think, “would
you look at that…it’s raining today. I
guess I can’t go running. Total
bummer. I was SO looking forward to it.” Totally sarcastic, of course. The weather provides nearly an unlimited
amount of plausible justifications. Too
cold, too hot, too windy, too calm, too wet, too dry, too sunny, too cloudy…and
so on and so forth ad nauseum.
However,
whatever you were planning to do outside probably has an indoor equivalent. This isn’t true in every case, but there’s a
lot of crossover. Like to ice-skate but no ice? Try rollerblading at an indoor
roller-skating rink. Enjoy biking but
it’s the wrong season? Try a stationary
bike. Similarly, if indoor sports seem
boring or repetitious, try them outside.
Take a yoga class outside in the park instead of indoors. Instead
of swimming laps in the pool, try snorkeling or scuba diving in a lake.
Having a
preference for staying inside or for going outside doesn’t have to limit your
possibilities or dictate your fitness level.
No more excuses!
Introverted vs. Extroverted
This ties in
a little bit with individual vs. team sports to some extent. Although it is entirely possible to be
introverted and still enjoy team sports, just as it is possible to be
extroverted and prefer individual sports.
According to TeachPE.com, introverts
tend to like sports which require concentration, precision, self-motivation,
intricate skills, low arousal levels, and individual performances. For example, archery, golf, and snooker. Extroverts prefer sports which are exciting,
team related, fast-paced, have high arousal levels, and involve large simple
motor skills and low concentration.
Examples are rugby and boxing.
Extroverts tend to choose more aggressive sports as well, either
indirectly (aggression towards a ball) or directly (aggression directed towards
an opposing player).
If you are
introverted, try running, rollerblading, swimming, hiking, rock-climbing, yoga,
or biking. If you do choose something
that might be dangerous, such as hiking or rock-climbing, be sure to let
someone know where you will be and when you plan to return. Always bring an emergency kit and some basic
provisions with you, and stay on top of weather advisories. I mention this because of a tragic story I know about a man and his two young sons who went out hiking. The weather took a turn for the worst and
they got lost. They weren’t prepared for
the dramatic drop in temperature and they never made it home again. Stories like this break my heart, so please take extra precautions if you intend to go out alone.
If you are
extroverted, try taking a class at a local gym or through a community
program. Gather up a few friends to go
with you. You are more energized by the social
aspects, so pick activities that are popular, well attended, and fun to do as a
group.
Individual vs. Team Sports
If you prefer
individual sports you might not click with a Zumba class or joining the curling
club. If being on a team or working out
in a group is not your thing, no sweat.
There are tons of things you can do that don’t involve large groups of
people. Wikipedia lists a whole page of
them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Individual_sports
Not all of these qualify as physical exercise per se (like chess). Some of them I’ve never heard of, but they
sound interesting. Try something
new.
The immediate
drawback of individual sports is the lack of an accountability partner. I’ve already established in previous posts
that having an accountability partner greatly contributes to the long-term
success of any goal. However, just because you
prefer individual sports doesn’t mean you have to work towards your fitness goals
alone. Find a friend to participate with
you or alongside you. At the bare minimum, find an accountability partner to report back to. If there’s no one holding you accountable,
it’s a lot easier to just push snooze and skip your workout time. Unless you have a strong drive and excellent self-discipline, this could be a large hurdle to jump. Get yourself an accountability partner.
Team sports
have the added advantage of a built in support network and a feeling of
community. Team players usually have to
show up on a regular basis for practices and/or games. When I have been part of a team, I show up
even when I don’t really feel like it,
because I don’t want to let down the team.
This provides automatic motivation for me. Wiki has a page dedicated to team sports if
you are looking for something new to try: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Team_sports
Competitive vs. Non-competitive
If you are a
competitive person, make a game or contest out of whatever you do. Even if you are working out at home,
challenge yourself. See how many sit-ups
you can do in 60 seconds. Next week try
to beat your previous time or do more in the same amount of time. My uncle and my cousin challenged each other
by creating a contest to see who could lose weight and keep it off for a
specified amount of time. Wanting to be
the winner helped motivate them towards goals they already had as individuals. If you find yourself getting bored, then
raise the stakes. If you have trouble
finding new challenges to try, here’s an awesome site I stumbled upon that
contains more than 30,000 fitness challenges!
If you are
not competitive, you’ll want to shy away from anything that puts a lot of
emphasis on winning, the end result, or where there are a lot of other people
competing around you. That might turn you off or leave you feeling stressed out.
Instead, try to focus on other benefits for exercising, such as stress
relief or having more energy. If you
love team sports but don’t enjoy the competitive aspects, you might be able to
find a recreational team where the players don’t really care whether they win
or lose; they just want to have fun playing the sport. It might take a little more persistence to
find groups teams like that, but they do exist.
Cardio vs. Weights & Resistance
Most of us
probably have a preference for one of these over the other. I would pick weights any day of the week over
a cardio workout, because when I do cardio I can’t breathe. I feel like I’m either going to suffocate or
hyperventilate. Unfortunately, this is
one of those categories that you can’t pick and choose one over the other. You need both. Your heart health depends on cardio workouts. Your bone density and muscle toning rely on
strength training and weights. Incorporate a little of both into your schedule, whether you like it or not.
Adrenaline Junkie vs. Scaredy Cat
There’s
something to be said about stretching the boundaries of your
normal comfort zone. That’s a healthy
way to grow and adapt, (although that doesn’t mean
you have to do something completely against your nature, or do things in an unsafe manner). On our 15th wedding anniversary, we visited a cenote in Mexico, which
is basically a pool at the bottom of a pit.
Underground rivers run between layers of limestone and sometimes the
limestone above collapses, creating a sinkhole.
This one required walking down 95 steps to reach the water level. There was a platform about 12 or 13 feet
above the surface of the water, where you could jump into the pool. It didn’t look very high until I got up
there. I’ve never been afraid of
heights, but for some reason my stomach was in a giant knot just thinking about
jumping so far down into the dark water.
My head said it was safe. It
wasn’t that high. It wasn’t
like I was landing on concrete. It’s just
water. Yet, I stood there for at least 5 minutes watching dozens of
other people take the plunge. If it felt horrible, there wouldn’t be so many other people doing it, right? I convinced myself to try it, just once. I still had knots in my stomach, but I did
it…I jumped in feet first.
You know that
feeling you get in a roller coaster when your stomach drops out. Imagine that, but imagine your body in
free-fall, not strapped in with a 5-point harness. I can’t say that I enjoyed the tug of gravity,
yet I climbed the platform to do it again.
This time I tried diving in head-first.
That felt surprisingly more natural.
There was no stomach-dropping-out feeling associated with the dive. Swimming in the cenote itself was beautiful
and exhilarating, almost a spiritual experience for me. I still can’t say I totally loved the free-fall
part. That tells me I probably won’t
enjoy sky-diving, base jumping, bungee jumping, rock-climbing, or anything else
that includes jumping or falling from a great height, (or the potential to do so). There’s a tiny part of me that wonders if I’m
missing out on something wonderful, and for that reason I am prone to try stuff
like this at least once. If you are the
type that doesn’t even want to try it, that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with you. You are listening to the voice of
reason inside you—your self-preservation instinct.
Make peace with it. You’ll
probably live a lot longer than me.
I was going
to write a nice long paragraph for those adrenaline junkies out there, but they
probably aren’t reading this post anyway.
I may be making a big assumption here, but most sensation-seekers aren’t
sitting around watching TV or reading incredibly long blog posts. They don’t usually have trouble finding
athletic stuff to do and they are generally pretty fit. Maybe I need to friend a few of those people to befriend…maybe
they’ll drag me away from my computer and out the door to go on some heart-pumping, athletic adventure...
Packed schedule vs. chunks of free
time
Even if you
have a full schedule, there are probably tiny chunks of free time that can be
carved out of your day. Rather than
trying to set aside a large block of time for exercise, work it into your
existing schedule by changing the way you do what you already do. You’ve probably heard to park your car
farther away from the door while shopping or to take the stairs instead of the
elevator. Those don’t require a huge
time commitment, but they can still add up to big results. When you visit the mall, spend 15 minutes
walking laps first and then go shopping.
If you have a baby, instead of rocking them in a rocking chair, stand up
and hold them while you do side lunges back and forth. While using the computer, try sitting on an
inflatable ball instead of a regular chair.
You’ll improve your core and tone your legs at the same time just keeping the ball in a stable position.
Whatever you do during the day, ask yourself how you could modify it slightly
to move more.
If you are
lucky enough to have some extra free time, maybe the hard thing is finding the
discipline to use that time wisely. I
noticed something strange recently about my calendar. On the days I have meetings, appointments, or
errands scheduled I tend to get more accomplished. The days I have nothing written down are my most
unproductive. I sit down with my coffee
and get on Facebook or Pinterest. An
hour and a half goes by before I notice my coffee is gone. I can find a thousand things to distract me when
there’s no agenda. There’s nothing wrong
with building in some down-time, but find a balance. Make exercise a part of your schedule. Actually write it on your calendar like any other appointment. Use those unclaimed chunks of time to benefit
your health.
Money vs. No Money
Obviously,
having a little cash in your pocket is going to open the door to some wonderful
fitness opportunities. Skiing,
snowboarding, golf, polo, mountain climbing…these things require expensive
equipment or admission fees that make them inaccessible to some people. That doesn’t make the lack of funds a valid
excuse for sitting around on your bum all day.
Here are some low-cost (or no cost) things you can do to stay fit:
- Use
your own body as resistance.
- Use
objects from around your house, such as soup cans instead of hand weights, or a
belt or scarf instead of an exercise strap (use common sense where safety is
concerned though)
- Take
a walk or jog around your neighborhood or local park
- Find
used exercise or sporting equipment and/or workout DVDs at garage sales, thrift
stores, consignment shops, or online auction sites
- Most
libraries have exercise DVDs you can borrow if you are afraid to invest in ones
you might not like
- If
you have internet access, find some exercise tutorials on YouTube.com. Try something new, like dubstep dancing or
parkour. You never know what new thing
you might encounter that changes the way you view fitness.
Roomy vs. Itty-Bitty Living Space
No room to
store bulky exercise equipment? Good
news! You don’t need anything fancy to
stay fit. Think back to elementary gym
class and all the exercises your P.E. teacher had you do without any props or
with very little props. Push-ups,
sit-ups, squats, planks, calf raises, etc. are all wonderful moves for toning
your body without any equipment needed. If you need a little more
variety, try adding small hand weights or resistance bands. These items are relatively inexpensive and
small enough to tuck under your bed or in a drawer. Get a few workout DVDs. They take up practically no room (unless you
collect 50 of them). Borrow some from
the library if you really want to stay minimalist. Why not rent a bike from a bike shop and go
biking once a week? Snowboarding,
skiing, ice-skating, roller-skating, bowling, and rock-climbing are some other
ideas of sports where you can rent equipment rather than bringing your own.
If you have
plenty of room, consider investing in one or two pieces of equipment. Start small.
Be careful not to invest a lot of money into something that’s just going
to take up space and never get used. We have a treadmill. My husband uses it several times a week, but I rarely touch it. Treadmills make me feel like a hamster spinning
in its wheel. No matter how many
calories it says I burned, part of me still believes I’m just not getting
anywhere. Don’t rely solely on other people's recommendations. Try it before you buy it. Spend some time testing
similar equipment out at a gym. If you
keep going back to it at the gym and really enjoy it, you’ll probably use it at
home too.
Post Your Progress and Comments Below!
Further Resources:
Here are a few common things people generally desire to give up:
