Well, it only seems fair that I barf out my OWN Inspiration Health Kick Post, since I'm requiring all of YOU to do it. Are you properly warmed up and ready to go? Don't want you pulling a hammy or similar!
BR and I are one of those couples you would probably like to see ground into a fine virtuous fitness paste the majority of the time. Fitness is very important to us. We prioritize it in our lives; we spend time and money on it. BR is not willing to spend $30 on a Target sweater, but he will buy two identical pairs of $150 running shoes (one for work! one for home!) without batting an eye. We drive shitty cars, but we own expensive workout clothes and iPods and GPS running watches and a truly embarassing quantity of gym memberships. We have a gym in our home. We subscribe to goddamned RUNNERS WORLD, people. Have you lost your breakfast yet? DAMN. It sounds obnoxious to ME, now that I type it out like that.
Look, I understand that many people don't like exercise. I don't always like it either. But I do it anyway. For me, the key to exercise is not to overthink it. JUST DO IT, if you will (*BARF*). If you give it too much headspace there will always be a reason not to give it priority. I disagree with the advice that you should only do exercise that is "fun" to you. I mean, if there exists a workout that makes you cackle with glee, then rock on. But it seems misleading and condescending to suggest that the kind of exercise that produces results should be "fun". I like to think of how I will feel AFTER a workout, instead of how I feel DURING the workout. I like to think of one of my favorite quotes, which is "I never came back from a workout saying to myself 'I wish I hadn't done that' " (Clearly bullshit in the case of the injury-prone overachiever, but YOU GET THE IDEA)
This is veering dangerously into Boot Camp Personal Trainer territory, and I didn't want it to (you can talk to BR if you're into that shit). Here's the thing. You are probably overestimating the amount of exercise you need to do to feel better in general. It doesn't take much to achieve the "feel better" goal. Hell, the smugness and feelings of superiority ALONE are worth your 15 or 20 minutes.
I don't even think I can list all of the benefits I've gotten from exercise here without sounding TOTALLY LAME and cliched. Let's start with the PC ones first: Confidence. Good health despite a wealth of other unhealthy habits. Increased mental clarity. The feeling of providing a good role model for my kid.
And there are not-so-PC ones too: Smugness when you watch those "Americans are so LAZY" shows. Escape from your life for a brief period of time. Excuse to buy shit. Rationalization for a shitty diet.
In conclusion, buy my series of "Sweatin' To Cuss Words" workouts and motivational cassette tapes! Jesus. I hope you decide to do some kind of exercise this year, and if you do IS IT SO MUCH TO ASK THAT YOU WRITE ABOUT IT!? Preferably in a more entertaining manner than I've just done, but beggars can't be choosers.
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Actually, what I want to know is how do you have time to work out at lunch with AD? I mean, I'm assuming that you and your hubby share or trade-off pick-up/drop off AD at daycare, but me being a single mommy, I don't have that option. Advise?
I do feel so much better when I exercise, but dear god, I hate the actual part when I'm exercising. You're right about that, and there's no way to get around it. My main excuse is the size of my boobs (and I know, I'd have less boob if I workd out more) but seriously, they don't make a good enough sports bra and it's painful and depressing.
I never thought about the SMUGNESS aspect of working out. That is so much more motivating to me than the health benefits. I know, I suck. But hey, whatever it takes, right?
Also, I like the idea of being able to justify SEVERAL itunes purchases for my new ipod.
I'm in. And I will post about it. Though I cannot guarantee any sort of humor -- unless you think me falling off the treadmill and breaking my ankle might be funny.
You totally will, won't you! :)
That is exactly my philosophy about workouts. Don't think about how you feel as you're doing it. Think about how you will feel AFTER.
Except that right now my thighs hurt from all those squats and my abs hurt from all those planks and oh god, after is not that much nicer than during. YET.
Well, I have to go back to the gym. My husband has been BITCHING every month when the payment comes out.
Also, he bought me an ipod shuffle just for working out. I named it "Gymmie"
I love to work out. I actually feel "high" after it. I totally dig looking hot and feeling even better.
The issue I have had was when I was preggo the 1st go around, my pelvis broke in half (not really) but I exercised through it for the most part.
Then came that dang baby and I breastfed until the end of time (he is 32 months now and we went until 20 months...) It is hard to get motivated to run or walk or lift weights when I was so sleep deprived I wanted to die.
And also I was struggling with the time to do it and a lot of physical pain from past (and VERY related workout injuries in my neck/back...) I am actually pretty hard core when it comes to working out. Like I feel it is a waste if I do not do something for 2-4 hours. Seriously. Crack smoker, right!? Competitive swimming for 14 yrs seriously ingrained this belief in me.
I now know it does not matter about the time I spend, it is the quality of the workout - you actually got me into the work out at lunch time kick a few months back. I have an hour to work out and I can eat at my desk. I get to watch a movie or read a book and I get to escape from the office for an hour.
I am much happier now that I have found a way to work it in to my life and I also know that eventually as the kids get older I can go back to being a psycho workout person (if I want to!!)
I used get up at 5:00am and run 3 miles every day. Then I got pregnant with my fourth, and haven't run since. She's over a year old now.
I will not say I loved running. I was constantly suffering from shin splints, no matter the surface or the shoes (I tried every combination). BUT, that moment when you've done the three miles and you STOP running. THAT moment is heaven on earth. I ran just for the feeling I got when I stopped running.
I was all set to start again when this last baby was about 5-6 months old. With all my other babies, that was the time when I could count on them sleeping through until at least 7:30, so I could get up at 5:00, have a leisurely cup of coffee to wake up, go to the local memorial park (dead people are great running companions) for a run (walk 1/2 mile, run 3, walk 1/2) and get home in plenty of time to shower and dress before anyone else in the house was up. This last baby STILL can't be counted on to sleep past 6:30 or so. She USUALLY does, but I can't count on it, so I haven't been running. What about my husband, you may be thinking, can't HE get up with her if she wakes early. Right. She'd have more luck waking the dead people at the memorial park where her mother was running.
In any case, I hope to start again in the spring, because there is no fucking way I am going out now. It's too damn cold.
I like your plucky attitude toward exercising. And your rationalized purchases. :)
We have a gym in our house too, complete with a punching bag, weights, and a full-out weight lifting doohickey that must've cost our friend a million dollars (he gave it to us when he had to move to NY). We also just purchased a "boot camp"-type cardio DVD, which I am actually excited to try.
For now, we're both on the bandwagon for exercising, only this time we both seem really determined to stick with it. (Plus, I promised myself an iMac if I worked out 3 times a week until June 1.)
So you can fully expect some exercise whining from me, is what I'm trying to say.
P.S. I'm also keeping a food journal. This makes me desperately UNHAPPY. Do you know my daily VITAMIN has 20 calories? Dammit!
P.P.S. I haven't had a Mt. Dew in 36 hours. Send help (preferably in caffeine form).
P.P.P.S. I am hogging your comment section. HA HAHAHAHHAHAHA.
AACCK! *choking on smugness emanating from this post*
I really need to rethink the whole "be real life friends with Tessie" thing. You may be a good influence on me and we certainly cannot have that, now can we?
Farrell-I exercise at lunchtime (AD is at daycare all day). I actually drop her off AND pick her up every single day since her daycare is near my work and not near BR's.
When she was really little, I used to run down to her daycare to visit her, and then run back, but I don't do that anymore. My workplace has a gym and a track, so I work out here. I think for a lunchtime workout you either have to have a gym very close, or run or walk outside in order to make it within an hour lunch break.
Erica-I KNOW, man. I AM SORRY. The thing is, this is just what we have chosen for a hobby. It's no different than someone chosing to be into wine, or travel, or whatever. I think exercise has a lot of benefits, and I'm glad that we do it, but people who choose "travel" as a hobby say the same thing.
damn it now I have the old get in shape girl commercial song stuck in my head. I use excercise as an excuse to buy expensive shit (shoes!iPods!stationary bikes!) and am slowly building our gym collection in the basement. give me 4 months and I SWEAR I will do a giant fitness post after I get this kid out of mah belly. I actually really like to excercise but after O came along I just couldn't seem to find a good time. I vow not to do that this time - hence the home gym.
One of the main things I like about my job is that there is a gym in the building. It's ridiculously cheap and, therefore, I have no excuse not to exercise at lunch (after work is right out since having a child). I feel much better when I exercise regularly and not just because I can wear smaller pants, but also because I can eat crappier food and more of it. I figured out a long time ago that my choices were 1. eat less and/or more healthful food or 2. exercise. Exercising has proved to be more doable for me because damn, I love food. My husband has been running a few days a week for the last month or two and I'm hoping he sticks with it because then he can finally understand my exercise thing after 10 years of generally just looking at me like I'm crazy.
My current form of exercise is doing all the things I normally do while being 36 weeks pregnant and lugging around a 30 lb. toddler. Ironically, though I am exercising less than I have in years, I am also the strongest I've ever been. Whoo-hoo, baby weight lifting!
Ummm...Ummmm...er...I have a membership to Anytime Fitness, that I dutifully pay for... that counts as fitness, right?
Just like bananafana, I now have that old jingle going through my head. I would like to permanently delete the part of my brain that stores annoying old commericals. Thank you.
For me, it's the actual doing it that is the hard part, but when I get up at 5 and work out before work, I feel great all day. Plus doing it early, I don't have to worry about childcare or missing family time. The whole house is still asleep.
my quasi-resolution was to go work out after i drop the bf off at the metro in the mornings instead of going back home and sleeping for another hour. i'd share hilarious stories if.. uh.. i'd managed to actually get to the gym this morning. or yesterday morning.
For the last two months or so I have been on a "exercise every day" health kick. I've been kicking ass at it too - there have been about 5 days I haven't exercised in that time. Smugger, healthier me feels fantastic! I'm not running 10 miles a day or anything, but I do SOMETHING everyday; elliptical machine, yoga, pilates, weight lifting, wog (defined as a walking jog). It's exactly like you said - one day I just got up, started moving and haven't looked back.
The reason for the everyday thing is that I fear if I slow it down I won't stick with it. Also, it's much easier for me to find 20-50 minutes (usually 25 - 45) a day than 60-90 minutes three times a week.
Also, you mentioned a while back that you were going to do a post on excising while pregnant... am I remembering that correctly? I don't think I've seen one, so I hear by put in my official request for pregnant exercise tessie post.
Is it okay that I hate you a little bit right now?
My problem is (aside from the pesky bed rest order) that I never feel like 20 or 30 minutes is sufficient - I feel guilty for not doing 90 but I don't have time for 90 (or don't want to spend 90 minutes of free time doing that) so I end up doing nothing. How is that for pathetic?
I like the feeling smug thing.
When I settle on a "workout for 2008 plan" I'll let you know! =)
Update: "excising while pregnant" is meant to be exercising while pregnant. Obviously, but just in case someone thought I was interested in what sort of taxes one pays while pregnant, I am not.
I love the smug feeling too.
Also, I love that you and BR are hardcore workout-ers. You guys kick ass.
The worst part is that you "prioritize it in your lives." HORK.
Also, can you recommend a single piece of indoor workout equipment? Treadmill? Ellipti-something? Bikey thing? I am never going to leave my house to exercise, I think I've established that. It's unlikely I'll do it indoors, either, but...I haven't tried it yet, and perhaps SPENDING MORE MONEY would work!
I always do feel great afterward, but am very good at talking myself out of going. My husband, on the other hand, works out every day.
Maybe I should take your advice about not trying to find something I enjoy and just suffer through whatever so that I'll have the good feeling at the end. And the smugness. I hadn't thought about that as incentive. . .
Swistle-Honestly, if you are okay with videos I would always go with that option first. Cheap, easy, takes up almost no space. Based on our experience and the experiences of others, buying a piece of workout equipment does not seem to have a lasting positive effect on motivation.
The home gym question is tough. There are good qualities to all of the different types of equipment. Ellipticals are low-impact and fun. Bikes take up little space and are usually inexpensive. Treadmills are easy and usually fold up (space). I think if you're going to spend under $500, I'd go with the bike. Over $500, the treadmill. You have to go pretty high dollar to get a good elliptical.
I can come up with about a zillion and 1 excuses as to why I don't workout like I used to. And actually they are very valid excuses. (Live 30 minutes from nearest gym, my neighborhood is full of loose dogs and bears, I heart the Internet...)
So! This post almost inspired to me to close the laptop and do something healthy. Almost.
I love the smugness. I love the afterglow. But I also really, really love dancing. So I do the gym and I lift the weights and I, oh yeah, do Pilates (since I'm a Pilates trainer, I guess I better, right?). But if I really want that exer-high, I turn on some music and dance around. Better than trying to get to the gym or watching a video, for me.
I've been drafting a post about my new fitness resolutions. Yes, passe and trite, but they are real. I had some major interruptions to a really good routine last year and I am DETERMINED to get back on track ASAP! I think Im going to need some accountability to stick with it at first, so you can count on fitness success/failure posts from me once a week from now on.
I see no need to comment on how I feel like complete shit after reading this post on a day I was aready feeling like a total loosah! But, then again getting back to regular workouts and my beloved Pilates would help me feel less like an aging loser mommy chic, right?
You are SO right about one of the benefits of exercise being the extra stuff you can buy! I've been taking full advantage of my gym membership lately, and as a reward...I'm getting new gym shoes, and I want yoga pants, and I'm definitely upgrading my shuffle to a nano. And the smugness is nice, too.
I'm a walker. Not terribly cool, but the no special equipment required helps me work it in and get it done!
This so perfectly sums up my thoughts on exercise- especially the part about the smugness.
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