Day One:
I just got done exercising and I feel goooood and TIRED! It's been a while since I've done much physical activity other than lugging laundry baskets around and bending over to scrub the bathtubs. Today was real, purposeful exercise.
I laughed this morning because my youngest daughter was telling Hubby that she wants to ride bikes with him. Hubby replied, "Mommy will be here to help you." Without missing a beat, she said, "Yeah, but Mommy doesn't like to sweat and riding bikes is a lot of work." See? Even my kids know how much I loooove sweating.
As I was exercising, I thought back to when I was working out regularly and how great I felt then. I felt like I was taking care of my body. I had energy. My body wasn't as achy (yeah, getting older is no fun). I felt accomplished and proud of myself. I hope you will find the same thing happens for you as you go through this process.
Each day I hope to post a Fitness Tip for the day. Here's your tip for today:
Two of the most important things to do when planning out your exercise routine are: 1. Know what you enjoy doing and 2. Know the best time of the day that works for you.
We have to stop looking at exercise as something we loathe. The fact is, we need physical activity. We were created for physical activity. So instead of forcing yourself to work through some boring exercise video, or staring endlessly at the wall as you walk on the treadmill, find something you enjoy doing. There are SO many options (I've listed several below in the previous post). It's Spring, try some outdoor activity. Go dancing. Try various types of videos until you find the one you like. I have a friend who just purchased "Just Dance" for Wii. She LOVES it. Anything that gets your heart rate pumping for 30 minutes will work. And remember, what gets your heart pumping for 30 minutes could be different from what someone else does for 30 minutes. Not everyone is at the same fitness level. Keep that in mind. Don't try to do the same thing you see your girlfriend doing. Find what works for YOU.
Also, the time of day is important. Originally, I tried getting up at 6:00 a.m. to get my workout done. After a while, I realized I really did NOT like this. It was making me dread working out. I found I enjoy working out in the evenings, after dinner is served, homework is done, baths are given, and the girls are in bed. If you find the time of day that works best for you, you're more likely to stick with it. Now if there are days that my schedule is busy and I won't be home in the evenings until late, I get my butt out of bed and work out at 6:00 a.m. Sometimes we just have to suck it up and deal with it. But usually, we can all find 30 minutes in the day just for ourselves. You are worth it. And if you're not in a place to do this for yourself, do it for the ones who rely on you every day. Eventually, you will gain the desire to do this for you. You have the ability to be the best person you can be. It's just that life sometimes gets the better of us and we're too tired or don't care to take care of ourselves.... but that's a whole other blog post. Know that you are never too far gone to start taking care of yourself.
I hope your first day was a success! As you find things that work for you, share them in the comment section below so others can be encouraged as well. Or, if you have a crappy day, share that too. I'm sure you're not the only one.
Happy Sweating!
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