inspired by "Dancing With the Stars" -- can you guess how?
a bunch of doll quilts - and I'm making more!Pictures above have nothing to do with verbage below, exept that the pictures above represent what I'd rather do (make quilts) than doing what the verbage represents (exercise).
If you've been around my blog for even a short time, you know that I occasionally try to convince myself to turn into a physically-fit person. My most recent attempt was to join Anytime Fitness. I was so sure that, since it is less than a mile from my house, and I drive past it daily, it would be easy to pop in for a quick workout.
Well, surprise, surprise, it hasn't worked out for me yet. I joined in mid January. I went faithfully for a couple of weeks. In February I went a tad less faithfully. In March I found myself making excuses and went even fewer times.
I don't want to keep paying for this thing if I'm not going to go. That's what I did at the Y. I paid that membership for several years while my attendance dwindled down to ZERO. Now I'm trying to decide what to do.
Should I keep paying and hope I get on the ball? History would suggest that is NOT going to happen. Should I save my dollars and accept reality for what it is? Should I pretend I'm still going to do work-outs but at home and outside on my own? (That's a laugh.)
The one thing that is holding me back from facing what is probably an inevitability is that I had started to feel a lot better after those first few weeks of faithful exercise. Do I really want to give that up? I recently went to the doctor and had all those usual tests: blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. I'm fine in all areas (hooray!) except one (boo hoo). I have high triglycerides. Exercise and some weight loss would help that a lot.
So I'm torn. I'm not a person who loves to be physically active, at least not just for the sake of being active because I should. Yet I don't want to give up on myself. Arrgghh!
Tomorrow is April 1st. Maybe I will start the month with new resolve..... then again, that might just be a big April Fool on myself. What should I do???
2 comments:
I'm with you on the exercise thing. I know I feel better when I do it but can't get motivated. I had high triglycerides too and I dropped them dramatically over 3 years with a certain fish oil supplement.
Carol,
I feel for you. Exercise is hard to keep up with. I think the appeal or dislike of gyms is in the presence of other people. Were there people there that were like you, or were you lost in group of 20 to 40 somethings that looked like they didn't really need to be there? Is there a social aspect that you like or dislike?
Obviously this is not working for you. So you have to figure out a way to make it work, or do something else. Would it help to find a friend to exercise with? How about a different time of day? Do you spend your time at the gym ( I have never been in one--nor will I--not for me) actually exercising or do you spend too much time waiting for the various machines? Was the gym uplifting your spirit or did you find yourself fish out of water?
Walking is a wonderful exercise, give me blue or grey skies, a little rain, fresh air, and a lot of solitude over a gym any day. I have had some of my best ponderings while walking. Brisk walking is good exercise, although it does little for upper body strength. I found it spiritually uplifting. I think I could experience a wee bit of runners high, even though I was only walking.
How about walking or exercising with your best friend? You know the one I mean. If you get some endorphins generated while out walking, you will often find when you get home that you want to keep exercising...take that where you may. A house full of no children is an interesting place for adults--when the kids are away the mice can play. That's really good for our bodies, minds, and spirit as well.
But walking is not for everyone, plus it gets dicey in the winter.
Do not use your good health as an excuse not to exercise, it won't stay good. Plus the latest that I have read on brain research, the best way to avoid the various dementias that seem to await us is not crossword puzzles but physical fitness. Think about it, your brain uses 20% or your energy, if the system that delivers that energy is in poor condition, it is like trying to run your computer during a brown out.
One thing I would avoid are stationary bicycles. I think I screwed up my knees seriously on one those back when I was in my thirties. I got very fit cardio-vascular wise, I had a heart rate monitor, and to keep my rate in the target rate for 30 minutes required turning the resistance up. I think I junked my knees doing that...or maybe they were already junk and I accelerated the process.
Ideal exercise is something where you work on cardio-vascular and upper body and core strength but not necessarily all in the same exercise. Non-impact is essential. That's the ideal, what we actually do may not reach the ideal but anything is better than nothing.
For me the gym membership would never work out, I am too much of a loner. Walking by myself or with my wife definitely is a much better approach. If the appeal of physical fitness is not enough by itself to get you motivated, try pondering other approaches. Would a machine (not stationary bike) appeal to you? They do take up some room and are a bit expensive, but if you use the thing then it works. Maybe switch it around, walking some days and going to the gym others.
Is there an initial fee at the gym? Can you walk in the summer and leave the gym for just the winter months?
Carol, you have your health, use smart exercising to help keep it. Look at it as something that you do for you, your mind and your spirit...and find a form that appeals to all three. It should hard enough that it challenges you a bit but doesn't overwhelm you. It should be something you want to do because you enjoy it, not because you have guilted yourself into it. Doing it with hubby may prove to have interesting results.
One last piece of advice, do as I say not as I do. I need to get off my ass.
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