Exercising: When You Don’t, But You Know You Should

“When you don’t want to workout, is when you need it the most.”

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Yeah, we are going to talk about that dreaded word .. exercise. You knew it was coming! Even though I exercise, and have for a while now, it is still a thought in my head, as ‘dreaded’ at times.

So here is the deal on exercise: we all need it. Not much – you don’t have to be a marathon runner – but you need to at least be able to move your body. Thirty(ish) minutes a day is a great goal!

I have not always been an exerciser. Here is my fitness story:

I was the chubby girl, all through high school. I wasn’t hugely overweight by any means, but I was probably 20-25 pounds heavier than I should have been. Looking back, the funny thing is, I don’t really know why. I played sports, and my mom fed us well. She did not indulge us in treats and candy and ice cream every night – heck, she didn’t even buy us the sugared cereal! But for some reason, I just held on to weight like my body needed it. Annoying.

Jump ahead quite a bit, and enter my mid-20’s. My husband and I became friends with some people who were in the beginnings of starting a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) gym. It was rather convenient and we had a built-in coach who knew what he was doing, to help us. We worked out regularly, and there were typically 6 of us – there was always someone available to push you and make you work harder, if you needed it. However, after some time, the friendships fell apart, so the workouts did as well.

At the end of my 20’s, beginning of my 30’s, my oldest daughter was a few years old, and another friend and I decided we were going to start working out. We went to the gym every.single.day. Without fail. We attended group exercise classes, used cardio equipment, and played racquet ball a few times on the weekends. We didn’t stop. Looking back now, I was in the best shape of my life. I had no idea how good I looked.

Theeeeeen, my dumb brother derailed me. He is a pretty avid lifter and when he found out that I was going to the gym every day, he told me to stop. Said I would burn myself out. Mentioned that it wasn’t good not to have a down day. I fought him for a while – I told him it was how I stayed motivated. That I knew myself, and I was an “all or nothing kind of girl”; once I give myself a little bit of wiggle room, then I give myself more wiggle room, and more, until I am not attending the gym. Ever. AND, that is precisely what happened. Why didn’t I just listen to myself?!

And now we are up to the present .. mostly. In July of 2019 I started intermittent fasting, and that new lifestyle eventually propelled me into fitness. I aspired to get back to the gym all of that time, but it was really hard. I have a busy life, and often times lack energy. How and why was I going to get on a treadmill when all I really wanted was to get into a bed?! (Which, I will say is PRECISELY why I should have gotten on that treadmill!). But, in October of 2019, I finally said “enough” and signed up at the gym. A friend of mine (I am starting to see a pattern here) and I try to make it there as often as possible. Sometimes it is 6 days a week, sometimes it is 4 days a week, and sometimes it is 3 days a week (that is where I draw the line before I start stamping my feet and demanding a way to access the gym), but we have committed to ourselves and each other, that we will go.

It has not always been easy and there are times that I really don’t want to be there. But, I know that when I am done, it makes me feel so much better! I am happier and I feel accomplished. All of us want to feel like we have done something in the course of the day. We have grown in some way, or made progress towards some goal – working out does that for me. And along the way, I have picked up a few lessons, that perhaps departing to you, will have an impact for you, too!

• Find what you love and keeps you motivated. What Sally does down the street, is NOT going to be what everyone else does or wants to do. You need to look at yourself, and at your goals, and decide what you think is best. Are you into quiet fitness building, and mindfulness? Then perhaps you should add yoga or pilates to your day. Are you someone who just wants to be ripped? Then the weight lifting area is for you. Are you sports-minded and want to recreate the glory days of what you played in high school or college? Then maybe it is the row machine or MMA. Are you like me and you want it all, but really aspire to be a runner? Then do a little bit of everything, but don’t forget that cardio piece. This is integral for keeping your head in the game and finding enjoyment in your workout. You can start to diversify your workouts from what you began with, but not until you feel pretty secure in getting yourself in a head space where you want to workout.
• Little steps are definitely better than no steps. Remember me? That all of nothing girl?! It took a bit for me to work my head around, and remind myself, that just a little bit is better than no bit. You don’t need to overdo it. You don’t need to be at a gym for 2 hours, or run on the track for 12 miles. Do what you have time for and what your body feels is right. You need to set a pace that you can keep up with – consistency is key! And if you are killing yourself from the get-go, that is probably something that will fizzle out as time passes, and then you will be ME, in my early 30’s, making excuses to simply stay home and eat ice cream. But don’t count out a 20 minute workout just because it doesn’t feel like enough.
• There isn’t a ‘one approach for all’ rule. I kind of talked about this in my first bullet, but what I mean here is, don’t be afraid to make something work for you. Gym or no gym; equipment or no equipment; workout in your living room; swim at the local pool; take pole dancing lessons! Who cares?! Just work with what works best for you, your motivation, and your schedule.
• Find your motivation wherever you can. I love quotes! (Can you tell?). And when I find myself slumping into some place that is NOT helpful, one of the best tools for me is to read some motivating quotes. One of my favorite places to find them, is [of course] on Pinterest, but you could even do a generic Google search for ‘helpful fitness quotes’. If that isn’t your jam, that’s okay – post pictures around you that motivate you; workout in front of a T.V.; bring your book or your kindle so you can have it, if needed; get a workout buddy. There are so many ways, and various resources, to keeping your energy level up for working out. You just need to figure out which ones work best, for you.

Hopefully you are sensing a pattern here – what works best for YOU. That is the great part of working out – there are soooo many options, and you can find success in so many ways, that it is impossible to go wrong. The only wrong way of doing it, is not at all. Most of us want to be our own decision makers in life, and to have control, so use those human characteristics to drive you into making active decisions within fitness. Your mind and your body will thank you later for it, and your life will feel so much more accomplished, and dare I say, happy!