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There’s a real contrast between people who exercise and people who don’t exercise.
I really believe that.
Until recently, I’ve always identified myself as a person who doesn’t exercise, and that belief has been a major factor in my being overweight.
My colleague across the hall is an elite marathon runner. Obviously, he is a person who does exercise. He runs twice a day, often for an hour or more at a time. He runs more miles in one day that I’ve run in my entire life.
That’s not hard, but still. You get the idea.
Until recently, there was a profound difference between my colleague and myself.
*****
When I decided that this was the time that I would become healthy and stick with it forever, I had to find a way to get exercise into my day. At first, I exercised in the evening, after Grace went to bed.
The second time I exercised too late, preventing myself from falling asleep until well after midnight, I set my alarm for 5 am.
I love to sleep more than most. For most of my life, I’ve been happy rolling out of bed ten minutes before I have to leave the house. Now that I’m a momma, I need more than ten minutes to get both Gracie and myself ready to go, but I still stay in bed until the last possible moment.
I set my alarm for 5 am anyway.
The first two mornings, I was on top of it. The alarm went off; I jumped out of bed, put my work out clothes on, and headed to the living room for some EA Sports Active.
The third day, I had a migraine.
The fourth day, I asked Joe to turn my alarm clock off so that I could sleep in.
I was already frustrated with myself. I talked to my colleague about finding the motivation to exercise, but only briefly. He told me to just do it. Get up and exercise. He said that he gets tired, too, but that staying in bed is not an option. He puts his clothes out the night before, and when the alarm goes off, he gets up. That’s all there is to it.
I went to bed that night with resolve. I was going to just get up, and I did.
The day after that, I woke up with a cold – a stuffy nose, a sore throat, and a minor cough. I convinced myself that I needed to rest, and I turned off the alarm.
Again, I consulted my colleague. Again, he told me to just get up and exercise. He told me that the only time in the last year that he’s gotten sick was when he took two weeks off from his normal running regimen. He said that he feels better when he exercises, and he thinks that his immune system functions better because his heart and lungs get energized from the activity.
My colleague also told me that he counts his exercise in days. He keeps track of his streak, days on which he’s run without taking a day off. His most recent streak was well over 100 days. He encouraged me to start keeping track of my streak.
*****
Every morning, he gets up and exercises. Because he likes to. Because he wants to. Because he challenges himself. Because he wants to energize his body. Because he wants to. Not because he wants to lose weight.
Every morning, I get up and exercise.
There was a profound difference between my colleague and myself.
Until recently.
Tomorrow is day 4 of my streak.
Happily submitted to Finer Things Friday and Beautiful Life
Photo by Perfecto Insecto
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh my gosh, you and I could be TWINS. I have done absolutely everything you have done. That technique is a good one for me, only I say don't break the chain. What I do is I take a calendar and I mark off each day and string them all together. I'm using it for my son now too and it works great for him for brushing his teeth, etc. It's always hard to keep that motivation going on a long term basis.
Maybe tomorrow will be day one of my streak. I keep hearing set short term goals to succeed. I may try to be more like your coworker as well.
keep it up!!! That is great!
Hang in there. I am just like you. Never in my life have I enjoyed the idea of exercise. Oh, I was active in school and played sports in my school days. Then, there was no sports and the weight started to come. I always joke with people I know who run. I say, the only time you will find me running is if someone is chasing me with a knife. Ha ha. But, seriously, I envy them and their dedication.
So, I will be here to encourage you. You are inspiring me, too. Thanks for your honesty with your struggles.
You can do it! I'm so proud of you, Tara. I actually got a bit teary reading your post. I know that you can do it, and I know it will be something you can be proud of every time you do get up and exercise.
Found your blog from Amy’s Finer Things… This is SO me, wanting to sleep in until the last possible minute, yet running out of time @ night to exercise. it’s especially hard when it’s cold & the bed is so warm! Thanks for your openness. You sound like you’re moving in the right direction (no pun intended). Keep up the good work!
Yes!! That's it. Small changes and short term goals are the keys, or they have been for me.
You can do it, Lisa! Once you find something you like (as I have), you will look forward to doing it. It'll even be fun.
I think the key is not to hope to continue, but to set your mind that you ARE going to continue. That's been huge for me.
That's awesome! Stick to it-you'll be so glad you did. I always think of a Nike shirt I saw, it said “no one ever regretted trying.” I totally agree with your colleague, when there's no option you just do it. Some days are hard, some are easy but I bet you'll find that the hard days get less and less. It is tough to establish that routine, but it's so so worth it!
It is hard to get into a routine with exercise. Today was my first day with exercising in a while. I hope to continue.
I hope you are still sticking to exercising. I know how hard it is. I need to get up early to make sure it gets done too and with it so cold and dark in the morning, it's been easier to just stay in my warm bed.
Like you said, it's hard. But yes, I am sticking with it. It's so important.
Cheering you on! That is such a tough habit to get into. They say it takes 21 days… keep on!
I think it takes less than 21 days when you've really set your mind to it.
I think it takes less than 21 days when you've really set your mind to it.
My hat’s off to you, I unfortunately love to sleep in too.
PS: Just read your Grandma & Squirrels post – your grandma is dangerous! (-:
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