I am not going to pretend to be one of those girls who runs around in cute sneakers all the time, regularly travelling to and from the gym, high on life and the rubber fumes coming from her yoga mat. In fact, for a long time, I didn't really work out at all. Eventually I realized, after gaining the dreaded freshman fifteen (courtesy of double stuffed Oreos and chocolate ice cream), that maybe I should try this whole "exercise" thing -- other people seemed to like it, it was healthy and I certainly couldn't deny that I wasn't longing for a more lithe and slender body.
Since then, I have been trying to find some sort of fitness regimen that meshed with my whole on-again-off-again relationship with working out. I love the feeling I get after a good workout, but have a difficult time cramming it in before or after work. You know how it is, it takes forever to get to and from work, then you're at work, and the last thing you want to do when you get home is an activity that claims to be another form of "work." In lieu of working out, you could be going to bar trivia, getting a haircut, watching trashy reality TV -- SO many other things you could be doing that could make you equally happy, even if it won't get rid of your beer belly. True, some people would classify these things as "excuses" (just ask Tufts Health Plan), but gosh darnit, you're just trying to find a way to manage it all!
I understand your problems. I fight this same fight. I am you. Obviously, when I was between graduation and my job, I had plenty of time for working out. I had too much free time to even have an excuse. But now? All work, some play, and little time for lifting things up and putting them down. The Christmas cookies have done their damage and I must do penance.
Like I said, I do enjoy working out, but where does the time go?! I've been trying to integrate it into my routine and find ways to make it more convenient. For starters, I have cancelled my gym membership. I know, this seems counter-productive, but I hadn't used it in three months. At $10 a month, that's $30 I could have used towards something cute and sparkly (or, more productively, towards a car loan payment.) I decided that I needed to stick to a fitness regimen that made sense for me. Driving to the gym after work seemed so cumbersome to me that I started to dread just getting there, so I eliminated the driving aspect. After all, I have a treadmill, dumbbells, medicine balls, etc. at home. If your home becomes your gym, then that leaves little room for ways out of exercising.
I've found that since doing more of my workouts at home, I can manage to fit in at least 30 minutes of exercise a few times a week easily. Instead of quickly flipping through Cosmo's fitness section, I've been ripping out workout suggestions. Suddenly, the TV is no longer an enabler to my propensity for lounging and laziness, but instead, home to a myriad of personal fitness instructors (thanks OnDemand!). I got a bit creative, saved a few bucks, and have found a way to make my fitness regimen more convenient.
Sure, there is certainly something to be said about separating where you workout from where you relax and spend your personal time. If you're at the gym, there is really little else to do other than work out and with everyone else exercising, I suppose there is pressure to be doing the same thing. However, if you're at home, who's going to call you out for eating an entire box of Cap'n Crunch on the couch while watching a Harry Potter TV marathon? Unless you have a talking pet (which would be awesome), I doubt you'll be answering to anyone except the indigestion you potentially have later. You are the only person able to hold yourself accountable, but I suppose that is true of most things in life.
So how goes my quest for health and a bikini bod? So far, not so bad. Luckily, I have a sort of neighborhood "fitness support group," if you will, with whom I try new workouts and have just recently started getting into yoga (more on both in later posts), which help me to follow-through on working out. As always, it's a work in progress, but being able to have an extra piece of chocolate cake always acts as a great motivator...
I've found that since doing more of my workouts at home, I can manage to fit in at least 30 minutes of exercise a few times a week easily. Instead of quickly flipping through Cosmo's fitness section, I've been ripping out workout suggestions. Suddenly, the TV is no longer an enabler to my propensity for lounging and laziness, but instead, home to a myriad of personal fitness instructors (thanks OnDemand!). I got a bit creative, saved a few bucks, and have found a way to make my fitness regimen more convenient.
Sure, there is certainly something to be said about separating where you workout from where you relax and spend your personal time. If you're at the gym, there is really little else to do other than work out and with everyone else exercising, I suppose there is pressure to be doing the same thing. However, if you're at home, who's going to call you out for eating an entire box of Cap'n Crunch on the couch while watching a Harry Potter TV marathon? Unless you have a talking pet (which would be awesome), I doubt you'll be answering to anyone except the indigestion you potentially have later. You are the only person able to hold yourself accountable, but I suppose that is true of most things in life.
So how goes my quest for health and a bikini bod? So far, not so bad. Luckily, I have a sort of neighborhood "fitness support group," if you will, with whom I try new workouts and have just recently started getting into yoga (more on both in later posts), which help me to follow-through on working out. As always, it's a work in progress, but being able to have an extra piece of chocolate cake always acts as a great motivator...
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