Fit in the City - Leigh Ann Root
Don't Procrastinate
I was almost guilty of breaking my own workout rule the other day, which is not going more than two days without some sort of physical activity. Throughout the day, I had been constantly reminded of what I needed. I was a little cranky, my body didn't feel right, and my energy level was low. These are the signs that I need to move my body, get my heart pumping and get my body out of it's funk. I'm not talking a hard core, kill my body workout, I'm talking about a twenty minute run. I had been putting it off all day, procrastination at it's best. I had been thinking of many excuses of why I should just stay home. The colder weather wasn't helping. The easier thing to do would have been to stay in the warm house. But, in life, the easier thing is not always the better thing to do. The dialog inside my head continued to tell me to get off my butt and move. It's only twenty minutes, I kept telling myself. Don't be so lazy! If I give myself these twenty minutes of exercise, it will change my day for the better. Why wouldn't I? I've been over this with myself before! It's a small sacrifice to get into the car and go work out. So I did. The twenty minutes go by in a flash. I can feel my mood lighten and my energy level go up. I'm happier, I'm glad I made myself do it. I've given my body what it was craving, some movement. I also feel less guilt about my indulgences of the day! My mind is at ease. Why was I fighting this in the first place? I for one, know how uplifting exercise can be. How powerful it can be. I have yet to hear this type of result from a diet or a pill! But boy, do people keep trying to find happiness in both of these things. So, I come back home after my twenty minutes "attitude adjustment". My husband and son are still playing in our living room, I see the balloons bouncing in the window as I drive in. I'm not sure they even realized I left. They do survive without me around! I know they feel my happier self when I arrive. It's obvious and contagious. I am more patient, relaxed and time seems to be a non-issue now. Life is good (better) again. Twenty minutes was all it took. I try to remember the post workout feeling to help me the next time I feel the urge to put off exercise.
Why do we even consider skipping what is so good for us? I guess because we're only human. But fortunately we remember that exercise effects the quality of life in so many good ways. Once you have it in your life, it's hard to live without it. There are no substitutes for it! Because I am human and I do procrastinate and skip exercise occasionally. That's alright. But thankfully, I have the rule of not going more than two days, and that really helps me. It gives me the breaks I need but also gives me a deadline. I like deadlines, I work much better with one. Some weeks I workout more than others and some days I work out longer than others. It's whatever my schedule will allow and what will give my life the balance I so desperately need.
Why do so many people put off exercise? Putting their better lives on the back burner? Is it because they haven't yet found out what some of us already know? How exercise improves life and how great it is for the body and the soul. We know how much we need to do this "something" for ourselves. It gives us such amazing side effects. Is it that people think it's too hard? People who don't participate in exercise have their own ideas about what they think it means to exercise. I'll tell you what it isn't. It isn't something you do once in a great while or something you do for hours each day. It isn't a pill, that may create temporary relief with who knows what kind of negative side effects. It's not a crazy diet that leaves you starving and craving.
What it is, is old fashioned hard work that rewards you with a stronger body and a healthier spirit. It is, like many other things in life, always what you put in. No exceptions. A person's success in exercise is a direct result of how much effort is put in. Short cuts and quick fixes are not part of the healthy exercise plan. It's a way of life that allows you to eat like a normal person and treat yourself without guilt. It gives your stress a place to go and your attitude a chance to improve. Exercise conditions and builds muscles which, incidentally, makes a body more efficient and able to burn more food! When you move your body it will begin to shrink and your daily activities become easier! I know what you're thinking, this is all too good to be true. Well, it does require you to do the work before the rewards are felt. You've got to put in the time. This my friends, is the only way!
Maybe you're someone who is thinking about adding exercise into your life. Like Nike says, "Just do it"! Give yourself the ultimate present this holiday season - the gift of good health. It's time to be proactive, take control, and get active. Don't procrastinate. Don't hesitate. Just participate!
