Monday, April 27, 2009

It's all good...sort of.

Ticker is fine.

I've been instructed to exercise for three months and see if that will correct the heart problem. Lovely.

I'll be completely honest here. I hate to exercise. Why? I'm not totally sure.

All my life I have been pretty athletic. Enjoyed sports and playing them. The workouts that went along with said sports I did not enjoy as much. Even though I knew it would improve my performance.

Now I'm older I'm not into the sports as much. It's harder to find a team to be on and then there's the money you have to pay to play...usually. And it takes time away from family etc. I'm sure that sounds like excuses. Maybe they are.

One thing is I hate sweating. I do enjoy water aerobics because you can sweat and not even know it. That and it's kind of hard to get over heated in the water. And a big plus is that it's easy on the joints. This is especially good when you weigh as much as I do.

I know I not only need to exercise but I also need to watch what I eat and lose some of this weight. The dr. didn't say as much but I know I need to. I'm not stupid.

Here comes my second problem.

I. LOVE. Food. Love it.

I also know that I am an emotional eater. I eat when I'm happy. I eat when I'm sad. I eat when I'm frustrated, angry, tired, pmsing, worried, scared, annoyed, exhilarated, amused, hopeful, bored or even ambivalent.

I enjoy eating and I don't enjoy exercising. And it shows.

Now I need to ask myself. What do I love more? Food or my family.

And just in case anyone is wondering my answer is ... my family.

And is my family more important to me than my dislike of exercise? Do I want to be around to see my kids graduate from school, get married, have kids? Do I not only want to be there for those things but be healthy enough to enjoy them?

They answer to all of the above questions is a resounding Yes. I need to take care of myself, I need to exercise and have better eating habits.

I know this. Now I need to put it into practice. Maybe if I put it down here then I will be more inclined to follow through. I sure hope so.

How do you feel about exercise? What has worked for you in learning to enjoy exercising more? I need some ideas. Something to spark my plug. I'm all types of plugged up in this area.

31 comments:

Jillene said...

I am at a standstill with the exercise. Until my Dr. releases me from restriction that is. For me----it is eaiser when I exercise with someone else. That way I know that I have a commitment and I have to follow through.

Anonymous said...

Yep, get a buddy to work out with. Accountability is good. Don't get someone else who hates to work out. Find someone who loves it and will kick your ass when you don't show up.

Once you're in the groove and see changes, you'll want to keep it up.

Now leave me alone, I'm going to take a nap. :)

Martha H. said...

I'm not a big fan of exercise, either. Mostly because of the sweat thing. I sweat enough to fill a 10 gallon bucket, I swear. I finally had to make up my mind that exercise is something I have to do for my health and my sanity. I think once you get to that point, it's not so bad. Good luck!

Lara Neves said...

I loathe exercise. I have exercise induced asthma and that has been my excuse all my life, but that can generally be taken care of with my inhaler and not working out too hard...and I never would anyway, LOL!

I go in spurts. I really try. I found a recumbent exercise bike is easiest for me.

Good luck to you, I know it's tough, but I also know that anyone can do it once their health is on the line.

the fowlers said...

I'm not big into exercising either and I never really have been.

Things that have helped me get active are:

1. Doing things with others. Taking the dog for a walk, going on a walk with the family. Not only do you help your body, but you help your mind. Sometimes husband and I will do workouts together. I'm a lot more willing to exercise if I'm not alone. I like support. Also, I get to spend time with people I love!

2. Distract myself. I try to find workouts that I actually like to do. I really like riding an exercise bike and watching TV. I forget I'm even riding the bike and I get to catch up on all the shows. I used to think exercising took up a huge chunk of time but if you think of it as one episode of TV, it isn't that much time at all.

3. Keep track and congratulate myself. We kept a chart of all the days we'd exercise and it really made me feel good to see my progress. I knew that I could do it, because I had been doing it. We also made plans for what we were going to do at certain points to reward ourselves.

4. Make it routine. It took some time, but I got to the point where it felt weird when I didn't exercise every day. It became so normal that I didn't even think about whether or not I was going to do it, I just did.

Really, it's all about making it your own. I just tried all kinds of things until I found out what worked for me.

I do still have that sugar addiction, though. I'm always fighting! Eye of the tiger, baby! ;)

mCat said...

Okay, so you've checked out fine.
You've also had your own "come to Jesus" talk and realize what you need to do.

Now, the trick, my dear friend, is to DO IT!

Join a gym. County rec places are usually much cheaper and don't wrangle you into long contracts like Gold's or other places.

Do classes so you can be with people. Even if you never talk to a soul, just exercising around others makes you really work at it. When you are alone it's easy to slack off.

Give yourself one cheat day. Cheat on exercise, cheat on diet. Sunday's are my cheat day. No training, and I REALLY try not to count all the calories I ingest.

The other days, write down EVERY SINGLE THING YOU EAT. Really, it works, I promise.

The last thing is accountability. You have to answer to someone other than yourself. It's too easy to lie to yourself, give yourself excuses and justify stuff away. Your blog is the perfect place to do it. Not that you have to get specific about numbers or stuff like that, but outline your plan and then do daily updates. Not weekly, too easy to fudge. Daily. It keeps you on track more.

And now, the end. I've taken more than my share of space! : )

Good luck! I am pulling for you!

Barbaloot said...

Yikes-I know how you feel. Exercising can be yucky...and food is not!!!

I'm glad you already mentioned swimming, cuz that's one thing I was gonna say.

Another thing, how about hiking, or going to a park with your family? It's fairly easy/moderate exercise, but it's better than nothing (or nothing+eating!). Bonus=you'll be with your family while you do it:)

I hope you find a good balance! And if you do---let me know. It's something I'm always looking for:)

Anonymous said...

I am afraid I can't help out much with this one. I'm not great at exercising, and I've been trying to lose the same 20 pounds for a year and a half.

You'll have to report if you have an epiphany!

Christa said...

It looks like you already have oodles of advice. I'm not sure I have anything to add to it.

This was a very timely post. I came to this exact same realization last week and have finally started doing something. I started working out with my husband and in case you're wondering, the answer is yes. I am awesome at P90X. I totally kick his trash on the flexibility stuff. The lifting weights part...that's another story.

Brooke said...

I didn't read the other comments, but here's my 2 cents. Get an accountability buddy, seriously it helps. If they're willing to exercise with you, even better. I hate exercising for the same reasons you mentioned, but if I can crank my mp3 player up high and walk/run on my treadmill, or walk with a buddy (even without talking), or act crazy working out to some insane 80's workout tape, I feel better afterwards. Promise!

Brooke said...

Oh, and one more thing...sorry! My kids love to go for walks, and they love to go to the park, (which thankfully has a sidewalk all the way around it), so we walk to the park (or I rollerblade sometimes) and then while they are playing I walk/blade around and around and around and everyone is happy afterward.

Vanessa said...

I hate to exercise as well. But, I bit the bullet, found a partner to help me stay motivated, looked for community classes (spinning) to take and I just have to do it. I'm rooting for you! It's hard to start, but once you are in the habit, it will be like breathing, you just do it.

Olivia Carter said...

I have been exercising 4-5 days a week for the past 6 months. I have a couple tricks I used to get started:

1. cute workout clothes. NOTHING makes me feel worse then wearing a big baggy gross shirt and stained sweat pants. I'm not saying to get dolled up, or wear a sports bra & tiny skirt but just something cute.

2. Audiobooks. This has been a huge help too. I have audiobooks on my ipod. I ONLY listen to them when I work out. It's helped me to get out & do it.

3. A friend. I go with my bestfriend & having someone who is counting on you & you count on them makes a big difference.

4. Gym membership. I found having a gym membership makes me go to the gym. I PAID for it therefore I must not waste it. It doesn't work for everyone but it helped me.

5. Routine. I go to the gym at the same time everyday. Eventually it just became habit

That's my advice. Also, knowing that 30 min days is enough. I used to think I had to work out all day if I was working out. 30 min is plenty.

Good luck!

Lady of Perpetual Chaos said...

Oh, this is a hard one because everyone is so different. For me, I go to my spinning class because I get to exercise ALONE! It's the only time a week I exercise without my darling children helping me out. I think a lot of it is about what you're looking to get out of it. I've noticed that my overall outlook in life is better when I'm exercising so that helps motivate me. I have also found that with spinning I see results FAST...even though it's hard. Seeing the results keeps me going. I also enjoy yoga. Exercise seems to be a very emotional thing for me and I like the centering effects of yoga...and the alone-ness. But it sounds like having a partner works really well for a lot of people. Also, my new years resolution was to TRY to work out 3 times a week. Most weeks I succeed, but I don't beat myself up over it if I don't succeed every week. If I fall off the wagon I just dust myself off and get right back on because if I don't, I'll get caught up in my failure, be less likely to keep going and eat chocolate to make myself feel better....starting the downward spiral. I'll get off my soapbox now, but I really hope that you're able to find what you need to make this work. And I hope you keep us posted on your success!

Bonnie the Boss said...

Exersizing with someone who is modivated. that is the best way. Or even a group of women.

tammy said...

Wow. lots of good advice here. I used to be an aerobics instructor and really into fitness, but now? I don't know exactly when that left me. I want it back.

* said...

the biggest problem I have about exercise is that it takes...time! I'd rather eat less food than exercise any day. And i'm lazy to boot. my only problem is to find a way to make calorie free, sugar free, fat free chocolate chip waffles. If you get any ideas, send 'em my way.

Erin said...

Does the Wii Fit count as exercise? I really hope so. And I hope you can find something that will work for you!

Anonymous said...

did yoga this morning, had no idea i'd feel simliar to other typs of workouts... mix it up... but create a plan, that will help a lot....

you can do this, cuz if you don't I am soo flying out to kick your butt

That Girl said...

I actually love to exercise. (Okay, LOVE is a strong word ...) Let's just say exercise isn't hard for me. But I CANNOT DIET. Like, CAN'T. I seriously love food way too much.

(And for the record, I just ate about eight chocolate chip cookies. And more are calling my name ...)

Fiauna said...

I used to hate exercise. But then, around age 18, I realized that if I didn't start to love exercise I would end up looking like my parents (both overweight). So now I exercise daily. I make sure I do at least a little something to break a sweat everyday. I run, jump rope, do aerobics, yoga and pilates. LOVE pilates.

gurrbonzo said...

Good for you! YOU CAN DO IT. You really can. Just in the last six months I've gotten into a good workout groove (finally) and feel a billion times better.

1. Amen to the cute workout clothes. Even if it's just a sports bra that rocks, whatever, invest in something that you'll want to put on. And socks. I realized that was always my excuse not to work out, because I couldn't find what I needed fast enough. Now I have workout clothes I like and keep them all in the same place and it keeps me from feeling frazzled.

2. Listen to something awesome. For me, I subscribe to a few interesting podcasts and it works like a charm. There are new ones all the time. In fact, I'm excited to workout tonight bc Monday is when the weekend's "Wait Wait Don't Tell me" gets downloaded and I love to listen to it. This American Life, the Slate Culture Gabfest, blahblah. For me those are way better than music bc they get me thinking and I don't notice the time. Audiobooks might work too, but because I am poor, I go with free podcasts. I can recommend a bunch.

3. Depending on how your joints are, something like this could rock. http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml I need an assignment and am NOT a runner so dumbing it down like this was good for me and now I feel like a champion when I can run a couple miles.

4. Write it down. A sticker chart or whatever. Maybe even make a private blog where you log your workout hours every day to remind yourself that you are doing it and you are awesome.

Seriously, you can do it. I have FINALLY been working out steadily for the last couple months (this is the most consistent I've ever been in my LIFE) and I feel like a million bucks. It affects my mood and energy level a lot. You will feel a lot better and make peace with the sweat. Just bring a towel :)

And, about the eating...in my experience, gum is the best snack suppressor ever. If I chew gum I don't eat without knowing it.

gurrbonzo said...

Umm, that was a lot longer than I realized. Act natural.

Rachel Sue said...

I totally feel for you. I used to dance and didn't mind one bit. But exercising just to exercise stinks. Let me know if you find something that works. I need help too!

Wendyburd1 said...

I have the same problems with excercising PLUS I get so bored!!

Shawn said...

I have discovered that I have to combine working out with one of my favorite things to do---that is watching movies. So, I have my Bowflex (which I love!), my bike trainer, and my treadmill all in front of the TV---I pop in a DVD and it makes the time go sooooo fast!! You aren't even thinking about how long you have walked/pedaled/done weights! After a while, you will find that your body will crave it---seriously!

Good luck, my dear!

Bobie said...

running/jogging is my exercise of joice. OH wait, I love Kick Boxing too. However, that's a hard one to do at home... Running releases so much tension for me. Start out slow and slowly build up to longer times and faster paces. I lost 38 lbs last spring/summer by running. I did watch what I ate, but I allowed my self some of my favorites from time to time. Find what works for you and WRITE everything down you put in your mouth!!

bingham 5 said...

I loathe exercising. But I make myself do it. Most days. Or not.
Not helping am I?!

Jo said...

I feel your pain. I really need to start walking again.

Becca said...

3 Words.
FIND
A
FRIEND!

You have to be accountable to someone other than yourself. It's way easier to let yourself down that to let someone else down. So find a real life friend who wants to make the same changes you do work together. It makes all the difference in the world!

Kate said...

I think get in the habit. That is the biggest because then you don't want to miss exercising. It also helps to do it with a friend so you have someone that is counting on you. I exercise daily but wish I had a partner to go with. I am also dieting and have lost some, but it is hard. Good luck.