March 11, 2014

Healthiness: Exercise

I do like reading exercise updates on blogs. I'd ask, at the end of this post, where you are at with fitness these days, but the truth is, I guess I'm not looking for new things to try right now.  I've got a whole lot of apathy (i.e. burnout) going on.  I do feel like I've talked about exercise an awful lot over the last 2 years, so this is just an update about where I'm at right now.  




It is becoming very apparent to me that there is a fine line when it comes to me and going to the gym.
Right now, I'm in the position where I can't tell if I don't want to go to the gym because I don't find it necessary to go to the gym…

Or, I can't tell if I slipped into a mid-winter lazy depressive state and I just don't WANT to go.  There's a difference between these two.

During the winter of 2011 I fell into lazy-don't-wanna-go depression.

During the winter of 2012, I forced myself to go so that wouldn't happen.

During the winter of 2013, it was me forcing myself because I knew I was just being a whiner.  Also, I had a community there, and knew I'd get an email the next day asking me where I was.  Accountability is always the key.

This winter, I have no idea what category I fall into.

This article about Happy Exercise vs. Stressed Exercise really struck a chord with me:

The moral of this story is not that exercise is bad.  But we need to look at the motivating forces that drive us to exercise.  Healthy habits driven by fear are not so healthy after all.  

So, lately, I've been doing Pilates everyday (10-15 minutes) and going to one 30 minute class a week.  On Monday nights I go to RPM Express or BodyPump Express, depending on my mood.  It's quite a turnaround from 7-8 months ago!  I'm okay with that though.  Somewhere along the line I realized I wasn't getting a whole lot of enjoyment out of the gym.

I do realize it's important to get your heart rate up and I like muscle tone; so I go when I can.  I've found I can commit to a Monday night class.  I could probably do Thursday night too, but there's that whole "I DON'T WANT TO" thing stopping me.

Again, I'll encourage you to try The Balanced Life if you even have the inkling of giving Pilates a try.  I'm a believer in it! For workouts at home (if I'm so inclined and sometimes I am), I like The Nike Training Club.  Also, I'm a fan of just taking the dog for a walk.

Lately, I've found myself stressed out by work, the impending move, and looking into future employment.  Also, since Scott isn't home for dinner every night, I like being home with him and the dog in the evenings when I can.  I usually do some kind of toning workout before bed and call it a day.

So that's where we are.  I have no sage advice or expertise to offer.  I'm kinda over the gym thing right now.   I'm the same weight as I've been for at least a year, my pants still fit the way they did 6 months ago, and I still have muscle tone.  Therefore, I must be doing something right, and I'm not too worried about this fitness dry spell.  Sometimes we just need a break, right?

Scott is, and always will be, a runner.  I went on what was supposed to be a 7 mile run/walk with him last week.  I made it a mile and started walking.  My legs were killing me.  He just looked at me and said, "I thought you ran a 10K a few months ago?"  I did, friends.  Motivation for me is the key.  Unless something is chasing me or there is a finish line up ahead, I have a hard time caring.  Needless to say, it became a 5 mile walk and even Scout was glaring at me.  Apparently I slow the dog down.

I would like to do another 5K.  Maybe this spring?  I can get behind 3.2 miles.  I'm also really excited about hiking in Colorado.  We used to hike in Alaska (mostly pre-blog, back when I would still go outside), and I think it'll be a fun hobby to get back into.  Sometimes authentic exercise is so much better than spinning away to nowhere in a class, right?


Other Healthiness posts:

4 comments:

  1. Okay yes. A lot of times I excuse the whole "go to the gym" thing by telling myself that I'm just a small person. I know some people might throw stones at me for that--but I am thin. I always have been. I won't say I always WILL be--but for now, I don't see that changing. Especially because I incidentally lost 30 lbs (that I didn't have to lose) while I was sick. If I don't exercise and eat a cheeseburger--it wont' matter. BUT! The reason I decided it's time for me to get my ass moving is because plain and simply: my body hurt. I spent practically 5 months laid up in bed feeling sick and miserable. It got to the point that laying around made my muscles hurt. How ridiculous is that? I don't think I'll EVER be able to do a 7 mile run (Yeah, no thanks) but I DO enjoy dancing my booty off while making dinner :-D I think as long as you are moving someway somehow--that's all that matters :-D Because you're right--you're not motivated by the whole "I can't eat that if I don't go to the gym and kill myself" thing like so many people are. I say stick with what's working for you right now :-D I will also say that I'm totally jealous of your soon to be hiking in colorado! I find exercise to be a lot more enjoyable when it doesn't FEEL like exercise--and seeing those sights? Not exercise :-D

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  2. The gym makes me miserable.

    Simple being outside walking makes me happiest. I started doing that again this week.

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  3. I have been SO RIDICULOUSLY LAZY the last couple of months. I was doing so well, scheduling workouts at least 4 days a week for months, and then Christmas hit and we got busy and I completely fell off the wagon. It's a busy month but starting in April I think I'm just going to need to start a workout calendar, something visual I can cross off each day. This bikini body ain't creating itself.

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  4. This "quarter" if you will in the new year, I have been the most active I have ever been, but I loathe the gym still. I have been walking more and running {sort of} and while I don't love it still, I don't think about or dread it like physically going to the gym, and I do enjoy how I feel after a good run :) But yea, when I have a lot going on, I definitely do not want to work out, at all...and you have a lot coming up/going on!

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