Happy Friday,
Lately it has been hard to pull my lazy butt out of bed in the morning but today with the exciting prospect of blogging I am up and at it early. I definitely am a morning person. Enough about my energy or lack there of in the morn....
My thoughts about exercise today are about the necessity of separating weight loss and exercise goals. If you are going to get and/or stay active it is important to separate exercise and weight loss. I know this is a tough one for a lot of people. If your primary motivation for getting fit is weight loss you will likely fail. Results wont come fast enough, or maybe ever be enough. On days when you want to skip the exercise bike you might have thoughts like, "he should love me if I am fat or not I'm gonna skip it." Or, you might do the "I went for a walk so I can have an ice cream cone, blah blah."
Make the decision today- that you will get moving and staying moving because you deserve to be fit. You owe it to yourself and the people you love to take good care of your body regardless of what does or doesn't happen with your weight. The main reason I exercise is mental health. I believe that if I didn't exercise every day I would be heavily medicated. I know that I am a better person, mother, boss, friend if I get some exercise in each day. Obviously a by product of exercise/movement and healthy living is fat loss but it will help you to stay motivated if that is not the main reason you are getting and staying active.
Make goals for exercise/movement that are not weight loss related.
Ex. I am going to walk 10 minutes five days a week this month. (I am going to do it because I get to and I deserve to be healthy)
Also, remember that exercise doesn't have to be 30 minutes at the gym. You can try to increase your ADL's this week. (Activities of Daily Living) You can make small changes that will produce big benefits. I know I know. You have heard the stupid "stand up at your desk every 50 minutes" or "park further away in the parking lot" blah blah. As boring as these things sound they can work but only if you make them work for YOU. Get to know who you are and how your day typically lays out. Think of a few ways you can increase movement that will work for you.
I myself, would rather sit down when I talk on the phone and not pace around like a spaz. I like to take 2 trips into the house with 5 grocery bags a trip. I could, of course, make 10 trips but really... I would also like to sit while my copies print at work and not do side leg lifts at the copier. What I am inclined to do and what I do to care for myself, on a good week, might be different. Didn't someone say 'fake it until you make it.' The point is that we owe it to our bodies and the people we love to care for ourselves and these are a few ways I can do it. Just pick one thing you can do today to care for your physical body.
Pick one or make one up:
drink more water
sit up straight - uses lots of muscles
smile
take deep breaths
It is important to note that objects that are in motion stay in motion and objects that are at rest stay at rest. Keep moving....
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