Day 2: I Hate to Sweat
I have always hated to sweat. It’s my beef with exercise. If I could exercise without sweating, I would do it all the time.
We all know that exercise is good for us. But how many of us really believe that. I think the reality is, not that many. If we all believed it, we would all do it.
I need to lose weight and feel better. It is time to start exercising. I wish I could tell you that I exercise 4 to 5 times every week. But the truth is…I don’t. I rarely exercise. (And that’s being generous.)
Here’s my problem. I start out too big. Then quickly crash and, yup you guessed it, burn.
When I was in college I loved working out. I even bought myself a punching bag that my dad hung in our back patio. When I was in my twenties I loved riding my stationary bike. In my thirties I got a dog and began walking her. We would walk for an hour most nights. If it were raining, I would chase her around the house just to get our exercise in.
So what happened? My kids and Kurt, that’s what! Life got BUSY and I got, unfortunately, distracted. A few years after we got married, we sold the punching bag to help finance a vacation to San Diego. My stationary bike bit the dust, probably because it was covered in dust, and my old bike got put out in the back yard, rusted, and thrown away.
And the dog? She got fat. So fat, that the vet gave Kurt and me a long lecture about how we were shaving off years of her life.
Today, I sit here writing this post mainly to give myself some accountability. If I put this on the blog, then I will commit to you, my Living Bellissima friends, to start exercising.
I actually started a few weeks ago with some basic arm exercises, squats, and walking. True to my MO I did too many squats, and burned myself out.
I’m ready to try again. Here’s what I plan on doing. Will you join me?
Simple Steps:
Daily Declare aloud, “My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.” Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” If I remind myself of this daily, I will be more inclined to exercise.
Start out small. I have some simple arm exercises and squats that my chiropractor gave me to do. I will start with fewer sets at first and work my way up to what he recommended. I will walk for shorter periods of time and move up slowly.
Put my goals on my calendar. If I plan out my exercise routine remembering to start small and actually put it in my calendar like an appointment, I know I will be much more likely to keep it going.
Celebrate after one week, two weeks, and three weeks. I will reward myself at the end of each week for three weeks, and not with chocolate. Let’s hope after three weeks, exercise will have become a habit.
By implementing exercise into my routine, I will be giving my kids, Kurt and myself a gift.
I would love to hear from you. Do you exercise? What works best for you? Do you give yourself a reward?
