Let me put this right out there...since I was born with the sloth gene, I'm not a big fan of structured exercise. It goes against every cell in my body that's crying, "NO!!! I want to sleep in! I want to veg out on this couch! I want to watch hours and hours of TV as I finish off a pint of Ben and Jerry's!"
But I schlep my ass out of bed at 4:30am about 4 times a week, and I do cardio and strength training for about an hour each time. I'll admit that I always feel better and have more energy when a workout is done, but no matter how many times I'm really glad and proud that I went, every morning I have to make a decision whether to tap the snooze button or throw my legs over the edge of the bed.
I do, however, love the benefits from movin' and groovin'. My tush is firming up nicely, thank-you-very-much. I'm no longer winded when I climb the stairs. I can jog for an hour, which got me in shape to run my first 5K ever! I rock!
As human beings, we are more likely to make long-lasting changes when we can identify the concrete rewards. It helps to write them down and refer to them when we need a fire lit under us. Here are my motivations:
- Obesity runs rampant in my family. I want to make damn sure I don't go down that road again.
- My three grandkids. Want to be around to attend their college graduations and weddings, and cherish being a great-grandma.
- My spouse. We found each other later in our lives, and I want to enjoy it with him for as long as humanly possible.
- On Weight Watchers, every activity counts (even housework and raking the yard). For example, gardening for an hour earns me 8 extra points; I could spend them on a small ice cream sundae if I wanted to. Activity points are like depositing money in the bank; you can use them if you want, but if you leave them in the account, the weight loss is quicker. That's a great motivator.
- I'm motivated by and accountable to my BFF and gym buddy, Cindy. We agreed at the get-go to offer support and really kick each other in the ass when one of us starts to slip. (My hiney gets kicked more than hers.)
- I like when my clothes fit better.
There are more motivations, but for the sake of brevity, let's just say I want to be around for a very, very long time, living in a healthy body. If that means I need to keep moving, so be it.
One must be committed to making this lifelong change. We can't expect to get to a healthy weight without having exercise and activities in the mix. You don't have to start big. Hell, you don't even have to love it. Just start doing something that will get your tush off of the couch.
Takeaway: The weight loss and maintenance journey includes a regular regime of exercise and activities. Find something you enjoy that will get you moving!
(c) 2012 Robyn M. King. All Rights Reserved.
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