Finding the Motivation to Exercise and Be Healthy
I have made a decision.
And by telling you, friends…..by simply saying it out loud, I’m hopeful that will keep me from creating a myriad of excuses in my mind to slip backwards.
You see…..I am nearing 40. Not in a few months. Not even my next birthday. But close enough.
And you know what? I am jealous, absurdly jealous of women my age who can honestly say, “I’m in the best shape of my life”. Because, well, I’m not.
When I have looked in the mirror lately, I have been disappointed.
Disappointed in the way that only someone who KNOWS they are not taking care of themselves can be. My clothes don’t fit, and muscle tone? Fugghettaboutit.
Sure, I am not fat. I know that….which means that anytime I chime in to a regular conversation about ‘getting back to the gym’ I am met with an eye roll or an ‘oh please’.
But the things is…I can feel it. I know it every time I reach for a snack at 11:30pm. I know it every time I manufacture a reason that I just can’t get to the gym….does Cooper have the sniffles?
I saw this this quote recently, : “You don’t make time to exercise. It is just part of your day.” I don’t know who said it, but it resonated when I heard it. I am the Queen of, “I just don’t have the time.”
But isn’t being healthy my responsibility? Don’t I owe it to myself, to my family to take care of myself? To be the best me and the best mom?
At the beginning of the year - as in January - when everyone makes their resolutions, I decided, “I want to be in the best shape of my life.” In fact, I wrote it on a friend’s blog. Sweet and wonderful Mommy Niri asked a few of us to share our goals for this year.
But somehow, despite this, I lacked the motivation to make the changes needed.
My unhealthy habits prevailed:
- I averaged 5 hours of sleep a night, and am therefore exhausted every day.
- Working out once in three weeks would be impressive - because “I just don’t have time to get to the gym” and “I have no way to do anything at home”
- I didn’t eat breakfast
- I snacked
- I snacked late at night
- I drank soda and very little water
But something clicked internally last week. Some type of intuition that whispered, “now’s the time”. (I’ve been thinking A LOT about intuition lately) Cooper was on Spring Break - there was simply no reason I couldn’t get to the gym, right? He was healthy, and I needed to be.
So, last Monday, I shimmied into my worn-out-I’ve-had-these-forever work out clothes. And by shimmied, I mean squeezed, and not in a pretty way. I exercised. 45 minutes on the treadmill. Plus some weight training. I did squats and lunges. I HATE squats and lunges.
And then I came home.
Fed Ex had left a note for us on Friday - a box needed a signature in order to be left. Jeff thought it was for him. I assumed it was for him.
But it was for me.
And it included a note that said….
“We (Brand About Town) are partnering with Nintendo to find……people who have set well intentioned goals for 2010. In a post back in January on Mommy Niri’s site, you mentioned that you wanted to be able to say and feel that you are in the best shape of your life by the end of this year. Nintendo wants to encourage your achievement of this goal you’ve set for yourself, so we tried to think of some things that might help….”
In the box:
- A Wii
- A Wii Fit Plus
- A year subscription to Self Magazine
- A sweat towel
You know what I did? I cried. And then I sent a mushy and teary email to Justine at Brand About Town to thank her for proving to me (remember the intuition) that I was on the right path.
That was 12 days ago. I have exercised in some fashion every single day since then. The Wii Fit is too much fun. I have never been a ‘video game’ kind of girl - but it is nice to have ’someone’ reminding me of my goals every time I turn it on. It is divine to have an interactive option at home. And my kids get a kick out of watching me. They’ve even joined in a few times.
I read Self cover to cover for additional inspiration. And I found it. I sat on my deck, soaking up one of the three 70 degree days we’ve had this year. I even signed up for the Self Challenge.
A quote I read at the beginning of this year is stuck in my head. I don’t know if it is ‘good’ or not, but I am finding it to have some truth.
“Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.” ~Kate Moss
My amended version of that is “Nothing tastes as good as HEALTHY feels.”
By this, I mean, that the feeling of healthy - the drinking water, the exercising, the smaller portions, the looser clothing - it beats the passing joy of chocolate and chips at midnight - and by a mile.
Motivation and Healthy Changes:
- I ditched soda. Water is my new best friend.
- I am getting more sleep (I’m not perfect here yet - but 6.5 hours is better than 5)
- I am replacing sweet and salty snacks with fruit and healthy juices.
- My meal portions are smaller
- I am getting some exercise every single day.
- I am staying motivated by focusing on how I FEEL….stronger, healthier, with clothes that are STARTING to fit.
How do you do it? How would you LIKE to do it?
If you are looking for some extra motivation….here’s a thought.
Bookieboo’s Newest Mamavation Campaign is about to kick off again. Mamavation is motivation, teamwork, inspiration and moms all rolled in to one. For a beautiful success story - look no further than Alyssa Becthold. Alyssa was a Mamavation Mom during the LAST campaign (not the one currently going on) Her hard work has paid off - as of yesterday, Alyssa is down 64 pounds. Since I love to hear how others have maintained motivation, I asked, and Alyssa answered.
Top 5 Secrets to Weight Loss Success:
- 1. Surround yourself with strengths. I adopted “fit friends” in real life and online that I entrusted to hold me accountable for my goals. I learned to adopt and adapt to their healthy routines and when I was about to let myself off the hook — they were right there helping me stay focused.
- 2. Nothing changes if nothing changes. This is a lesson that my mom taught me years ago. If you want something you’ve never had, you have to be willing to do something you’ve never done. Therefore, I keep setting small, measurable, realistic goals for myself. And, I track everything on paper, according to my goals and benchmarks. Ultimately, I am accountable for my own success and nothing changes, if nothing changes.
- 3. Take immediate action. Once my goals and benchmarks were determined for each phase of my journey, I got to work right away. I plan out each week at a time. There is no “waiting until Monday” to start changing my life. If there was anything I learned from surviving brain surgery, take immediate action!
- 4. Give yourself permission to succeed. Once I figured out it was okay to take time for myself to exercise, I stopped feeling guilty. Once I figured out that I didn’t have to eat the same portion sizes as my husband, I stopped feeling guilty. Once I figured out that I was old enough to be responsible for my own body, I started succeeding in my journey to a healthier lifestyle. What an amazing feeling to give yourself permission to succeed!
- 5. Concentrate on one day at a time. Sometimes, it’s all I can do to make each exercise and meal choice the right decision for me. With three children and a busy work and volunteer life, it’s all too easy to fall back into a life of convenience — so when the going gets tough, I take it one day a time. If that is too far in advance, I break it down even further, to one meal or one exercise at a time - focusing on being fit and being healthy.
If you would like to apply for the campaign - you have a few days left. Applications will be accepted until April 1st.
Disclosure: I am under no obligation whatsoever to talk about these gifts I received. They were a delightful surprise. I chose to write this post because these gifts have increased my motivation to better myself. Opinions and experiences I share are purely my own.30 Days to Kickstart a New Healthier Me
I’ve been in a bit of a rut.
Exercise has simply been a word I think. As in, “I think I should really find a way to exercise this week.” Combine that with my incessant desire for comfort food and Halloween candy? I’m a bit of a fitness disaster. I know I am not ‘fat’. I also know the scale is creeping higher than I like, and my clothes are a touch tighter than they should be. I simply know I am not making healthy choices. I am not at my best.
In need of a kick start, I was thrilled when Earth Footwear chose me to join their “Change your Body in 30 Days” Campaign. They sent me a fantastic pair of shoes - the Exer-Walk - a new design launching in January. The idea: 30 days in these shoes will make a positive difference in my fitness regimen, and my overall health.
The shoes have a special feature called the Kalso Negative Heel Technology that allows me to burn 4x the fat of a normal shoe. This means - as I go about my day- to-day activities - carpools, errands, chasing after the small dude, I will be able to feel a difference.
Here is what I know so far: the Exer-Walk shoes are a fantastic-looking shoe. They are extremely comfortable. I imagine it is the negative heel technology, but the shoe cradles my foot and provides extra padding with each step. It feels a little like walking on cotton candy - or at least how I imagine that would feel. The portion of the shoe that encircles your ankle and heel comes up a little higher than shoes I have had in the past. So, I’ll admit I got a blister on my heel the first day, but nothing since then. I think my heel, my thighs and my glutes are a little too anxious for the potential fitness progress to let a little blister get in the way.
Confession: I did not battle my weight as I was growing up. I did not exercise regularly. I did not watch what I was eating. But now I need to.
Now, I want to.
I am grateful to Earth Footwear for wanting to be a part of that life change for me. I am grateful to my friend Leah and her Mamavation campaign for encouraging women like me to commit to this type of change and for working with Earth Footwear to get us moving.
Disclosure: Earth Footwear did give me a pair of the Exer-Walks to wear for the purpose of this program. I am not being paid in any way to participate. The opinions expressed in this post and future posts are mine and mine alone. My thoughts and beliefs are not in any way influenced by Earth Footwear.
