Despite what everyone says about the benefits of exercise, I have lots of very valid reasons why I should not exercise. Weather is one of the best reasons. Sometimes the temperature is too hot. Sometimes it’s too cold. Or the sky is too cloudy. The air is too damp (my hair will frizz). The sun is too bright, there’s not enough shade. It is too windy. It’s not windy enough to keep the bugs down. The snow is too deep. The rain is coming down too hard. Or--the irony of it all--the weather is so perfect it’s a shame to waste on something like exercise.
If the stars are aligned just right and all the weather gods are smiling, making it impossible to use that as an excuse, I have other reasons to avoid exercising. These reasons wait conveniently in the wings for just such a moment to shine.
At a moment’s notice, the mind hands me another consideration: time. It’s really too early to exercise. I’ll get the kids off to school first. Whoops, I need to get some work done before I can justify “playing”. I’ll do it during lunch. Funny thing is at lunch I am hungry and prefer eating over walking. That’s okay; there will be time after dinner. That way I can walk with Joe, my husband, which is really something to look forward to. After dinner Joe and I look at each other across the table, an unspoken agreement clear. There will be no exercise tonight. I’ve had a hard day and deserve to relax. We plop ourselves in front of the TV instead. It’s better to start the day off with a brisk walk, anyways. So I’ll go for a walk tomorrow morning before the kids go off to school…
If, for some odd reason time and weather conspire to make exercise a real, honest-to-goodness option, fear not. More reasons instantly rush to the front line.
Attire and presentation is a key component of successful exercise, so related reasons often surface. For example, before I take a shower, I am in no shape to be seen in public. Who wants to see the bed-head walking down the road? After I take my shower and get all pretty, well then I am obviously too clean and don’t want to get all sweaty exercising. When I am dressed for work, I don’t want to change into exercise clothes (and that would mean another shower. Who has time for all that?)
When those reasons dry up, I scrap the bottom of the self-soothing barrel. I just don’t feel like it (and you can’t make me do it.) Life has enough challenges and I deserve a rest. I'm in good enough shape, anyways. Who cares? Why bother? The hell with it...I’m gonna eat some more chips.
Yikes, watching the mind make a million lame excuses is entertaining when it is not frustrating. Maybe you've had the same experience trying to get into an exercise routine? Do you lament, “I really should get more exercise”?
I notice as I go through the “maturing” process (yuck), exercise can seem like work. I mean, really, what kid ever classifies playing tag as “getting good exercise”?
On my own, I can be rather lame in the “get-up-and-exercise” game. I do notice, however, that I work best when I am helping others. When I teach yoga, I listen to me and learn. For me, the richest experiences of yoga come when I am teaching you.
So I decided to use that little quirk of my disposition as a catalyst to spur us both on to daily exercise. Let’s team up and encourage ourselves to take a 28-day challenge! Ready? Here’s the pledge:
For 28 days in a row, I commit to get exercise each and every day.
You decide how long to exercise, the intensity, and what type you want to do (yoga counts—so if you live nearby, come to class on Monday nights!). As the Nike slogan says, Just do it!
As an added incentive, there will be a drawing at the end of the 28-day challenge. Exercise for 28 days straight and you'll be eligible to win a 6 class yoga card (a $60 value). Or, if you can’t make my yoga classes, a surprise gift of equal value will be substituted.
Click here to download your daily exercise log. At the end of the 28-day challenge, just hand your completed sheet into me (or email me that you completed it) and you’ll be entered into the drawing.
Let's make this a group challenge. Put your comments on this site. By adding your two cents, you are doing more to reinforce your own positive steps towards exercise. Tell us how it's going, celebrate your success, or bemoan the difficulties.
Completed forms are due Monday, July 14th. That means you must start by Tuesday, June 17th at the absolute latest to get your 28 days in.
Let the games begin!!!
Megan
ps. Did another pesky excuse raise its nasty hand saying “28 days in a row? I know I won’t do that!” Sooth that thought with this deal: after 28 days you can go back to your old routine. You can believe any excuse to delay, postpone or ignore exercise. For a mere 28 days, you will not indulge any story that conspires against exercise. Period. Let’s give it a try, watch the mind, and see how the body responds….
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
From Manure to Armani
To the veterinarian coming to check out our horse Rocky's lame hoof, I looked like your typical farmhand. Sporting a very stylish and flattering one-piece Carhart snowsuit, fat felt-pack LL Bean boots, a gray wool hat pulled low over my ears, and hands tucked into matching wool gloves, I was the big brown female version of the Michelin tire guy. Watch out Baywatch guys, I'm way hot-temperature-wise, that is.
But...underneath the not-so-seductive brown suit, I wore a white cashmere sweater, black dress pants and, tucked into my boots, nylons instead of wool socks. After Dr. Mark was done, I played Clark Kent. I whipped off the hat and mittens, zipped out of the canvas coveralls, and threw on a black-and-white suit coat. I tossed the felt-packs down cellar and slipped on leather loafers. Then, like Superman, I flew off to my business meeting.
I wondered if my colleagues could smell horse manure.
Just like Clark Kent, I felt the power that comes from almost magically changing identity, in this case from farmer to corporate executive.
How many roles do you play in life? Is there room for all that you are, all the identities that allow you to express the many facets of who you are?
Everybody has different talents and interests that like to come out and play. Sometimes I crave being outside in nature-taking care of the horses and dogs and making maple syrup on the farm. Other times sitting in front of a fire with a book is heaven. On some days, teaching yoga is just what I need; on others, business meetings can feel creative and constructive. Through it all, playing the role of mother and homemaker brings a sense of continuity.
But if I play any one role for too long without a break, I get cranky. What was satisfying becomes a chore. Too much mothering can be draining; too much work makes Jack a dull boy; too much of any one thing becomes bland. Just as with food, rotation and moderation lead to balance.
Feelings of being trapped, a sense of monotony, or a "same shift, different day" attitude are all sure signs that other interests are being stifled.
You may not move from manure shoveler to corporate trainer, but does your day have a changing rhythm? What roles do you move between in the course of the day? What is your relationship to each of these roles?
Like Superman's spandex and my Michelin-man getup, the uniforms that go with your roles may vary widely-or not at all. The question is how comfortably each one fits, and whether your transitions from one to the next are as effortless as slipping in and out of a phone booth.
But...underneath the not-so-seductive brown suit, I wore a white cashmere sweater, black dress pants and, tucked into my boots, nylons instead of wool socks. After Dr. Mark was done, I played Clark Kent. I whipped off the hat and mittens, zipped out of the canvas coveralls, and threw on a black-and-white suit coat. I tossed the felt-packs down cellar and slipped on leather loafers. Then, like Superman, I flew off to my business meeting.
I wondered if my colleagues could smell horse manure.
Just like Clark Kent, I felt the power that comes from almost magically changing identity, in this case from farmer to corporate executive.
How many roles do you play in life? Is there room for all that you are, all the identities that allow you to express the many facets of who you are?
Everybody has different talents and interests that like to come out and play. Sometimes I crave being outside in nature-taking care of the horses and dogs and making maple syrup on the farm. Other times sitting in front of a fire with a book is heaven. On some days, teaching yoga is just what I need; on others, business meetings can feel creative and constructive. Through it all, playing the role of mother and homemaker brings a sense of continuity.
But if I play any one role for too long without a break, I get cranky. What was satisfying becomes a chore. Too much mothering can be draining; too much work makes Jack a dull boy; too much of any one thing becomes bland. Just as with food, rotation and moderation lead to balance.
Feelings of being trapped, a sense of monotony, or a "same shift, different day" attitude are all sure signs that other interests are being stifled.
You may not move from manure shoveler to corporate trainer, but does your day have a changing rhythm? What roles do you move between in the course of the day? What is your relationship to each of these roles?
Like Superman's spandex and my Michelin-man getup, the uniforms that go with your roles may vary widely-or not at all. The question is how comfortably each one fits, and whether your transitions from one to the next are as effortless as slipping in and out of a phone booth.
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