Don't succumb!

At this time of year, it’s easy to succumb to excess.  There are cookies everywhere.  Ads suggest that we buy 37 new kinds of gizmos.  We want to squeeze in just a bit more fun.  I’m not here to judge or to suck the joy out of the holidays.  I AM here to hint that maybe enough is enough.

 

The good news about that idea is that it works in multiple ways.  (I love efficiency!)  Deciding we have had enough cookies does mean that we have to stop snarfing them down (boo!), but deciding we’ve done enough cardio for today also means that we get to stop now and rest (yay!).

 

Of course, I have a couple of notes about this whole idea of enough.  There is no deprivation in enough.  We are not going to go hungry, or skip celebrating, or never have another treat again.  We are just going to stop when we are pleasantly satisfied.  Similarly, enough is not exhausting.  We work out until we are tired and then we go do something else.

 

It takes a while to train our brains to recognize enough, but it is so worth it.

 

Go play.

Monday Workout: All the things

This week’s workout is pretty well-rounded.  We’ve got cardio, upper body, lower body, balance, and core all represented.  As always, substitute as needed.  Three rounds.

 

step ups	30
bench press	20
round lunges	10
jacks	30
flies	20
1 leg squats	10
clean and press	30
rows	20
pretty princesses	10

 

Shopping List

Want to give yourself a fitness gift?  Here are some suggestions (Note:  see yesterday’s post on not giving anyone else fitness gifts unless specifically asked.):

 

1.     Time.  Time is the most common reason people cite for not working out.  Before we go spending a chunk of change, it might be worth considering that we should just pencil in some dates with ourselves for getting sweaty.

2.     Lessons.  Whether we’re interested in skiing or weight lifting or horseback riding or fencing, we can always use an upgrade to our wetware.  Don’t forget that cooking classes can be part of our fitness arsenal.

3.     New shoes.  Not just so that people ask if we can run faster now.  Shoes do in fact wear out and getting support where our bodies meet the world most often is a good idea.

4.     Something fun.  Yes, I know we need to work out to be healthy humans, but that doesn’t mean that we have to wear old baggy sweats and drink raw eggs like Rocky.  Maybe our workouts would be a lot better in cute clothes, or with more music, or with the cool gizmo of the week.

Step Away from the Shake-Weight and the Air Fryer

Welcome to December, month of gift-giving.  Which is to say it is time for my yearly helpful reminder:  do not give passive-aggressive fitness gifts.

 

What fitness gifts qualify as passive-aggressive?  Any exercise equipment or clothing, any cooking/diet supplies, any subscriptions or books about fitness or exercise or healthy diets that were not specifically requested by the recipient are passive-aggressive.  We may think we are being helpful by giving Uncle Larry some yoga classes—that dude needs to chill out before he has a heart attack—but no, we are not being helpful and may in fact be adding to Uncle Larry’s stress.  It may be abundantly clear to everyone that Mom could use some larger exercise pants, but it is not up to us to address that unless she asks us to do so.

 

It is, however, entirely fine to buy ourselves fitness gifts.  We could probably use some chill time and some new exercise pants as well.  And, again, if our loved ones ASK for fitness gifts, we can shop to our little hearts’ content.

 

Be kind.

Not the Easy Way

Some portion of us got up Monday morning, took a look at the scale, and went into Vengeful God(dess) mode.  Now that it is Tuesday, we’re tired from all that frenetic exercising and we’re not feeling better or thinner or lighter.

 

May I suggest a different approach (and maybe theology, although that is well outside my area of expertise)?  How about some love?

 

When we treat ourselves with love, even when we make less than optimal decisions, we are much more likely to succeed and we’re definitely going to be happier.  Starting from love helps us begin right now—we can’t change the past, so yelling and carrying on about it is not going to make a difference.  Love is a forward-looking thing that can envision our better selves.  It encourages us to take steps, even hard steps, to move toward our ideals.  (Note:  ideals, in this context, have little to do with the weird body-image messages we get from our culture and advertising, but everything to do with our personal values for health, beauty, and happiness.)

 

Starting from love, we recognize that we have time to make incremental changes, ones we can live with in the long term.  We are able to balance our long-term need to build good habits with our short-term need not to croak over dead while working out.  We can gently remind ourselves, as if we were our favorite toddler, that while cookies are delicious, we do also need to eat the occasional vegetable.

 

Perhaps what I am trying to say is that we’re not letting ourselves off easy when we begin from love.  We are giving ourselves a reason to choose the best options, which will sometimes be pie and more often sweaty breathlessness.

 

Go play.

Monday Workout: Oblique

This week we’re working some obliques with cross-body movements.  These are good for stability.  Three rounds.

 

woodchoppers	30
rows	20
curls	10
squat to leg lift	30
deadlifts	20
pushups	10
overhead high knees	30
lunges	20
Russian twist	10

 

Grateful!

It’s time for the annual gratitude list, focusing on fitness things.  Here are ten things I am thankful for:

 

1.     My body.  Sure, it’s not perfect, but it is one amazing gizmo.  It breathes!  It moves!  It lets me experience the world!

2.     Food.  I have plenty of access to healthy and nourishing food.  Also, food is tasty and makes me happy.

3.     Clean water.  So much of the world does not have access to reliable, clean water.  I can stay hydrated, cook food, and even get clean!

4.     Health care.  This could be several gratitude items, but the one that is top of mind right now, not surprisingly, is vaccinations.  Not only do I not have COVID, I also do not have polio or measles or chicken pox or smallpox or diptheria.  My children did not die when they were small from preventable diseases.

5.     Outside.  Walking, hiking, swimming, and biking out in the world are joys in my fitness life.  Nature is beautiful and restorative.

6.     Spin bike.  Or as I often call it, the Magic Mood Machine.  Cardio in general is good for moods, but my spin bike in particular is excellent.

7.     Uncle Joe.  Pilates, that is.  He created a system that makes my body feel so much better.

8.     Uncle Patanjali.  He’s the author of one of the basic yoga texts.  Yoga helps address the challenges my mind and body present.

9.     Weights.  They make me stronger and they do not mind when I take my bad moods out on them.

10.  Getting to work with wonderful clients.  I am very very lucky to work with such strong, funny, smart humans.

 

What are yours?