Irrational

There are people out there who love exercise for the sake of exercise.  They wake up in the morning excited to run or swim or dance or lift or whatever.  Good on them.  Me, I have to talk myself into it.  I know I am not unusual in this particular way.

We all know lots of good reasons to exercise.  Our brains tell us that we’ll live longer, look better, blah blah blah.  It is certainly good to know all the rational arguments for exercising.  Sometimes, however, it’s not the rational stuff that gets us actually moving.  Our bad selves don’t want to conform to what the teacher says we are supposed to do.  Plus the couch is really comfy and it’s cold outside.

So how do we get moving?  How do we convince ourselves to go get breathless and sweaty and possibly sore?  I deploy the irrational reasons.

Speaking for myself, I don’t have any sense of impending mortality.  Sure, I’m going to die someday, but it still seems like a remote event.  I can’t convince myself that one particular workout is going to make the difference between an independent old age and a pathetic nursing home existence full of pureed vegetables and bingo.  I can’t project myself that far into the future.  I have to go with the more immediate future:  I feel better right away when I hit the spin bike or stick my body in the pool.

Find the love.  Find the emotional satisfaction right in the moment.  That’s a good reason to work out.

Go play.

Monday Workout: Continue!

This week’s workout continues to work on both balance and multi-joint exercises.  If you feel tired at the end, you’re doing it right!  Three rounds!

Xiser	30
deadlifts	20
Arnold press	10
clean and press	30
rows	20
1 leg squats	10
overhead high knees	30
skullcrushers	20
pretty princesses	10

Harvest of ideas...

I don’t read a lot of magazines, but I look at the covers when I’m standing in line at the store.  I’m not enticed by the make-ups and break-ups of celebrities I don’t recognize, or even by those I do recognize.  I’m tempted more by tasty-looking food, or organizing tips.  But one of the most alluring things that magazine headlines do is offer lists of “essentials.”

I know this is capitalist propaganda at its finest.  If I were to buy the magazine and flip my way to the six fall essentials, I would discover that at least two of them are makeup or hair products I don’t have the first clue how to use.  The rest are probably expensive clothes that I really don’t see myself wearing in this lifetime—I don’t really live the high heels and skirt life and anything that isn’t a cozy sweater that requires dry-cleaning is not for me.

But what are my six fall essentials?  Here they are:  fitness essentials for fall.

1.     Cardio.  As the days get shorter, the holidays get closer, and the stress ramps up, we need the mood-boosting and calorie-busting effects of cardio.

2.     Yoga.  In this more reflective time of year, having a practice that helps us tune into what we need and want is extra important.  Also, our muscles can use the warmth and flexibility yoga provides.

3.     Sleep.  All the research is there.  Go look.  We don’t sleep enough and it is bad for our brains, our bodies, our relationships.  We do not have to be accomplishing things every single hour of every single day to be valuable humans.  Get the rest that refreshes!

4.     Light.  It can be challenging to find the light at this time of year, but we need to seize the precious daylight when we can.  If we can’t make it outside during the day, we need to make sure that we get enough bright light indoors to keep our diurnal rhythms working.

5.     Warm drinks.  They’re cozy, whether they’re coffee, tea, cocoa, or broth.  Bonus:  they keep our hands warm.

6.     Laughter.  We laugh best with those who love us.  Make some good times, get an ab workout, and feel connected all at once.

Guess what?  Almost all of those are free, too.