Exercise. I don’t know about you, but this daunting word is always in the back of my mind. I shove it back there because I don’t want to deal with it. Why is this such an unnerving word?
1. It’s difficult!
Exercise is not an easy thing to do, especially for someone who’s out of shape, like me. Embarrassingly enough, even walking up too many flights of stairs can leave me winded. Instead of sitting around and wallowing in my shame, I should just bite the bullet and start exercising. It’s hard to do, though. I find it discouraging when I cannot complete a specified activity because I’m out of shape, and it’s too hard for me to accomplish. It’s easier to just skip it altogether.
2. I need my sleep.
To exercise, for me, means to either get up earlier or workout at the end of the day. These options do not thrill me. I don’t want to get up an extra 30 minutes to do a little workout before work. I want to sleep! That snooze button is way too tempting in the morning. Often times, I find myself snoozing for up to 45 minutes. I know it’s ridiculous, but I keep hoping one day I’ll wake up and actually workout instead of hitting snooze five times. The end of the day isn’t appealing to me, either. After a long day of work, the last thing I want to do is to come home and workout. I’m already tired and sluggish, throwing exercise into that mix won’t end well.
3. Sweat.
Ew! Am I right? Sweating is such an unpleasant experience for me, I will do anything in my power to avoid it. It’s such an uncomfortable feeling. Having my clothing stick to me while I’m sweating bullets is just awful. I’m already sweltering, there’s no need to be hugged by my clothing. It also makes my hair nasty. I don’t wash my hair every single day; it’s much healthier. If I were to work out daily, and sweat daily, I would feel the need to wash my hair. It’d be too gross to not wash it, but I don’t want to risk the health of my hair. It’s much more important than the health of my body.
4. Boring!
Exercise can get very monotonous for me if I stick to a routine. While I think being in a routine is good, as it helps to form good habits, I tend to get bored easily. I don’t have the option to go to fun classes nor am I willing to pay for a gym membership. This leaves me with home workouts. I get so bored going on the same run in my same neighborhood every single day. Ditto for biking. Doing Pilates can be fun, but there’s only so many moves. I know in the past I would find a workout and stick to it, but then I’d get bored and take a day off. That one day would turn into two, then three, etc. You see the dilemma, right?
Exercise is very healthy for you, yes. That doesn’t mean it’s as easy as snapping your fingers. It doesn’t have to be awful, but it can be a hurdle to overcome for many. Assuming you’re like me, that hurdle can be pretty massive at times. The trick to overcoming it is to just do it. I know I feel better when I exercise, and just forcing myself to do something has a much bigger impact on my day than I realize.
So get out there and start jumping those hurdles!
