Hate working out? Me too. Exercise is important and absolutely necessary for a healthy
mind and body. Nobody, however, said that you
need be excited about it.
I am not someone who enjoys working out. There are those people
(aliens to me) who love to go for a 6 mile run or hit the gym every day after
work. I see someone- or all of LA- every day, running, looking like they're enjoying
themselves, at 6am in the freakin' morning. Or even better, running when it's a
90 degree day in LA, also looking like they're enjoying it. I don't get it, but really, more power to them.
There is nothing I find enjoyable about working out. I don't
like sweating, I actually get angry when I get out of breath and I don't particularly find
it comfortable to feel like your muscles are detaching from your bones. Even if
I did like those things, I rarely have a spare hour, 4 days a week, to get in a
workout. If I did, I promise you, I'm sleeping or binge watching murder shows
on the ID channel, likely with a mini Ben & Jerrys in hand. Are you with
me? And can we talk about when you decide to take a class and the instructor keeps telling you (kind of trying to be encouraging/kind of pointing you out) to keep going when you literally can't? How about, no, I don't keep going. I paid for this class so if I want to sit down in the middle of it and eat a Snickers bar, thats my
That said, I want to stay healthy and fit so I do workout 3-4 times per week. One would ask, Ash, how do you bring yourself to work out when you hate it that much? I'll tell you.
First of all, most of my workouts are done at home. The less I have to be around emphatic exercisers, the better. I actually love to follow different workout videos online. Since I have a real aversion to anything that will make me work too hard, I like to stick with workouts that involve mostly sitting or laying down to do them, i.e. Pilates or Ballet Beautiful (this makes it easier to watch TV too). Generally, I find a routine that I like and stick to it for 2 weeks, then switch it up. I also occasionally sign up for different classes like yoga, Barre, Pop Physique, etc, that I can do a few days a week, or just on the weekends and keep my weekday workouts at home. I drove by a workout class going on the other night- good dance music was pumping, the instructor was this young, cool chick leading the class in Britney Spears worthy dance moves. I'm thinking about checking out it. Whatever it might be, I usually sign up for a class for a month and have fun with it, then take a break. Also, I, admittedly, am not opposed to having snacks next to me as I work out. It helps me avoid thinking about eating the whole time and trying to rush to get in my next meal. Last night I ate a few peanut butter pretzels while I was doing leg lifts. All those leg lifts and planks make you hungry.
Here are a few more tips and tricks to get you started on working out and get through exercising
with a half smile on your face.
1. Start small
Don’t fall into the trap of believing you have to work out for
30 minutes every day, run 6 miles. or whatever else you are reading online. If you start setting up big goals right off the bat or tell yourself you must lose 10 pounds this month, you are going to feel overwhelmed and discouraged.
Start by working out for 15 minutes, 5 days a week and work your way up to 30-60 min 3-5 days a week. Start by doing simple excersizes and get more into new and more challenging exercises week by week.
2. Work out at the same time every day
Find the time of day
when you feel you have the most energy and try to work out at that same time each day. If you
don’t have that option because of your work schedule or whatever, just
pick a time that works for you and make it part of your daily routine to
exercise at that time. This way, it becomes more of a daily habit. If you
aren’t structured, you will start to find that you are too tired by then to work out, you
had to go grocery shopping, you didn’t eat yet and you’re starved, etc.
3. Mix it up
Getting stuck doing the same old
thing is really boring. Try mixing things up. Sign up for a class on the
weekends and do the rest of your workouts at home- there are so many videos you can follow online! You can do
Pilates exercises one day, Ballet Beautiful another day, some crazy butt
workout hosted by a really buff chick another day.…you get the picture. Just
change it up!
4. Do what you enjoy
If you hate running,
don’t run. Instead get some cardio in by jump roping or enrolling in a cardio dance class. Or get outside and walk fast! Drive to somewhere nice like a park or pretty neighborhood and get walking. You can even do a double whammy and get walking your dog in AND exercising out of
the way by walking fast for 30 minutes instead of leisurely bumming around your
neighborhood, stopping to talk to every neighbor along the way. Try out different exercises and you will likely find one you enjoy.
5. Take 10
Feel like you don't have time? I totally understand, but your busy schedule doesn't have to stand in your way of exercising. There
are so many fitness routines that are as short as 10-15 minutes that are
designed to give you a full blown work out in very little
time. Wake up 15 minutes earlier, go home on your lunch break or get in a quick
workout before bed.
And some my favorite online workouts right now:
This has 5 different workouts for each part of your body. You can do just one, or all of them for a full 60 minute workout.
Burns like hell.
You need weights for this but it's really effective (I use 3 pounds). Also, you get to sit on your butt almost the whole time.
Mute it and get ready because this shit it for real
Get moving! Let me know how is goes.
Labels:
Health and Beauty
