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    NINJA_SMOO   47,761
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My responses to the responses to "Exercise - and why it isn't happening" blog from yesterday:

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Everyone:
I know he's not just sitting there judging me, and often when I do actually get up the gumption to exercise at home, whether it's grabbing the weights or hopping on the elliptical for a while he'll do the same right after me or come and join me, so whatever he thinks about me exercising, it's probably good, not to mention, I know he'd like to lose weight as well. It's just all in my head.

Fangfacekitty:
You totally made me think of that song "How bad do you wannnt it? How bad do you neeeed it?" I think that's how the chorus goes.

Heather1969: The music is a good idea :)

KGF:
The thing about walking, is that it doesn't feel like exercise, which is why I don't call it such or if I do, I feel like I'm kind of cheating. If I don't get my heart rate up or don't end up with sore muscles afterwards, does it count?

The pier walk is something I would like to do more often, you're right about that one. Also, we've lived in our neighbourhood almost a year and haven't really explored up from us much, just downhill. It could be a good idea to go for walks up the hill and then have an easy walk to get home :)

Hippichick:
I know it's all in my head anyway. Like I mentioned above, if he does think about me exercising, I'm sure it's only in good ways. ...Or to wonder why I haven't when I said I would or wanted to :P

Smilingtree:
I like your deadline idea. That's how I initially got my water intake up. I had several alarms set up throughout the day and if I hadn't drank X-amount by a certain time I had to drink whatever was left to get to that point and then fill up whatever vessel I was using.

I know I struggle with this, but I feel like if I can't get in an epic work out that it's just not worth it, which I know in my brain is absolutely untrue. But it's still how I feel... Yes, I know ten or twenty minutes (consistently) will still make a difference - and it's probably better in the long run since I could do 20 minutes every day, but there's no way a 2 or 3 hour exercise fest would fit into every week, let alone every day.

Another thing (completely my own fault) is our social schedule... Nothing is really recurring on-the-same-day-every-week kind of thing, and we're often away, so having a 'Monday is X, Tuesday is Y' schedule wouldn't really work for me, but I have been thinking about a way to try and get it all to work. I'll figure something out. I agree with you on getting over slumps being much harder than staying in a routine is, once you have one. It's inertia, plain and simple. And I need to work on feeling like I can exercise while we're away. Calisthetics or running/jogging don't take any equipment and can be done anywhere.
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  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CHERRYTOMATO 9/14/2012 11:34AM

    I have been following these last two blogs of yours... and have been silent. And taking in the advice!! My reasons are different than yours, but, they are also excuses. There has been some really really good advice... so thank you for soliciting that!!!

Something else I have been thinking about lately... turning it around in my head to make sense of it... maybe it will help you?

Whenever we feel really joyful, happy, strong, good... you know, that awesome, within yourself feeling? We are accessing our "higher selves", our "godess", our "soul", whatever you want to call it. Every time we access that part of ourselves, the next time we do it, it becomes easier and easier to do. It is the best way to feel happy, productive, and feel like you are living a meaningful life.

I feel that way when I am strong and active. And each time I run/walk/hike/ST, it becomes easier and easier. So maybe I am accessing that zone during my WOs? And maybe the reason it feels so hard right now is because I haven't accessed it consistently in a while?

I don't know thif this makes any sense.. I still haven't fully thouught it through.. but if the thoughts can help you at all, I thought I would put them out there!!

Happy Friday!

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HEATHER1969 9/14/2012 10:07AM

    Love the idea of walking up hill and taking an easier route back.... maybe walk up the hills, and run down them. emoticon

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CHRISTINA791 9/13/2012 5:52PM

    I missed responding to yesterday's post, but I always think this is an interesting topic because it's so different for so many people.

For me, I started by looking at what didn't work. I was horribly self-conscious and way too attached to perfection. So, it would take me forever to talk myself into working out (everyone's gonna look at me!), and then if I did have a bad day it was all over.

What worked for me was treating it a bit like a game. Not like one of those games or sports that you have to get active for, but like a video game. I was coming off of being a pretty hardcore gamer, so I basically turned exercise into what would have been a grinding quest in a game. That's how I started the whole sticker thing - I'd give myself a sticker if I worked out, and after 50 I could buy myself a reward. It worked, because I could work on it as much or as little as I wanted. If I missed a day, I didn't lose or fail at anything, I just didn't earn anything either. Eventually, that gamer side of my brain clicked on and I wanted to earn my quest item, the stickers. There were days when no amount of telling myself to exercise would have talked me into it, but the thought of getting one sticker closer to my reward did. Even knowing that I'd have to drag my flabby self down to the gym and jiggle away in front of a bunch of buff guys to do it.

That's not to say the same thing would work for you, but basically I just looked at something unrelated in my life that DID work and figured out how to translate it into fitness. If I could show up on time for a four hour gaming session several days of the week or put myself through hours (literally) of dull, tedious virtual tasks for a cool reward down the road, I could do the same thing with exercise.

So, is there anything that you eagerly do in terms of non-exercise habits that could translate?

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