Finding an Exercise You Enjoy

When thinking about hitting it hard and really working to take off some weight or even just define your body and get in shape it is so important to do something that you enjoy.  I have heard this type thing over and over for years.  It has not really set in until recently.  I mentioned the other day that I had ordered a swim suit online and was awaiting its arrival.  Both of the suits that I ordered came in before the estimated date of arrival!  (That is always an unexpected surprise.)  They are both really the same suit, just one is blue and one is black.  For the price and wear I hope that it gets it is just a good idea to have two.

I have actually been able to go for a couple of swims in the past week.  In the future I hope to be able to go up to 3 or 4 times a week.  When I was growing up I swam competitively for most of my childhood.  When I was in the pool, even competing and practicing it never felt like I was working.  Now that I am back in the pool and swimming regularly for the first time in about 12 years I don't understand why I stopped in the first place.  I know that I stopped early on in high school just because of school commitments, but I should have stuck with it and made it a priority.  Since I can't change the past I can only hope to stick with swimming for the future.

When you find an activity that you enjoy it is important to stay with it.  There are many different activities that will help to keep you toned and in shape and not feel like you are working out.  Some people enjoy walking in the woods, roller-blading, bicycling, canoeing, swimming, volleyball, baseball, basketball, football, gymnastics, and the list goes on and on and on.  If you are taking part in something that you enjoy you will just concentrate on that activity and not on  the exercise aspects.  The length of time and effort put forth to complete the activity is sometimes the portion that people focus on when exercising.  If you are doing an activity that you like and is more like a sport or something enjoyable you concentrate on the whole of the activity and don't view it as a chore.

A few weeks ago I tried to do some more routine exercises and they just didn't really work for me.  I went walking a few mornings a week for a few weeks.  This is something that I didn't mind, but I got a little bored with that.  I do still like to get out and walk around before the rest of the town comes to life and plan to continue to do that when the weather permits (and I am actually in the mood to wake up early).  I also went to the gym one morning to try that out.  I HATE the gym.  It seems like it takes me forever to go the same distance on a treadmill that doesn't anytime at all when I am walking outside.  I don't like having to wipe down machines and just be around other people when I am working out.  I am a very social person and when I am working out I don't want to be distracted with smiling and making nice gestures to strangers.  If I am in the pool it really limits socialization unless I want to socialize.

Swimming is that activity for me.  I enjoy swimming and don't feel like it is a chore.  I hope that everyone really thinks about something that they like to do and look forward to doing that will improve their health.  Always be sure to practice safely when starting a new workout regimen.  Have fun!

Feeling Guilty

When I go out of town I tend to take advantage of cuisine and indulge a bit too much.  This is something that I know I need to work on in order to improve.  It is important to stay in a fairly normal routine, but oh so difficult.  I am out of town at the moment.  I will be traveling back home today and actually have only been gone yesterday and today.  I didn't pack clothes to hit the gym at the hotel because I knew that I wouldn't have time.  Sitting here in the room waiting on the rest of the crew to finish getting ready I realize that I should have packed that stuff and could have hit the gym this morning and still be ready and writing this in a more positive light.  Lesson learned, always pack sweats and sneakers.  See, I wouldn't have ate as much if I would have worked out first thing this morning and would be even more energized for the day and ride home.  Hind-sight is 20/20, right?  

On another note, I ordered two competition swim suits from Swim Outlet the other day.  I was hoping to have them sometime this week, but now it is looking like I might not get them until the end of next week.  My thoughts are that I will be swimming in order to get fit.  Walking will continue, just because it is a good habit and you can do it anywhere.  Getting back into an activity like swimming should be interesting.  I have not been a real swimmer in about 12 years.  This should prove to be an interesting endeavor.  

I wish everyone a good week and delightful weather.  

Walking

In order to succeed in the mission of becoming Healthy-J I am starting a good habit.  Walking on a regular basis is my first step to a healthy lifestyle.  Nature is beautiful and I want to be able to walk through and enjoy it daily.  I started this habit and have yet to make it an actual habit.  Friday, January 27th, I walked 3.7 miles with a friend.  We walked her kids to school and then continued walking around our neighborhood.  We had a good time walking and talking.  It made me feel good to be outside so early in the morning and moving around.  I had a busy weekend that weekend and did not walk any.  Tuesday, January 31st, I walked with my husband for 2.2 miles before he left for work that afternoon.  I learned that I do not want to walk with him.  It is easy for me to walk by myself or to walk with a female.  I feel to challenged to walk with him at this point.  He walks fast and I always am struggling to keep up instead of just enjoying the activity.  This habit is supposed to be positive and something that I look forward to each day.  If this becomes something that I dread I will not do well and eventually give up.  Wednesday, February 1st and Thursday, February 2nd, I walked by myself.  I put on my ipod and hit the road.  I walked for 2.2 miles both days.  I like the solitude of this individual activity.  Please note that I have mentioned the amount that I have walked only as exercise.  Daily I walk many, many more miles than what I have mentioned.  I am going to be concentrating on the amount that I walk for exercise.  This past weekend I didn't walk any either.  I am getting back on the wagon tomorrow morning and plan to make up for not walking yesterday by doubling up on my amount.  I will probably walk double on Wednesday as well.  Tonight I am hitting the Total Gym at my parent's house to work on some other areas instead of totally concentrating on cardio.

My mother works at a school and they have a team that is participating in Walk Across Tennessee.  My mother started out on a team but I ended up taking her spot on the team.  The local fitness facilities in our area have offered free weeks of facility use to the individuals that are participating in this program.  This is wonderful for me because I would like to sample a few gyms before I make a commitment.  This made me think, it seems logical that if someone might want to try out a gym that they could probably get a week or two of free membership to help them make a decision.  I will be getting a total of a free month when I combine all of the sample memberships.  This will help me to make good on my commitment, too.

Eventually I hope to be able to swim on a regular basis as a part of my fitness routine.  This would mean that I would have to drive a fair distance to add this to my regimen if I did this before summer.  Maybe this will be an element that I can make room for during the summer months when a lap pool is more accessible for me.  Plus, if I work on my cardio and resistance training now, I will look better in a swimsuit later on in the summer.  Right now, I just think that a swimsuit might be a little depressing.  I am a natural swimmer.  I started swimming when I was five.  Years have passed since the last time that I was a competitive swimmer, but I know that swimming is one of the best exercises to help you get fit.

Well, I have to get on the ball and hit the Total Gym before I hit the road and head home for the night.  I will be doing a great deal of walking this week and I wish everyone luck with their fitness goals for this new year.  It is my hope that from seeing my short falls from the past couple of weeks that it encourages others to keep on working toward goals even though they may fall behind from time to time.  Health and happiness to all.