I never feel so awful as I do the hour before I exercise. I spend that hour trying to rationalize reasons as to why I don't have to do it today and how I will make it up tomorrow, as if you can make up not exercising. I tell myself I don't want to change my clothes for the third time today. I'm a little sore, my body needs a break. I've been good for so long, I deserve a break. And, finally, the old stand by me, I've been working so hard, I'm tired, I'm gonna rest (aka couch potato up and eat popcorn). I drag my feet, begrudgingly put on my workout clothes, and finally more times than not, I get down to business.
I never feel so amazing as I do the hour after I exercise. I'm energized, I feel like I've sweated out some bad stuff, my mood improves, and I feel ready to tackle anything. I mean geez, if I can do a one arm push-up why can't I breeze through everyday life. My mind is clear, my blood is pumping, and I actually do feel stronger, faster, more agile. Wow, all that in just an hour of moving my hiney around.
All you exercise fanatics can just agree to disagree with me about the hate part of exercising. I don't know why I dread the actual act of organized exercise. And, I'm not talking about a nice walk/jog outside, or a playful game of softball, or a hike in the great outdoors, or a little Nordic skiing (all things I enjoy). I'm talking about grueling cardio, carefully planned and targeted weight training, and... wait for it... yoga. These are the things that will actually change the look of your body and its abilities. These are the things I dread. And, put these things inside of a gym and you might as well just color me non-complacent, 'cause I ain't going. Even if my look good is lookin good, there's always the chronic gym goers that are as dedicated to working out as they are their jobs or marriages, sometimes more dedicated, and they will inadvertently make me feel like a doughy slob.
I have what you might call a compact frame, I put on muscle relatively easily. Which sounds like a good thing, right? It translates into having man size guns on my arms and speed skater looking thighs. Awesome stuff for a chic. But, if that's what it takes to get rid of the fat, I have resigned to my fate. The truth of the matter is, even when I have my "fit" on, and my muscles are just a little too large, I still feel a thousand times better than if I am fat or if I am a skinny fat person. A what? A skinny fat person? This is a term coined by a friend of mine that applies to people that are thin, slender, etc, but couldn't run to the mailbox or lift a gallon of milk without physical exhaustion. I can only be a skinny fat person if I use nutrition exclusively to control my weight and don't exercise at all. I don't like being a skinny fat person, it doesn't have the psychological effects that being fit does. So, here I am, a ball of contradiction, and still battling with my exercise program. Things are changing shape on me, flattening where they are supposed to be (except for that one tenacious fat roll above my belly button), getting round and hard where they are supposed to be, I have more air in my lungs, and a better outlook on life in general. I still dread that hour before I drag on my yoga pants, but as long I keep pushing past that I should continue to see results. I hate that that is how it works, working = results, but there is no two ways about it. I also hate the fact that exercise makes me HUNGRY, like tackle and eat a cow raw kind of hungry. But, at least that hunger is derived from a better place than my run of the mill, average, emotional hunger, same cow, different reason.
Here is a list (a very short list) of my personally tested and approved exercise programs:
Tapout XT- This is a MMA based exercise routine that is nothing short of a powerhouse of a workout. It is 90 days long and has 12 different workouts. The leader (Mike) is very encouraging and keeps you so busy and changes things fast enough that you cannot possibly get bored. You get to punch, kick, push-up, knee strike, and get busy with bands. They are releasing Tapout XT2 in the next month which I will be purchasing for sure. Available at tapoutxt.com.
P90X- This is another 90 program, probably one you have heard of. Tony Horton knows his stuff. I don't find this program as fun as Tapout XT, but it is more focal. It will test your strength and flexibility the most, or at least it does for me. This is where I dread Yoga, but I promise it has drastically changed my flexibility and core strength more than anything else I have ever done. I've previously done P90, P90X is a BIG step up. This program also provides you the opportunity to buy supplemental videos once you complete the program so you can continue on if you so choose. Available at beachbody.com.
So, there is the short and the long of my take on exercise. Take it as you will. But most importantly, find something that you like to do because otherwise you won't stay with it. Or, at least you won't if you are a exercise lover/hater like me.
No comments:
Post a Comment