Committing to Fitness

It's been a couple weeks since I wrote. I couldn't blog last week because I had to spend my Monday night getting ready for holiday visitors. I had a topic all ready to go in my mind that night but I just didn't have time. And I didn't write down my ideas so, well, I forgot about it. Completely. I have to admit, I'm a little mad at myself. 

So, I guess I'll just write and see where the whim takes me.

I haven't worked out as much the last couple weeks. It sucks. It really does. I know, you're probably thinking I need the break but really, honestly, truly... I am happier when I make time to workout (yes, you read that, remember my second blog post - I do not find time, I do not just have time, I physically have to MAKE time to workout). I am happier, more energized (albeit sometimes still yawning and needing an extra nap here and there), and just plain more SANE. I'm less sane, more irritable, more exhausted, less satisfied with myself when I am not physically active.

I think I've already shared that in this blog, and if not, there ya go.

For that reason, I've been a little grumpy over the last 2 weeks.

Yes, I've worked out. Probably more than some do. I ran twice last week (I normally run 3-4 times) and did some strength training. I meant to do more but the in-laws were here and it's hard to get away to workout when we're running around trying to get stuff done for a holiday dinner. (Okay, I'll admit, I wasn't doing any of the cooking... or preparing... but I couldn't leave little girly with grandma and grandpa while I went for a workout if they were busy doing other stuff.) It's weird that having someone over and being home for the holiday would throw me off so much. But it did, and I'm still recovering.

In my old, pre-fitness life, this would have been the week that caused me to stop working out altogether. I would have thrown in the towel. Gave up. Decided it wasn't worth it because I "ruined" one week of my fitness plan. Honestly, it was just a cop-out. A way to give up without feeling too guilty, a way to "realize" that I wasn't cut out for this lifestyle, a way to return to the "easier" life that did not include trying to eat healthy and stay active.

I still can't believe that was me. I can't imagine life without fitness, let alone just dropping it like it's old news the second things get hard. I've changed for the better when it comes to that area of my life (still working on improving some other areas, as always!), and for that I am thankful. Sometimes I think people think that it's just genetics. Or that I'm just lucky that I can maintain my fitness and try to eat healthy. They think I'm just in shape because I've always been that way.

Well, I hate to break it to you, but that's just NOT true. I have never been overweight but I have been unhealthy. Before I started exercising, I had a higher-than-healthy body fat percentage and my pulse was always super high. I never used to be able to run around the block let alone a 5K and especially not a 26.2 mile foot race (November 2010, just over 5 hour finish time). I could never lift weights, or do a workout video without feeling like I was dying. And to top it all off, I hated EVERY SINGLE MINUTE of my workouts. I flat out despised working out. It just did not appeal to me one bit. I ended up getting a trainer in graduate school and that helped me (a) get past the first few weeks when I would normally quit and (b) helped me learn to enjoy it. I don't love every minute of my workouts now, not even my running which I am addicted to (in a good way?), but I do gain enjoyment from it. Sometimes I enjoy the intensity of the workout, other times I look forward to the afterglow that is experienced once you are done.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that being healthy and fit (notice I never say skinny or thin) is possible but it takes work. Just because someone is in shape NOW does not mean they have always been that way, or that they're the lucky ones who can be fit. People of all shapes and sizes find ways to become healthier. Each person has their own type of workout that works the best for them, that they can commit to doing regularly while still keeping things balanced (making sure to have strength training and cardio whenever possible). Each person has their own way of getting into a rhythm, of staying focused on their goals. They say it takes 21 days to break or form a habit. I think with health and fitness it's a little longer. First you have to break OLD habits (21 days), and then create NEW habits (21 more days) so I'd give it at least a month, if not two, before deciding if it's worth it. 

Everyone deserves to be healthy. I think kids, especially, deserve healthy parents because they are more likely to take after their parents than anyone else in their lives. It's important that we role-model healthy behaviors and actions for our families. We can role-model the same things for our friends, our own parents, our siblings, etc. We can be the positive change for someone else.