Exercuses - Overcoming Obstacles to Exercise

I have volunteered to speak at a local weight loss group about how to overcome obstacles to exercise.  I'm really excited about this topic since this is what I have been personally working on for over two years!  When thinking about my own "exercuses" I came up with the following list:

Lack of time
Tired
Exercise was boring
Muscle injury
General laziness
Bad weather
Embarrassed
Traveling

Fortunately the government already came up with a wonderful list of obstacles and ways to tackle them! (Our tax dollars at work.)  You can find the link to the CDC recommendations here.

For me incorporating exercise into my life has evolved over time.  In the beginning I exercised out of pure fear of the triathlon I had signed up for!  But once that goal had been achieved I needed to come up with more new ways to overcome my own exercuses.  I did so by using the following tools:

1. Scheduling.  In the beginning I literally scheduled exercise into my daily routine by making it an appointment in my blackberry.  If a friend wanted to meet for lunch or if I needed to get to the grocery store, those activities had to be planned around my exercise appointment.

2. Creativity. You've seen my posts on snow days and sick days.  I now have a list of exercises I can do anywhere anytime.  If it's nice outside, I go out with Lucy and jump rope, jog around the block or do burpees on the sidewalk.  When my daughter is at her gymnastic class, I jog around the parking lot for 30 minutes before going in to watch her. It doesn't really matter what I'm doing as long as I'm moving.

3. Equipment.  I invested in a simple set of bands and have slowly added more pieces of equipment over time.  When traveling, even on a short trip, I pack my bands so that I can get in a nice strength training workout particularly if where I'm staying doesn't have a gym or an area to run around outside.

4. Supportive Friends.  I cannot emphasize this enough.  When I don't want to go the the gym or I'm feeling low, I have friends to call who will join me for a walk or meet at the gym.  Making it a social experience helps keep my motivation and is personally rewarding as well.

5. Liking It.  I don't think my commitment to exercise would have been possible without having a great personal trainer who exposed me to different exercise modalities and routines.  I never got bored and I still don't.  The process of exercising may have become routine for me but the actual exercises certainly aren't.  I'm constantly reading about different movements I can do and trying them out at home and the gym.  My other source of inspiration: my daughter.  She does all sorts of fun things on the playground and outside.  I often just play with her and find that I'm getting a great workout!

6. Education.  Learning how to avoid injury and what to do in the event of an injury has been crucial.  Just because my IT Band hurts is no reason to stop exercising.  I can swim, do the ellipitical, yoga, strength training.  And of course stretching has become a really critical part of my daily routine.

These are just a few of the ways that I combat my own excuses.  What do you do to combat "exercuses?"

Be well.

Killer Kettlebells

I still meet with my trainer, Tom, from time to time.  Mostly for some sort of tortuous kettle bell workout.  Three weeks ago it was a mix of Kettlebells and TRX.  I couldn't squat for 3 days.  Last Friday the session was just hardcore Kettlebells.  I think he increased the weight I'm swinging around plus the other woman in the class is incredibly fit making me push myself to keep up with her.  That afternoon I went home and curled up in the fetal position.  Later I was writing a check and couldn't remember the YEAR (is it 2010 or have we moved onto 2012?) much less the day.  I knew then that something serious had to be done.

The obvious and easy answer would be to stop doing Kettlebells.  But that's not an option.

No, I decided it was time to work harder, longer and more often.  (That sounds kinda dirty)

Focus.

Ok, so this is what I'm doing: More intervals, more sprints, more Kettlebells, more core, more creative movements.  And more often.

Is it working?  Yes.  To be honest I'm a bit afraid to go back to Kettlebell Fridays but I am feeling better and am seeing benefits in my clothes.  And at the end of the day, I'm tired and sleep through the night.  The next morning I wake up spontaneously ready to attack the day.  And I look forward to my next workout.

So, as for the workouts, they've become more organic.  I set a time limit and a heart rate goal and I know I've got to work my lower and upper body incorporating core along the way.  Here's a sample:

10 Kettlebell swings each arm
Jog/run one minute (85% MHR)
Repeat above for a total of 4 sets

15 Kettlebell deep squats with overhead press
Jog/run one minute
Repeat above for a total of 4 sets

15 incline pushups (I did these on my car bumper)
15 tricep dips with one leg extended (again on bumper)
Repeat above for a total of 3 sets

10 burpees

Core circuit:
15 Bridge Press
10 Straight leg drops
20 Dead Bugs
20 Quadrupeds
Repeat above for 2-3 sets

End with:
Prone Cobra - hold 15 secs x 4
Plank - 1 minute - or 2 if you're feeling up to it!

Be well!