Get Up and Move Mama

A few backs, I went for a very brisk walk. At 8am. On a Saturday. Which lasted more than 5 kilometres. A walk that took me through quiet nearby neighbourhoods and even quieter recently-harvested fields. All now covered in a slight layer of frost. See, it was only 1 degree Celsius when I left the house. Brrr! Cold, right?!?

But I went out for that walk anyway. Why? Because I needed it. Not because I had to. But because I wanted to, NEEDED to.

Not in a “If I don’t go exercise sometime I will never lose that weight” type of need. Although weight loss would surely be a welcome and additional benefit. And, at least for today, it wasn’t a “I need time out for myself” type of need, because I have the house to myself for half the day today anyway (yay me!). No, it was a “My body really wants me to move” kind of need.

Now, some of you are probably thinking “Well, duh. Of course you should get your body moving”. And some others of you might be thinking “What the heck is this woman even talking about? Exercise? Bah humbug!”.

Me? I’m thinking “Wow! This is completely new territory for me!”. It truly is- I have been doing daily activity only for a number of weeks, but this time feels different somehow. More permanent. More maintainable.

You see, I have never been a big exerciser. Neither in desire nor action. Wistful thinking like “Wouldn’t it be cool to be able to jog for 10 kilometres?” happens often but doesn’t actually get me out the door.

Growing up in my family (2 working parents, 4 kids), participation in exercise was not really a thing that was always strongly enforced. Sure, my parents encouraged us do to extracurricular activities including some form of sport (Soccer, Judo, Tennis, Jazz Ballet, Swimming…) for a number of years. But, like so many teenage girls, once the compulsory sport of school is over and part-time jobs, friends, boys and university studies become increasingly demanding / exciting /time-consuming, sport in general tends to take a back seat. And in the back seat is where I tended to stay, aside from outbursts of “No, this time I am going to REALLY try and stick with [insert Sport Name here]”.

But something has changed recently, no doubt in part because of the inspirational words of a certain Ms Rachel Hollis and her #last90days challenge. Now I find myself getting antsy if it looks like I won’t be getting my half hour exercise for the day. I actually LOOK for opportunities to move. I have a drive to do something for ME, for my body, for my health. I almost shake me head in wonder at what my body is trying to tell me.

And it’s exciting! Wow! After all these years (decades!) of low motivation and even lower activity I am ENJOYING doing stuff. It feels good. I feel good afterwards. I feel gratitude that I have muscles and limbs and a heart that pumps oxygen-carrying blood around my body that all allow me to go and exercise.

Why have I waited all these years to get serious, you may – with good reason- ask? Well, I could give you a thousand reasons, including- but not-limited to- raising children, living in a foreign land, denial, laziness, sick kids, sick Mama, time restraints, fear… And the list goes on. Perhaps you have those same explanations.

Why Exercise?

Ultimately, there are a couple of motives for me to overcome these reasons, er excuses. Perhaps you can recognise these in yourself too. These are my WHY:

1. I want to feel healthier
2. I want time for myself 
3. I would love to lose some weight
4. I want to set a good example for my children that exercise is a healthy habit

How to Stick with an Exercise Plan

HOW TO Maintain the Exercise Habit (not to be confused with the Eating-Chocolate-on-the-Sofa Habit):

Tip #1: Plan when you will exercise.

Preferably plan at least a day in advance! This may mean wheeling and dealing with your partner, kids, babysitter, boss, whatever.

How long do you want to exercise for? And how often? Current health guidelines recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5  times a week. (Just ask your Doc, they’ll confirm this.)

Find a time and get it marked in your calendar!

Tip #2: Plan what exercise you will do.

What exercise do you like? Indoors? Outdoors? Fitness Studio? Team sport? With a friend? Have you got your equipment and clothing ready? Having my clothes already laid out the night before makes it easier to just get dressed at 5.30am and GO!

Tip #3:  Have a back-up plan.

This is NOT supposed to be an excuse to cop out on your Plan A. But sometimes LIFE throws things at you. Like: Whoops! The weather guy got it wrong and it’s raining cats and dogs, meaning you won’t be going outside for a hike? Or: Your best friend who also has 3 kids is now home nursing one of them through a fever and can’t go jogging with you.

Instead of cancelling your exercise completely, you can then reach for your Plan B.

Tip #4: Remember your motivations for wanting to exercise.

Do you want to set a good example for your kids? Look good in a bikini next summer?Feel better about yourself? Run up the Eiffel Tower stairs? (Just kidding. Although if that is your reason, I don’t mean to offend and good for you!).

Find your reasons and remember them any time you try to back out of your plan to exercise!

Tip #5: Be realistic.

No matter what your current level of activity is, if you are starting a new exercise routine, realise that it may take time to get into the swing of things. If you have never been jogging before, don’t be disappointed if you don’t hit 5km in the next 10 days. If you do already run 5km and your target is now completing a marathon, it is unrealistic to assume you can reach that level within the next couple of weeks either.

Tip #6: Be kind to yourself.

Don’t exercise yourself sick. If you are feeling ill, you totally need to rest and replenish. A gentle walk may well be OK, but zooming off to the gym to lift weights like The Rock is not. 

This also includes not being harsh to yourself if you don’t do any exercise one day. You haven’t “failed” or “fallen off the wagon” and should just quit even trying. No! Your motivations still remain in place, right? So quit berating yourself, remember them and plan in your next round of exercise!

Am I some kind of crazy-exercising-gym-junkie? NO WAY! Have I exercised every single day since I started trying to be better at this? Almost, but still NO. But I do try my best to be consistent, and motivated, and push myself even on those days when I Just.Don’t.Want.To.

You can too! What are you waiting for?!? Go for a walk or bike ride or hike or just dance around your living room with your kids. Go for it and make yourself proud!

Do you already exercise regularly? What exercise do you do? How often do you exercise? How often do you want to? If you don’t, reflect on what is stopping you. How can you change that? Do you want to share any of your tips for starting a new exercise program? I would love to hear from you!