Stopping the Excuses

I cannot seem to find the motivation to exercise. I know that exercise has many great side effects, and I'd like to be one of those people who casually mentions their yoga class, half marathon or hiking adventures in social situations. But I am not there yet.

I believe that most of the problem lies in time. Every workday is packed to the rim with work and family. By the time I get even half an hour to myself, it's 9:30-10pm, and I'm totally bushed. All I want to do is creep into bed, grab a book (if I have the energy) and go to sleep. Waking up earlier than 7:30 is out of the question these days, since I can't seem to wake up even when I set an alarm.

Of course, the more hard-minded of you will tell me that I'm just making excuses. Anyone (no matter how busy) can find time to exercise, you will, rightly, say. You'll ask me if I have time to take a shower, write a blog post, eat dinner, watch the new season of Orange is the New Black, and I'll reluctantly agree. I may get hostile, but you will have won the argument--it's not just a matter of time.

It's honestly because I don't enjoy exercise. I don't like gym classes, the mere mention of a hike gives me anxiety, and working out on a treadmill/elliptical is dull (no matter how awesome the musical track is). If I liked exercising as much as say reading or dress shopping, I'd find a way to fit it into my busy schedule. But because I don't like it, I make excuses.

The simple solution to my problem is to find something I enjoy. There must be some physical activity that I like to do on a regular basis (without counting sex). I like dancing, so maybe I should take a dance class? I like shopping, so maybe walking around the mall would work? I like canoeing and swimming, so maybe that is a good idea?

Just like with my diet, it doesn't make sense to start an exercise routine that I have no desire to maintain in the long-term. I like the way I'm eating now, so I just need to find a way to move more. I'll have to think about it some, but for now, my goal is to do a Zumba exercise DVD that a friend lent me. My goal is to do the Zumba workout before my meeting on Tuesday morning. Does that sound realistic to you?

Oh and by the way, I was down over 2 pounds last week, making me hit my 10% and reach 180.4.

Happy Thursday everyone :)

Weight loss so far

Week 1: 200.6

Week 2: 196.8

Week 3: 194.4

Week 4: 191.4

Week 5: 190.4

Week 6: 189.8

Week 7: 187

Week 8: 186.4

Week 9:: 185

Week 10: 183

So far, so good. I've been losing at a reasonable rate--aside from my first month where I was seeing a few 3+ pound losses. Lately, a big loss is 2, and a more typical loss is 1 pound. In 9 weeks, I've lost about 17 pounds and I can definitely feel it in my energy levels. Even without exercising much, I feel like it's easier to be active when I'm carrying around less weight. My clothes are fitting better too. I've gone down from a size 16 to size 14 and I'm looking forward to fitting into a size 12 again (I feel like that will happen once I'm back in the low 170s.)

Notice that I say it "will happen." I have no doubts that I can lose the weight. It may take a while, but I'm pretty happy being in the 180s, so I'm content to go slowly. They say that the slower it takes to lose it, the easier it stays off. Honestly, I think the longer you keep it off, the easier it is to stay off, but whatever, the two are intertwined. 

Anyhow, things are going well, other than the fact that I feel like I'm out of my writing groove. My writing has been sucking lately and it's getting on my nerves. My goal this week is to exercise three times, so without further ado, here is my exercise plan:

Tuesday: nothing

Wednesday: nothing (forgot my gym bag and I have a late meeting)

Thursday: 7:30 am appointment at Curves for a free consultation (30 minutes)

Friday: workout after work. 20 minutes on elliptical, 10 minutes on the treadmill (4-4.5). 3 sets of 10 reps for biceps, 30 sit ups.

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Zumba video

Monday: Workout in the AM before work, 20 minutes on elliptical, 10 minutes on the treadmill (4-4.5). 3 sets of 10 reps for biceps, 30 sit ups.

Wish me luck!