Spring is finally here! It seems to have started late this year, but it finally feels like spring. There is a spring in my step, and I’m ready to get back to working out and getting my body back in shape and take off this winter coat of excess fat. With the introduction of spring comes a brand new longing to undo the bad I did to it over the winter months. Get back to the mantra “my body is a temple”. We all know that, right? We have to be careful what we put into our temples so we won’t end up in the hospital having surgical proceedures that could have been prevented by putting the right stuff into our bodies. Yeah, I know we can eat anything in moderation, but come on–do we really know when to call it quits on the good stuff (?) Honestly? Okay. That said, we need to start moving again. We become too sedentary in the winter. Too often we don’t want to go to the gym, or take a walk, or take part in outdoor activities.
We could try getting a pedometer and counting our steps each day. Did you know they—whoever they are—want us to get in 10,000 steps a day?
One sure way to start being more active is to incorporate little changes into our daily lives. Something like this:
Are you watching tv right now? No-no, that’s fine. Just don’t channel surf now, okay? Good. Now, the comfy couch or chair you’re sitting on–I want you to get off of it and stand up. That’s right, I won’t keep you long. Okay now, on the very next commercial I want you to move around. Walk in place, do jumping jacks, leg raises, squats, lunges, just anything that will keep you moving throughout that entire commercial. You know what movements you can do, and what you can’t. So be your own judge. This is a baby step in making small changes for the better in your everyday lives. Work up to doing this through several commercials. Just think of all the calories you will burn and the strength and endurance you will build if you keep this up during all the commercials of the tv programs or movies you watch. This may lead you to do other activities you may have always wanted to try. Walking for your health is one of the safest activities you can engage in. After a while you could add jogging or running, if you like.
Now, about the title of this post. The treat is my motivation to do the activities I’ve set for myself to do during the week. If I don’t complete my workout I don’t get my treat. This can be any small thing I enjoy within reason. I like to watch a movie of my choice, or enjoy something like sherbet on a hot day. This is only paid after I’ve completed my workout for the week, which for me is Sunday. My brain says: “if you have not completed your full workout for the week-no treat for you!” ((EEEEEKKK!!!!)) It goes something like this:
See how stern my brain is? Yeah, I don’t want to disappoint my brain often. I shudder when I see this vision in my head. Ugh!
Only I don’t consider soup a treat. I love soup and can enjoy it any time. I’m not gonna work out for it, though. My brain is a mean bugger when it comes to my workouts. Hmm? Oh, what do I do to work out? Well, I walk/run 3 days a week, and do a floor workout 3 days a week. It’s not all that much. The walk/run is only 30 minutes a day, and the floor exercises are 30-45 minutes. Which means I can quit at 30 minutes every time. It’s my choice. I like that. I also like the fact that if I do my floor workouts and my walk/runs on the same days…
I get 4 days off!
The fact is I have leeway. Who is Lee, and which way is he going? I have no clue. But I digress.
What’s that? Why only a 30 minute walk/run? Um, because that’s the time arrangement I can stay committed to without quitting altogether. Huh? Why would I quit? Well, because I know me. I know how I operate. You see, I can be bumping along going my 30 minutes a couple weeks, then decide to go a little longer, say by 15 minutes. Well then my brain gets tough and tells me since I did the longer interval once, I can do it again. This puts pressure on me, so what do I do? I rebel. I say I don’t like the new time limit…so I quit. Not the new time limit. I quit the walk/run. I know, I know. It shouldn’t be a big deal–but it is.
Much like Jerry Seinfeld,
“I Choose Not To Run!”
But also like him, in the end I run anyway.
So after a week of doing nothing but floor excercises AND missing out on my treat for that week–(bummer!) I resume the 30 minute time limit once again, and all is well.
So let’s do this thing together.
**Just think of the self-satisfaction we will experience. And all because we made our minds up to make small changes to our day.**
We need to make good health a priority.
I get good results from my workout. How about you? Do you have a plan to get more fit? Just customize your own. Make one that works for you, and that you know you can pretty much stick to. We all have our days when we just want to blow it off…
but if we do…
NO TREAT FOR YOU!!
Thanks for viewing.
STOP HERE, I WANNA GET OFF! 