Transforming power of exercise-Couch Slug Confessions
I know – the last thing any of us needs is someone else blathering on and on about exercise and how important it is. We all know the health benefits of exercise. We all know that it is key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Blah blah blah…
I am a complete slug at heart. A true couch potato. The quiet, sitting activities like reading, web surfing, writing, quilting – that’s my jam. I am pretty sure that no one has ever achieved their target heart rate while quilting. I did not participate in sports as a child and have little desire to do so now. My partner and I enjoy the outdoors (she is an athletically inclined individual). We enjoy hiking and biking together. However, I have zero motivation to go out and do it by myself.
But I do exercise and make every attempt to do it regularly. My method of choice is to ride a real bicycle in a stationary trainer indoors. I am also starting to add some light upper body weights while riding, and this feels like a tolerable activity that I can keep in my routine. My reasons for exercising regularly have to do with the obvious benefits: weight management, overall cardiovascular health, strength and stress management, to name a few. But I am discovering that the obvious benefits of exercise are no longer the major motivating factors that get me on the bike most days.
Alternate benefit #1: With the addition of an inspiring playlist, I feel more motivated to power through my daily tasks. I create playlists that focus my mind on the higher ideals I am manifesting in my life. Exercise time flies by as I race towards my goals and dreams. I feel more tuned in and turned on to my daily tasks. My energy levels stay high all day, and I feel positively charged in a way that other people notice. My productivity is higher, the work is of a better quality, and I find much more satisfaction in my tasks.
Alternate benefit #2: My mood is lighter, and is less impacted by circumstances and people around me. I’m sure that this is because of the endorphins my body releases, giving me a natural feeling of well-being. Mental health professionals are regularly prescribing exercise to their patients suffering from anxiety or depression.
It’s no wonder – endorphins are powerful “uppers” that have great side effects: lowered blood pressure, better mental focus lowered production of cortisol (a stress hormone linked to weight gain). None of the unpleasant side effects that many depression medications have. There is also no waiting period for the endorphins to take effect. Some depression medications take up to eight weeks to come to full effectiveness.
Alternate benefit #3: I am able to see past my own barriers into the future that I am creating for myself. What exactly does this mean? When I am “in the zone” brought on by exercise, many of my thought patterns of self-doubt, fear and negativity about my goals simply vanish. Poof. Gone.
They come back later, of course, but for the time when I am exercising (and even beyond that time – sometimes the effects last for hours), I am temporarily freed from my own restraints. I can imagine a future where all of my goals are achieved with clarity, excitement, and joy. I literally get out of my own way, and my thoughts are focused and positive. The pathway to higher goals becomes more highly defined. I can see myself as the “superstar” I already am. I get flashes of inspiration for action steps to take. The voices of my internal critics and bullies are silenced by my elevated heart rate and breathing. It is blissfully quiet.
One of my secrets for making exercise happen when I am longing to curl up with a good book is to bribe myself shamelessly. I reward myself for a good workout with reading time. When I achieve the top of my goal weight range (and I’m less than three pounds away), I’m going shopping for something new that celebrates my accomplishment. Self-bribery works, but the reward has to be substantial for this couch potato to move her butt.
Another thing to keep in mind is that perfectionism doesn’t help the process one bit. If I only had 15 minutes free on a given day, the exercise is still worth doing. If all you truly have is five minutes for exercise, then give it your best for those five minutes. Try some light weightlifting – use cans of vegetables. If you don’t have access to a gym or any equipment, there are exercise programs designed for you to do with no equipment, and it can be done during commercials, so you don’t even need to leave the couch!
If I can make this exercise thing work for me, anyone can. I’m even starting to consider the idea of going with my partner on one of her epic long-distance bicycling events… But first, I want to finish this book I’m reading…
Clear your Space – Recharge your Self – Direct your Life
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I used to love exercise, not in a gym, but swimming and biking. Heres a goal…Lets walk the Camino in Spain for my 50th Birthday, and bike/ferry through Greece for yours!
I’ve been thinking about the Camino walk for several months. I will happily bike through Greece or Italy, but I’m going to be eating my way through either country!
We can do both. We’ll need sustenance, and you know my culinary habits…best of both worlds!