I used to loathe exercising.
Because I’ve always been on the thinner side, I fooled myself into thinking I didn’t need to exercise as much as most people. I’ve had a total of two gym memberships in my lifetime and I ended up cancelling both of them soon after they were established.
In my twenties, I generally ate whatever I wanted. It’s not that my portions were large or that I ate frequently. The thing is I wasn’t being conscious about my diet. And the biggest culprit was sugar! I am a strong believer that it is one of the most addictive ingredients on this planet. Why? Because I could not drink coffee or tea without adding a few teaspoons and I could devour a whole 14 oz. bag of Swedish Fish in a day…by myself.
Then I hit my third decade of life…and that changed the game!
My midsection and arms were looking misshapen and less toned. My pants were getting tighter at the waist too. I could’ve tricked myself into thinking that the dryer shrank them, but my intuition told me…actually screamed at me, that neither those pants nor my dryer were the problem.
My lack of exercise was.
This fall, I finally built and maintained a habit of getting regular exercise. Every other day, I have been doing strength training without weights. No need for a gym membership or excessive equipment. I have one 15 lb. free weight, an exercise band and a mat. That’s it. I do everything from bicycle crunches, to mountain climbers to sumo squats. All of this from a simple search of workouts on You Tube. All of this, done in the comfort of my own home!
I always feel better about myself after finishing my exercise routines, especially as I continue to notice the desired changes in my physique. With every passing workout, I feel much stronger and capable of more. Is my body exactly where I want it to be today? No. Not yet. For now, the greatest win has been getting a new and positive habit embedded in my life. I haven’t skipped a planned workout in the last three months. Even when I feel tired or unmotivated to get my 30 minutes of exercise in, I do it anyway. Without fail, I feel 100 percent better after I finish…EVERY TIME!
The next best thing about making exercise a habit was the inadvertent shift in my mindset about eating. After investing all of that time and energy into sculpting my body, the thought of going backwards has been scary. To maintain my improved figure I changed my eating habits without much difficulty. More leafy greens, more fruits, more water. So far, so good, but it’s still a work in progress. It’s amazing how after you conquer one vice, you are able to begin conquering the others.
Tell me, do you like working out? How do you stay motivated to keep the habit? How do you feel after your workouts?
I’d love to hear your feedback!
Bye for now…
Tiara Queensbury 