August 2, 2012

It's simple and it's something {a commitment to exercise}


It seems like every time Sunday rolls around I find myself reflecting on the week before it.  I haven't even had to try, the thoughts just flood my mind.  

For weeks now I have been experiencing this end of the week jolt.  It's usually when I'm getting ready for church.  I start evaluating the past week.  I think about my relationships with others, and my relationship with God.  How is it all going?  Am I making the most of it all?  Doing all that I can?  I have some triumphs, some things I am glad about and thankful for but I also think about what I want to do differently.

One of the main things that always comes up in my mind is exercise.  Every single week, I keep saying I'm going to get started, I'm going to do more, I have to do this!  And it's sad to say, but I don't.  I have many reasons why.  Many good excuses, like how unusual my husband's schedule has been and how difficult it is to establish a routine.  But I'm through with excuses and I have come up with a plan.  Here's my motto: "It's simple and it's something".  Because I have to at least do something.  And I'm trying to establish a habit I can stick to.  

For me, I have a window of time to go walking.  It's nine to ten am.  The earlier the better.  But somewhere in there I need to get out the door with my two oldest daughters.  We have a route we take around our neighborhood and we walk like we are in a hurry.  And several times I yell "Run to the stop sign!"  and we run and then we walk again.  Then we come home and do some sit ups and push ups.  This is nothing fancy. But this is something doable for us.  And I just have to do what I can rather than nothing at all.  Eventually, I'd like to be jogging more, but we're not ready for that just yet.


I decided to use this dry-erase calendar I made for the purpose of keeping track of my exercise efforts.  I needed to write something to seal my commitment.  I needed to SEE something to hold me accountable.  Setting up this calendar was like making it all official.  My goal is to do some form of exercise in that window of time and if there is a doctor appointment, I will plan accordingly and plan for another time.  I just have to stay focused on making this important to me.  I plan to do something every day of the week except for the weekend.  

The month of August is a great opportunity for me to establish the habit and hopefully carry it on through the school year.  I hope to have this thing full of X's at the end of the month.  So far...just one.  But it means a lot to me.

I'm just going to keep trying.  It's a little scary for me you know.  All this committing and trying...I fear failure.    I fear fizzling out.  I have come full circle so many times and gone from exercising consistently to not doing anything for months on end.  It can be discouraging if I let it.  But I'm through with that.  I have to do something!  

Who's with me? 

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