GH - Exercise for the Lazy

Sorry I took so long getting to the promised exercise post, but that's what comes from being lazy, I guess.  And that's what I'm going to talk about today.  I'm lazy.  Always have been to a certain extent.  I guess that's what made exercising so damn hard all those years.

Let's back track a little.  Sure, I was lazy, but I was also the kind of person who could burn calories just thinking about exercising.  Oh, I wasn't a skinny teen, but at 135, I was a good weight for my age and height.  Just doing yardwork, or housework, or marching band seemed to keep me fit enough.  As the years went by, though, my metabolism got lazy, too.  I hit 30 and it seemed like all those years of stuffing my face, drinking like a fish and laying around caught up with me.

Now that I'm rapidly approaching 40, it's the opposite.  I just think about food and the calories leap onto my butt.  Stupid aging process.  Add to that the laziness that never went away, and I was stuck.  Until I made the choice to do something about it.

Which is something I've done many times since the age of 30.  I started out great.  I'd get the exercise bug and work out like a crazy woman - only to wind up sore and unmotivated the next day.  I was queen of the one hour/one day exercise system.  And it did nothing for me.

You see, I thought I had to exercise like that to accomplish anything.  I thought I had to sweat and feel the burn and kill myself to lose weight.  In actuality, all I accomplished with that idea was a feeling of failure and another dive at the cheesecake.  Then I had my HUZZAH moment.  Between that Fat to Firm book and some advice on The Biggest Loser, a little light bulb went off over my head.  I didn't have to chunk out 30-60 minutes of grueling exercise to succeed.

The first bit of tinder for my Huzzah bonfire was when Bob from Biggest Loser said something about using the commercial breaks to exercise.  If you figure each hour of TV has about 5 commercial breaks (if you count the one at the beginning and the one at the end), and those are about 3 minutes each, then if you use those breaks to exercise, you will have 15 minutes of burning calories for every hour long program.

Hell, I don't even have to get off the couch for that.  So, I started out doing various leg-lifts and flutter kicks while various companies tried to sell me their stuff.  Then I got off my butt and did some against the wall push-ups.  I even do some exercises during the program, if I'm feeling like it.

Sure, the couch probably isn't the best place to do any kind of exercise, but it's better than nothing.  It's sure as hell better than laying there eating a large bowl of ice cream with chocolate sauce and peanut butter.  (Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like pigging out during Biggest Loser?  :shrug:  Must be me.)

As I started to feel like I had some muscle tone and wasn't breathing like a freight train, I remembered I bought a set of strap on weights fifteen years ago.  I dragged those out and put them on the bookshelf next to the entrance to the living room.  I can't walk to the couch without seeing them.  They're sitting there now--glaring at me.  Whenever I get a chance, I grab them and do a few curls or other exercises.  It's only a couple minutes at a time, but I can already feel myself getting firmer.

Not all writers are lazy like me - and I never meant to imply that - but sitting all day is a function of our existence.  Any time you can fit in any type of motion, you're burning calories and getting healthier.  Even if it's - like I said in my Eat, Drink and be Merry post - just a skip to the mailbox and a dance to the kitchen.

Especially if you're so out of shape that's all you can do without fearing a coronary.  Do a little at a time.  Move your body a little bit more today than you did yesterday.  And don't do so much that you're sore and discouraged.  That way lies madness.

Sure, I won't be buff any time soon, but if I keep it light, I just might keep exercise as a part of my daily life.  And that's got to be good.

(BTW, go Michael!)

Disclaimer:  As always, I'm not a professional.  I don't pretend to be a professional - not even on TV.  I'm just passing along what seems to be working for me.  Check with a doctor so you don't hurt yourself, starve yourself, or just generally do the opposite of getting healthy.  Which is, like you know, getting hurt or getting dead.

And now for the best picture I found when I was looking for a fit feminine body to show as a goal to hope for.  I did a search for 'buff female' in Google...  I hope none of you are offended... She's pretty hot. 

*All images deleted to avoid any chance of copyright infringement*

It really doesn't get much better than that. If only I were that cute.  LOL

Have a great day, everyone! =o)