A Blog About Exercising

Some people are too lazy to plant seeds. So at harvest time, they look for food and find nothing. (Proverbs 20:4 ERV)

Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.(Proverbs 13:4 NLB)

As I continue with the theme of transforming your mind, I wanted to talk about some of the reasons I believe we are not successful in the area of weight management.  Keep in mind, these are areas that I have struggled with and had to confront.

The major component of success in managing our health is grit. Grit is a favorite quality of mine:) Grit is defined as "perseverance and passion for long-term goals. A person possessing grit does not require immediate positive feedback. Individuals high in grit are able to maintain their motivation and focus over long periods of time despite experiences with failure and adversity." Wow! How true in the area of weight management. We did not become out of shape overnight and yet we want to become in shape instantly. Remember that managing our health is a marathon and not a sprint.

The opposite of grit is laziness. Everyone has to struggle with laziness. Our first response is to skip the workout. Always! Our second response is to do an easier workout:). We have to keep in mind that the instant gratification is not worth it. The long term reward is always worth the wait.   The principal of delayed gratification is true in every area of life...money, relationships, success in school, diet and especially exercise. That is where grit comes in.  Exercise will never be convenient or easy. It does not  show immediate results, other than the way you feel about yourself when you are finished!  

The single most important thing that I started doing as far as managing my health was weight lifting. Yep, you read that correctly...building muscle. As an older woman, I did not grow up seeing other women lifting weights. Now that I have completed 1 1/2 years of weight training, so many pieces of the puzzle are making sense. I started looking differently even before I lost an ounce. Once I began to change my eating habits, I found it easier to actually lose weight. I will not get into the concepts of "muscle burns more fat" or "you will continue to burn calories after a weight training day."  I do not feel knowledgeable enough on those topics.  I will say that I am a believer in weight training and wonder why I never knew about it for most of my life:)

In addition to weight lifting, I began riding bikes. The first time I rode a bike, I thought I would die.  It was just too difficult. I continued because of the grit factor. I purposefully attempt to do things now that are physically unpleasant in the short term because there are very pleasant in the long run...having to buy smaller sizes. In the beginning of my weight loss phase, all I could do was walk. I would encourage you to try something more difficult as you are able. I just finished week 4 of a running program. I do not even know who I am these days!

Long term results concerning exercise are listed in many articles...even increased mental acuity. A physically fit 75 year old will be miles ahead, mentally speaking, than an out-of- shape 75 year old. I think it is worth it to make small investments of time, consistently, to reap large benefits in the years to come.

I will blog about what I eat in my next blog. Nutrition is 80%. Exercise is 20%. You cannot walk enough to take off all the weight you want to lose. I am convinced that both components are necessary to achieving the health that we desire.

I exercised everyday on my vacation this past week. I am amazed.