thoughts on exercise and why it's NOT torture :)

Check out my blog- but this is my latest entry-- any thoughts?
www.fitorgetoffthepot.blog.com



I am one of the lucky ones. My endorphins go off the charts during any kind of work out. I wish I could put it in a bottle because it’s better than any medication out there!!!!!

A lot of people view workouts as a punishment. When people tell me they hate to exercise I always ask why.

Run another lap, do another push up. To me, that’s not punishment but something that is a challenge. My dear friend Melenda who sadly passed away in 2009 told me that her father would use exercise as a form of punishment and make she and her brother run laps if they did sometihng he didn’t like. . When a parent does that, it’s safe to assume a person will grow up with PTSD related to working out. What a shame. Exercise=punishment and torture means many people don’t go out of their comfort zones and stick with what bores the heck out of them. Or they just don’t even try. Then they give up because who likes torture?
Or even worse, they don’t try because they say “I have to wait until I lose ___lbs before I start my work out. Or “I am afraid people are going to judge me at the gym.” First of all, if someone judges you, that’s their issue and not YOUR problem. Second, start moving now, even if it’s just one block down the street to start. Everyone starts somewhere and it’s NEVER too late. I recently saw an article of a man who is a double amputee who can lift over 300lbs and is going for the GOLD in 2016. No excuses. If he can work out and not care who is judging him, or not wallow in self pity, then so can I.

Do people assume all workouts have to suck the life out of you? Is it because they are doing something they just hate? Do they, like myself, remember torturing themselves on a stair master (BORING) or shall I age myself and say the Jane Fonda workout of the 80′s? Step aerobics- No thank you. Zumba- shall I dare say NO THANK YOU either. Not my thing. But give me Turbo, Les Mills, 10 minute Tony Horton and gasp eventually P90x and I am your girl. I also love team sports, biking, an elliptical, tennis and walking/jogging to music. Other than team sports, I generally need music to work out, I need a beat. TV doesn’t help me at the gym unless I can listen to music and watch TV at the same time. When I walk Zac- if I have music, I walk a lot faster.

What about team sports? They are fun and you forget it’s exercise. What about dancing? Who goes to a wedding and says “I am not going to dance because it’s exercise.” Has anyone ever said that???

If I could bottle endorphins, I’d be a multi billionaire but it’s free- just MOVE!