Making Exercise FUN!

When I am making good food choices (meaning a diet based mostly on fresh fruits and vegetables with some lean protein and some oily fish thrown in) and I am getting regular exercise (meaning getting activity daily or at least getting a good workout 4-5 days per week), I feel awesome.

But that can sure be a challenge.

I'm a stress eater.  An emotional eater.  I confess that it is not abnormal for me to decide that the best way to rid my house of junk is to toss some of it and then "sacrifice" by eating 2 entire boxes of Girl Scout cookies (curse you Thin Mints and Tagalongs!!).  I love my fresh fruits and veggies but there are times that I just want a cheeseburger, I want a shake, I want french fries.  But I'm working on it.  And fighting my food is proving to be easier than getting back into a solid workout routine.

Exercise.  It's important.  You have to burn calories, you have to build muscle, you have to get a good sweat going.  You are not only helping your physical body, but exercise is the best possible mood enhancer.  Exercise ups your endorphins and gets your blood flowing and does all this awesome stuff for your brain, your heart, your body.

So it seems that it should be easy to pick exercise over snoozing on the couch... it should be, right?

My exercise struggles tend to be about two things.

The first is time management.  My days and evenings are often packed with work, personal commitments, church commitments, kid commitments, and so on.  Finding 30 minutes to exercise isn't terribly difficult - but adding another 20 minutes to get cleaned up and presentable again does make that more difficult.  Giving 30 minutes to my health is easy but when you start to approach that 1 hour mark, it is taking up more time than I can sometimes give.

The second is boredom.  I get bored with exercise easily.  I went through a running stage but got burnt out after I hit my major milestone (completing a half marathon).  I do love to ride my bike but it's been too cold lately and riding a stationary bike doesn't cut it.  I love to dance but don't enjoy dancing by myself so DVD's at home aren't as fulfilling as being in a group exercise class.  I'll do an at home workout a few times, maybe even for a few weeks and then... I get bored.

I'm working on the time management.  And I'm working on the boredom.

Time management.  It simply has to be a priority.  I have to plan for it.  There is a dance class at my local Y on Wednesdays and if I plan ahead, I can be flexible with my work hours and get to that class.  I've also found that exercising in the evening after putting the kids to bed is a great time for a workout - and it helps that my husband has started working out at this time, too.

Boredom.  I have to find new and fun things to do to keep it fresh.  It also helps to have friends to experience things with!  That Wednesday evening class at the local Y is a Dance Fusion class - it's like being a member of a dance team for 45 minutes as you learn a dance routine (pop, hip hop, and other styles all incorporated together).  On Saturdays, some friends at my church gather together and we do Body Gospel.  This coming weekend, I'm doing something I haven't done in years and am destined to end up sore, tired, and possibly injured.  I'm going roller skating!

My goal in the month ahead is to keep trying new things.  I want to keep physical activity fun and interesting and important.

What is your most fun workout?

Defining "Healthy"

Healthy is a big word because it can mean such different things to different people.

Some take an exercise approach to healthy - "I'm healthy because I run 6 miles everyday and I strength train every other day and I do yoga for relaxation and flexibility and sometimes I throw in a group exercise class for fun.  I can eat almost anything I want because I burn everything off immediately.  I spend about 4 hours per day at the gym!"

But that can get messy because the exercise plan for one person isn't what's best for another.  Not everyone can run, not every can swim, not everyone is ready for group exercise.  Some people need to run and some people need to walk.  Some people need a pleasant bike ride on a trail somewhere and others need a loud, sweaty, intense spin class at the gym.  And most people don't have the time to spend hours each day on physical fitness.

Some take a food approach to healthy - "I'm healthy because I eat clean.  I only eat organic fruits and veggies, generally from my personal greenhouse.  I supplement with herbs and spices- that I also grow and grind on my own.  I avoid all processed foods and limit dairy.  I eat oily fish on a regular basis and stick to lean cuts of meat for protein- if I even bother with meat.  I eat for fuel, never for fun."

But that can get complicated by budget, emotional eating issues, and the myriad options for weight loss support on the market (from Weight Watchers to NutriSystem to Jenny Craig).  For some people, Lean Cuisine is a good option because that's what they can afford and it keeps them away from the drive-thru.  For some, keeping track of points or eating the foods shipped to you are where you have to start and stay on track.  And what about all the confusion on food labels?  Low fat, nonfat, all natural, unsweetened, low sugar, high fiber, organic, 2%, 4%, 1%, diet whatever - how can you know what's good for you?

Some take a supplement approach to healthy - "I take 57 vitamins throughout the day.  I make sure I am covered for Vitamin a, b, d3, omega 3, probiotics, iron, chia seeds, guarana, vitamin c, immunity boosters, colon cleansers, pH balancers, energy givers, mood stabilizers, sleep enhancers and more!"

It can be very confusing to figure out which vitamins are best, what supplements are needed, what pill has which impact on your health and body function.  One source will point you towards all natural vitamins made from ground up fruits and veggies, another will point you toward synthetic pills, and another will point you toward shakes and powders.  And some have the opinion that supplementing at all isn't necessary if you're eating a complete and balanced, nutrient dense diet.

Others take meal replacements, appetite suppressants, have surgery, get body wraps, and many other things in order to be healthy, be skinny, lose weight, be strong.

So what do you do and where do you start?

Personally, I think you have to decide what your goal is and how you can achieve it.

For me, I see weight loss as a side benefit of being healthy.

For me, healthy living is eating real food and getting daily activity.

I started with a visit to my doctor.  Together, we determined a plan that works best for me and my needs.  Fruits and vegetables need to be the main focus of what I eat.  Limiting boxed, bagged, packaged food works best for me.  Keeping track of points and calories and carbs and such usually ends up failing me.  Having to buy specific products or brands usually ends up failing, too.

Currently, I'm doing well on my healthy food choices.  I'm enjoying raw fruits and vegetables each day- getting well more than my "Daily 5" servings.  I am taking a multivitamin, Fish Oil, Vitamin D3, and a calcium supplement each day.

I'm working on getting regular exercise.  For me, I felt best when I was running so I plan to start back on the Couch to 5K program next week (which gives me 2 months to get ready for the Kahuna Virtual 5K!).

For me, healthy isn't a weight or a size, it isn't the number on the scale, it isn't checking off a list of workouts or being able to lift a certain weight or run a certain distance.  For me, healthy is a diet focused on unprocessed fruits and vegetables and getting exercise 5-7 days each week.

But I think the best gauge of knowing that the choices I'm making work best for me is that everything I'm doing is what I want my kids to do.  I don't want my kids on meal replacement shakes, I don't want my kids living on fast food, I don't want my kids sitting around in front of the TV or computer all day, I don't want my kids to get their vitamins and minerals only from a pill.

I want my kids to love eating fruits and veggies.  I want my kids to be active and to enjoy running, swimming, hiking, biking, dancing, walking, and more.  I want my kids to see health as being about what you eat and what you do, not about what you weigh or how you look.

How do you define "healthy?"