Erica Smith, M.S., B.S., B.S.N., RN, HFS
Time to get moving… oh but just a few more minutes… time to get moving… but I’m so comfortable here…. time to get to the gym… but it’s SO cold outside! Does this sound like a conversation you have had with yourself?
New Years resolutions. What is yours? Is it to join the gym? To use the gym membership more? To work out more? To lose weight? To become healthier?
Let me ask you a question. When you think of working out, do you automatically think you have to go to the gym? If so, I plan to change your thinking on that in the next few paragraphs. In my personal opinion, the gym is the greatest excuse for the U.S. to not work out. Do I think the gym is bad? Absolutely not. Do I think it is the only answer for working out? Absolutely not. The gym is a tool, but it is NOT the only way to get your blood pumping.
I remember sitting in my undergrad sports psychology class listening to endless accounts of research on people trying to figure out how to predict whether or not someone would stick with an exercise plan. There were two things they found to be helpful in the predictions:
- If you had a good credit score, because this showed you had discipline and could stick with a plan most likely already.
- If you had a dog or some other form of accountability. Don’t we all generally do better with some form of accountability in our life?
We’re all human. Which means, when we don’t want to do something, we’re going to find a reason not to do it. We aren’t robots; we can’t be programmed to just do something. In order to achieve our goals it takes effort on our parts. The key is taking out the excuses and putting in the accountability.
Find ways to exercise outside of the gym. Take a walk, do a video on Netflix, play Wii with your kids, powerwalk through the mall, power clean the house, build a snowman with the kids, set up a workout routine in your living room, and so many more options. Do not limit yourself to one way of working out, and don’t try and force yourself to work out in a place you do not feel comfortable. The internet provides a lot of great resources for you to work out in your home or while shopping at your favorite store. When you’re ready and when you feel confident, go to the gym. It is a great resource and a great place to challenge yourself, but remember it is not the only way to work out. Keep posted to the blog for further tidbits on how to work out outside of the gym. Have great suggestions? Feel free to e-mail us and share so your suggestions can help others. What excuse is keeping you from making those healthy lifestyle changes?
To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping. – Chinese Proverb
I challenge you to take that first step and take away that first excuse that is keeping you from your goals!
