Different Strokes

After years of disappointing myself with my ongoing inconsistency at the gym, I finally decided to stop talking sh-t and get it together.

So, I called up my gym and cancelled my membership...

Whatchu talkin bout Willis???

I have nothing in particular against gyms. I just couldn't get myself to go on a regular basis and finally owned up to the fact that it simply wasn’t working for me.

If you actually go, it’s clearly worth every penny. For me, even with my special "longtime member discount", I was literally throwing my money away each month.

So, I started working out at home using my DVR, a few sets of weights and a yoga mat. And it’s working! The last time I was in shape like this was college. At 32, this is very exciting...yeah baby!

The problem for me was the time involved. Felt like it took forever to get dressed, get out, get to the gym and back again.

Now I must confess, those who know me know that what takes a normal person a normal amount of time takes me twice as long…on a good day (I’m working on this.). Even for the average person, the time commitment can be an issue. 

But now I just roll out of bed, put on a sports bra, grab the remote and workout. There’s so much on TV these days to choose from, so I can have a range of workouts throughout the week without leaving my house.

And because it doesn’t take a ton of time, I’m less inclined to cut it out of my day. No excuses...it's impossible for me to BS myself now.

Sometimes I’ll do a half-hour program that, with commercials, only amounts to about 20 min of exercise. Never thought that would be enough but it seems to be working better than doing nothing at all.

At 4-5 times a week, even a little bit makes me feel energized and keeps my metabolism in check for the rest of the day. Time-wise my routine now is half of what it was at the gym, yet the results are two fold. I used to think I need 2 hours at the gym to see results...probably why I never went.

Like most people, I tend to get bored easily, so I like being able to change it up. And your body gets used to routine, so you have to continually challenge it in order to see results.

I do yoga, pilates, aerobics, dance, strength training, etc., etc. Also just started playing softball on the weekends and I'll be taking out my bike once the weather warms up. 

The moral of the story is there's more than one way to get your goal accomplished. Anytime I hold myself to an all-or-nothing standard, I wind up resisting altogether. Sound familiar? This is probably why New Year's resolutions often fail.

Different strokes for different folks...whatever works!

If you have that kind of discipline I applaud you. For me, working in steps has proven more effective in the long run. I can gradually increase my progression as I go and because it’s so do-able, I’m actually enjoying it rather than viewing it as this huge, dreaded process. 

FYI, this lesson is applicable in just about any area of life. So take it on and see what happens.

Never too late to get your ass in gear people! Summer's coming!!!

Ok, that's my speech for the day.