Aside from the mental pressures that I have and will face through my “Healthier Me” journey, I have also faced the issue of time and pain. I may step on some toes here, but read me out because I’ve been in some of these situations as well. You are not and will not be the only one, I promise.
I have heard several people complain about time in that they don’t have enough to time to work out. They blame it on their busy schedules even though if they had just reprioritized some things, they would have time. More likely than not, a lot of this so-called time that they don’t have is actually spent in front of the television. (I know because I used to be one of those people that didn’t want to sacrifice my shows to get up and do something that would actually benefit me.) If you are a truly busy person and want to lose some weight, you have to make it priority to find the time.
For me, when it comes down to it, I have to prioritize my workouts around sleep and work. And, hopefully I am not the only person to admit that I like sleep. I feel more refreshed if I have cat naps, I like sleeping in when I can, and I try to go to bed at a decent hour. I’m a big fan of sleep. (Just ask my husband.) For the few weeks before I started P90X, I would wake up at 6:30am, shower and go to my second job, Dairy Queen. When I finished up my work there, I would come home (usually between 8-10 am) and go straight to sleep. I would sleep up until about 2:20pm and then go to my first job from 3-11. I’d be home at about 11:30, eat some leftovers that my mom had made and then go to sleep for the night, only to start the whole thing over the next morning. When I started P90X, I didn’t really want to give up my sleep, but decided that I had to in order to see this thing through. I reprioritized my time and decided that my workout time would take the place of the nap after my second job. It worked well too AND I didn’t feel as tired either!
Since I currently do not have a second job, I do my workouts in the morning as soon as I get up (whenever that happens to be, usually between 9-10am). It’s a wonderful start to the day and I feel much more energized to do the rest of the things I have to do. Not to mention, I feel a lot better after a workout because I know that I did something to improve myself. On Saturdays and whenever I work the Audit Shift, it’s a little bit of a different story. We have church on Saturday mornings at 10:30am and in order to squeeze my workout in, I wake up at around 8am. On the mornings that I come home from my Audit Shifts at 7:15am, I do my workout then. This usually keeps me energized for a few hours more and I don’t go to sleep for quite some time later. Time may be your biggest hurdle, but it is something that you will have to get over in order to succeed. I didn’t like giving up the time that I spent sleeping at first, but once I started, it became easier to continue.
When it comes to the body, one the most common excuse for not wanting to workout, or even failing to do so, is because of pain. When you first start working out after a long time of being sedentary, it HURTS! Muscles that you didn’t even think you had suddenly “appear” and it becomes painful to do even the simplest of tasks. (When I started P90X, it hurt to walk for the first week. When starting Insanity, it hurt less and I could walk a lot easier, but my shoulders hurt more than they ever had.) This is something that you just have to push yourself through. Believe me, the pain does go away and from the pain you become stronger! (If you experience pain that you don’t think is associated with muscle soreness, either lay low for a day or two, do a modified exercise OR something similar, or contact a doctor. There is a difference and if you strike a nerve or stretch too far, you will feel that difference. So, be careful!)
I have to tell on myself now. This morning, I did not want to get up and exercise. I wanted to lay in bed all day until I had to go to work. This laziness was due to the fact that my body hurt all over. (Last night at work, I had to stock the maid’s cart with towels and heavy bundles of bedding that they would need for today. The cart that I had to push in order to fill the maid’s carts was HUGE and HEAVY. It was so heavy that pushing it to and fro made practically all the muscles in my legs very SORE! I had to use the entire weight of my body to push or pull this thing! I’m guessing it was a few hundred pounds. The bundles themselves are about 10 pounds in and of themselves and I had to haul several of those as well. It was a workout that I enjoyed but I do not relish the soreness that came from it.) Despite the fact that I wanted to be a Bed Potato, I made myself get up and do the workout (Plyometric Cardio Circuit). Once I started the workout, I could no longer feel the pain that was surging through my legs and back just minutes prior. It all went away (and then hit me again as soon as the workout was over.) Choosing to work out when you are sore is also a mental thing, but when you do decide to work out versus lying in bed, you feel a lot better about yourself. Don’t let the soreness that comes from working out steal you of your right to be healthier.
In this little portion, I would like to acknowledge someone who I think is a wonderful example of time well spent. She is a stay at home mommy to a precious little boy, a dedicated wife to a soldier, an online student who makes good grades, an avid scrapbooker, AND amongst all of that, she still finds time to exercise. She definitely deserves some applause because while her schedule seems to be crazy busy with raising a God-fearing little man, spending time with her husband, doing homework, and trying to find sleep among other things, she knows the importance of exercise and does her best to stick to it. She’s an inspiration and someone I can definitely learn from now and when I become a mother as well. Tiffany Comer, you are doing a GREAT job!!
Signing Out,
It’s Possible!!
Thank you Sherri, you just made my day!
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