Getting Started With The Right Attitude
by Karen Millard
Two philosophies get me through my days.
The first is that exercise is a part of my life. It's not the most important
part, by any means. Like brushing my teeth, it's something I do regularly
and frequently but not something I obsess about. I do it for the shape of
my body and I do it for my health. And yes, my reasons come in that order!
If I exercise to stay slim and the side-effect is that my heart, lungs and
muscles stay strong and healthy, why worry if my primary motivation is shameless
vanity? I use what I can.
That's a good principle to keep in mind.
A home-based work-out program requires you to be self-motivated.
If your motivation isn't strong enough,
you won't keep at it. Whatever your own reasons for choosing to work
out at home, try and identify your real motivation for wanting to exercise
in the first place. Do you want to be slim and toned and beautiful?
Do you want to lower your blood pressure
or your weight? Do you want to manage the stress in your life? All of these
are valid reasons. So don't be shy. Don't think you have to be noble. (My
favorite reason for beginning an exercise program came from one of my best
friends, "I want my thighs to stop moving when I do.") Discover your own
driving force, start exercising and I promise you, all the other benefits
will tag right along.
My second philosophy is rather shorter
than my first and goes like this: Wing it! I live by this maxim partly
because of my scatter-brained personality, partly because I'm a mother (hmm,
could there be a connection I've missed?) and partly because I'm not
independently wealthy. Also because it bears considerably on my first philosophy.
Here's how. Your home, to state the obvious, is likely to possess neither
the state-of-the-art equipment, nor the floor space that any reasonably
well-appointed gym can boast. What it can offer is any number of off-the-cuff
possibilities not only for aerobic exercise, but also for those other
cornerstones of the fitness triangle - strength training and stretching.
On the other hand, your home also offers an almost infinite number of
distractions and temptations.
Imagine you've decided to work out in
front of the TV every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. Now imagine that
one Monday morning you need to rush child #1 to the doctor's with a stomach
virus, by Wednesday said virus has migrated to child #2 and by Friday
you've caught it yourself. What happens to your workout? Winging it allows
you to decide that once your sick baby is tucked up in bed under the watchful
eye of your spouse, you can head out for a 45 minute walk, or down to the
basement with a skipping rope. If you've had a horrible day at work and
can't stand the thought of staring at that exercise video with its perfect
bodies in their perfect leotards, winging it allows you to have a warm bath
and follow it up with some easy yoga stretches. If you'd planned to lift
your weights but you sprained your wrist wrestling the stroller into the
trunk, winging it allows you to do some aerobic dancing to your favorite
music. (Babies love to watch mom gyrate this way. Older kids tend to leave
the room with anguished looks on their faces.)
Winging it also applies to equipment
and facilities. In future columns I'll discuss these aspects of a home-based
exercise program in more detail. For now, I'll simply say that just as you
don't need a glamorous leotard to work out at home, nor do you need expensive
equipment. The point is to use what you can. As your fitness level and commitment
grow, you'll want to upgrade your equipment. Fine, do so. But wait until
you know what you like and in the meantime, don't waste time. Wing it!
In the coming months I'll help you design
a home-based workout program you can live with. I'll help you stay motivated.
I'll counter the objections and rationalizations your sub-conscious will
inevitably throw in your way. I'll show you which programs and equipment
work, and which are a waste of time and money. I'll be your virtual, home-based,
workout partner.
About the Author:
Karen Millard is a mother of three and has been working out at home for a frightening number of years. She is a freelance writer based in Saskatoon, Canada and is currently working on a book of oral histories with co-author Maryanne Zuzak. When the stress of transcribing interviews gets too much, she puts on some very loud music and climbs aboard her cross-country ski machine.
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Two philosophies get me through my days.
The first is that exercise is a part of my life. It's not the most important
part, by any means. Like brushing my teeth, it's something I do regularly
and frequently but not something I obsess about. I do it for the shape of
my body and I do it for my health. And yes, my reasons come in that order!
If I exercise to stay slim and the side-effect is that my heart, lungs and
muscles stay strong and healthy, why worry if my primary motivation is shameless
vanity? I use what I can.
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