What Are Your Physical Hurdles? What things challenge you the most in maintaining the type of physical health you long for?
Okay, so my hurdles would span the entire 400 meter track: kids, hubby, addiction to sugar, addiction to tv and other media, chronic nibbler, night owl, hard on myself, love to cook--but sometimes its too last minute, and a slew of others.
But the thing I realize as I do this challenge is that I have more control over them than I think I do.
When I think of hurdles, my first thought is actually a memory: 6th grade field day. Our teachers got permission to bus all the kids from the upper grades to the local high school, where we actually got to participate in olympic-style events like the long jump, javelin throw, high jump, and hurdles, in addition to the standard sprints we usually did at the elementary school. I remember being terrified when I stood in lane 4 and looked down the row of hurdles ahead of me. So scary! Not only had I never jumped them before, but I was well aware that all of my fellow classmates were a head or more taller than I was. My feet seemed directly connected to my hips all of a sudden. The shot fired, and I ran with all my might. I pushed off and stretched my little hobbit leg as high as I could. I cleared it. It took a lot of concentration, and I had to plan ahead to know exactly where I was going to place my feet, but I continued forward and did the next one, and the next, until I finished in 2nd place.
Just like literal hurdles, all of my hurdles can either be avoided, or lessened by foresight and preparation. If I plan ahead, concentrate, and keep placing my feet, I can take control of them. For me this means meal planning, limiting tv time, getting my kids involved in helping with meals and clean up, and logging my food. It also means finding a buddy to exercise with.
So, what about you? (We really want to hear your stories!)
Well, one of my main hurdles, as most of you know, is that I hate food. Not that I hate eating, it's just difficult for me to find foods that taste good to me so it puts a huge kink in eating healthy. So, what I end up having to do is working on portion control and not snacking. My other hurdle is the fine balance between getting enough sleep and getting it all done. The best times for me to exercise always end up being early in the morning or late at night. If I didn't get enough sleep one night that encourages me to put off my exercise until the evening and then it ends up being so late that I want to put it off until the morning so I can get the rest I need. I'm currently working on the balance and my schedule is getting better but I'm not there yet...
ReplyDeleteI like to exercise...but not as a solitary activity. Time during my turn on earth is so precious that I have an aversion to exercising for the sake of exercising. Make it a walk with a family member or friend, do service for someone that involves physical labor, ride a stationary bike while watching something of value...that works for me. It just seems my lifestyle should have enough opportunity to get physical exercise without going to the gym or walking on a belt that takes me no where. BUT the reality is that I have a somewhat sedentary job that starts and ends in the dark during the winter and weekend choices that have provided good excuses for not getting the level of exercise necessary for good health. So...here I am in this challenge giving it my best and, so far anyway, getting in a good walk every day. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have learned that if I don't get my exercise in first thing in the morning that the chances of it happening at all are very slim. It's interesting to me that this topic is being discussed in our blog this week. My energy level has been really low most of this week and my hurdle has been just getting to the gym. If it weren't for the challenge and my love of putting "1's" in my boxes, I don't think I would've pushed myself to exercise at all this week. I've also loved how the weekly challenge of not eating after 9pm has made me aware of how often I do snack after 9pm. That's usually when my kiddos are in bed and Scott and I get to watch a show together - usually accompanied by some sort of munchie. It's a good "eye-opener" for me! Keep up the great work, everyone!!
ReplyDeleteBring back the hanging-with-Erin munchies!!! (yeah, I said it!)
DeleteHeather's story about track reminds me of something similar. In my 3rd year of college, finals were over and one of my roommates (Dave)said there was something going on at the high school stadium, which was about a block away, at the bottom of a hill so the bleachers were on the side of the hill. We watched the girls flag football game for a while, as well as imbibing 3.2% beer a bit (I was not a member of the Church then). For some strange (and dumb) reason, after that game was over, I decided to run the track, the 440. I had never in my life done so. In my mind's eye, I can still see Dave at the side of the track signaling for me to start, while he timed me. I took off like bullet. Around the first three turns, I think I probably broke some speed record. As I rounded the 4th, heading for the finish line, the imbibing took its toll and everything came up as I was running. That was probably the most strenuous exercise I have ever done, and have not repeated. While serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, we exercised every day. I wish I had the willpower to do so now. My exercise seems to be watching other do so. This challenge has at least made me think about getting off my rear and at least walking, intentionally, every day as a way to exercise. I walk a lot, but this would be in addition to that. Thanks for the challenge. Ed.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I have tried to sign in officially but it will not let me so you just have to trust that it is I who wrote this. Ed.
Poem Gnome took the words right out of my mouth. My biggest challenge ever since graduating from high school is that I don't enjoy exercising just for the sake of exercising. If I could take 4 dance classes in a row, I wouldn't care that I was beat because I felt like my exercise was accomplishing a goal and developing a useful skill. And since not being able to participate in activities like that, I have little desire to do random cardio or strength exercise and lose interest very quickly.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, there are additional obstacles including a winter that won't go away (we had a whole 2 days of spring and now are right back to 30 degree weather), a cling-on who doesn't want my attention diverted from her for 3 seconds, living too far from ward members to be able to have an exercise buddy, and of course the bun in the oven stealing half of my energy to begin with.
Most of my motivation to find a way to get what exercise I can anyway comes from the fact that I have worked in healthcare and seen the loss of quality of life for patients as well as family members that comes with severe medical conditions that could have been avoided by healthy habits. I think the most valuable lesson my profession has taught me is that unhealthy habits don't just affect ourselves but can have significant impact on those close to us. So I'm grateful that the challenge has reminded me of that lesson. And Sophie may not want to walk but she is at least learning to do squats along side of me!
Aliens...It's always the aliens, or the government. Needless to say, it's always something that distracts me. It's either meetings, or deadlines or helping someone else,etc. I get distracted and before I know it I'm eating lunch late and have no time to run to the gym. And since I'm working super late most days, I don't have time to do it before or after either. Also, I blame chocolate because it's so yummy. (although I still contest that it should be it's own food group.)
ReplyDeleteI don't mind exercising alone- in fact I prefer it. I just wish I could exercise without feeling guilty that I should be doing something else instead- namely spending more time with my kids or cleaning or a number of other things. And, I wish I coud think outside of the box a bit and do different things- maybe that included my kids.
ReplyDeleteI lack motivation to start exercising, especially in the winter. If I am cold all I want to do is sit on the couch with a blanket. I love to exercise and once I start it's easy for me to keep going but getting off the couch and starting is my obstacle. I can remember how amazing I felt the day before when I exercised and how much fun I had doing it (especially STEP) but struggle the next day to start again. I am like Erin and want to put a 1 on my chart so that is my motivation for now ;)
ReplyDeleteIn high school, my Senior year I took Physics -- 1st Period. I am so not a morning person, and all me and my friend wanted to do was sleep (we'd already been to seminary at least some of the time). In the first quarter I got pretty good grades and did a lot of the homework studiously, but into the second quarter it became pretty evident that I wasn't struggling in the class and could do pretty well without a lot of effort. One day I was particularly tired and I put my head down during class. I must have fallen asleep, because I remember someone calling my name...
ReplyDelete"Mr. Schnegelberger."
[I'm mostly dreaming this part]
(Louder this time)
"Mr. Schnegelberger!"
[ok, now I'm mostly awake]
I lifted my head and wiped away the drool as my Physics teacher, Mr. Primm, repeated the question he'd already tossed my way twice (I learned that part later) while I was apparently sleeping: "What is Avogadro's number?"
Without even thinking, I blurted out the answer: "6.02 x 10^23."
From across the room, a preppie-kinda-guy classmate hooted, "Dang, Mr. Primm, he busted all over you!" Uggh. NOT what I needed to happen right at that moment.
"Mr. Schnegelberger, I'll see you after class." Great, wonderful, now I'm in trouble.
After class, a discussion ensued, most of which I remember verbatim, but the relevant part was this:
"Mr. Schnegelberger, you have lots of inertia." To which I responded, "Yeah, the ability to resist change in motion.
He smiled, realized the reality of the situation and made peace with most of it, for better or worse -- he knew I'd pass the class well enough, knew I was learning, and as long as I wasn't causing trouble, I guess he thought it was ok.
I haven't jumped any hurdles yet, figuratively speaking, but at least I'm moving. The truly beautiful thing about inertia is that it goes hand-in-hand with mass and momentum: once you build up some... it's hard to stop you, especially if you have as much mass as me. Boo-yah!
Scott-- Great Story! Maybe Seminary was the reason you remembered things you heard in your sleep?... :)
ReplyDeleteRegardless of the reason for your osmosis-type learning, I felt myself cheering you on against the man!
I haven't made if over any hurdles yet. But, having been reminded that the object is to get better not to be perfect, maybe I can get a little closer to the hurdle this week. Thanks for the encouragement Erin!
DeleteJoan - I am SO proud of you!!!
DeleteI am currently trying to develop a relapse in my physical activity addiction. My biggest hurdle used to be the fact that I was always dealing with some sort of injury due to the inherent risks in the physical activities that I loved to do the most. That still plays into the equation now, with bruises from biking and sore muscles from being just a little too enthusiastic/competitive at ultimate frisbee, but the bigger hurdle remains motivation. When I can't get out on the bike, or there's no group for a game, or my work schedule is such that I can't work in one of those really fun, challenging exercises some days, I just don't have that addiction to the gym that I used to. The big, fun exercises are the ones that I will usually find a way to make the time, or find the motivation, to go out and do; it's the daily training that I used to be so accustomed to doing that has been missing for me over the last several . I know that the training will help. I just need to get back my addiction to sweat and tired, worn-out muscles.
ReplyDeleteHowever battered you may be, I am still proud of you.
DeleteI've been pondering my response all week and haven't come up with much that hasn't already been said so well by everyone else. The biggest hurdle I've had to overcome the last (if I'm being honest) well...my whole life...is laziness. The lack of movement. It's so easy to get comfortable and just not move. I have the desire to accomplish, but some days it's too easy to over think what I want to do, so I just don't do anything. I've learned recently that taking things one at a time, keeping it so simple that I can't screw it up, and doing better each day...as long as I'm proud that I got off my lazy butt and did something, I'm still doing something I didn't do last year or last week. I'll take progress however small. I have noticed a difference already and that is great motivation to keep going.
ReplyDeleteI don't like to exercise! I know I could potentially enjoy it, because I have in the past, but it is just not fun for me, and I always dread it. I feel like in general, I do well with eating healthy, and portion control, but exercise has so many health benefits that I want to find something I can do that I actually enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThat last post was Emily.
DeleteMy biggest hurdle is keeping a balanced diet. I love sugar and sweets and I have a bad habit of craving sugar immediately after every meal. By the end of the day I have usually had one to many servings of fats/oils/sweets.
ReplyDeleteI also tend to be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to exercise and sometimes I would let it affect my self-confidence too much if I missed a workout. I am trying to develop a healthier, more realistic, view of exercise.
This is Jan's blog post. (We are working to get the blog to accept his and Christene's email addresses.)
ReplyDelete"I work a later shift, so good sleep habits dictate if I get up early enough to do a really good workout the next day. I have seen weight loss and better physical well being by not drinking soda or eating ice cream, however it has been hard not to eat late due to my work schedule. I also love sweets and have been trying to taper back on those as well."