I’ve never been one to stick to any exercise program.
Are you surprised? Probably not. I’ve admitted this fact on the blog many times.
So you won’t be surprised to learn that since my mid twenties, I joined three different gyms where I immediately cancelled the memberships once the one-year contracts expired.
*Sigh*
When it comes to fitness, I start things with the best of intentions but once the motivation sizzles out, so does my will to workout.
Until I found Yoga.
I get now why gyms don’t work for me.
1. I have no clue how to use gym equipment properly or what exercises I should be doing to get the results I want. Yes, staff will walk me through the use of equipment and give me some pointers but it’s never enough and I’m always at a loss for what I should next.
2. At 44, I’m old. No, really I am. When I start to workout, I need to go slow otherwise I will hurt myself. I know this from experience.
3. I never have time to GO to the gym and when I do, I lack the motivation to get me there.
The thing is …
When I start trying to get in shape, I always feel like I should be following some sort of “diet” while doing so. Honestly, I don’t want to diet. I cannot diet. I know that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise but I think it stinks.
Which brings me to my 2nd realization … it’s not weight I want to loose!
I’m already small. I’m fine with what I weigh. What I want to change is the way my body looks. I want to be stronger and firmer. I want my butt to go back up to where it used to be.I want the muscles on my legs to be visible again. I want my stomach to be flatter.
Back to YOGA …
Although my gut was telling me I would not like Yoga, I decided to try it out and see what it was like. For some reason, I used to think that if I wasn’t sweating like a pig, the exercise wasn’t worth the energy. Well, once again, I am SO wrong!
My first yoga class made me realize just how out of shape I really am and not because I was huffing and puffing or sweating up a storm but because simple positions I used to be able to do without thinking while I was younger, now posed great difficulty for me. Seriously, how hard can it be to sit and spread your legs open? Um, hard!
Yoga has taught me how to be more aware of my body’s strengths and weaknesses. I love how with each new class, I can stretch, reach and squat further and hold a plank position longer. I love how with every additional stomach crunch I do, I can feel my abs taking the pressure off of my back.
But most of all, Yoga makes me want to push myself further like no exercise has ever done. Each time I do my YOGA DVD at home, I push myself a little harder and find the moves I once couldn’t do becoming easier for me to accomplish.
I love it!
And I know it sounds silly but sometimes, doing Yoga makes me cry. It relieves in me the stress that has built up over the week and through movement, I am able to release it all. Sometimes the release is so powerful that I end up shedding a few tears. When this happens, it feels really good to let go of pent up emotion.
I’ve made Yoga my thing now.
I do it every day.
I feel myself getting stronger.
I look forward to seeing the long term effects on my body and reaping the benefits of it.
What type of workout or exercise do you enjoy?
I actually really love doing step classes at the gym but I usually only have time to do three classes a week. For the last couple years, yoga has been on my mind and I really want to make it a part of my life and I haven’t been sure how. I guess I just have to do it! Thanks for the DVD suggestion.
Oh me too! I’ve been doing a 15 minute yoga routine for a year now every morning, followed by a brief meditation. Just yesterday, I upped it to 30 minutes every morning. That will continue whether I add cycling, hiking, Pilates to my routine or not. Those things come and go, but my daily yoga routine keeps me sane!
I need to get back to yoga too — I am waking up with daily back pain and I know it’s because my core is shut. After 3 babies via 3 C sections, there’s just no strength there at all. I tried aerobic and other exercises the last 3 years and like you said; I never stick with it. But mostly it’s because it doesn’t seem to work. And I often end up trying too much too soon too fast = injury. I did yoga through my pregnancies and it always felt great.
I want that feeling back when I am exercising.