A Day In The Life
Thinking back to the post I made on Monday, I think too many people see health and fitness as something to endured rather than enjoyed. They go running in the rain or biking in the snow because they feel guilty if they don’t. They MUST exercise, they MUST eat well, they MUST workout. Well, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that way. A healthy life is something to be enjoyed, not tolerated.
Do you know what my day looks like today? I woke up early, walked and played with Daisy, my puppy. I then ran errands. I missed breakfast because I was hurrying to a vet appointment. I then ran some errands, made a few calls and worked. For lunch, I had a can of vegetarian chili and a fresh orange I picked in the backyard. After lunch I’m going to a doctor’s appointment, do more work, rearrange a lot of furniture, do some schoolwork and finally go out to dinner with a friend.
That’s a full day, with a lot of very fun things. It’s also a day where I missed breakfast and my workout. Oh no, that sounds awful! No wait, no it doesn’t. I’m still eating healthy and not binging out on candy and cake. I’m still being physically active through walking the dog, walking to the store and moving furniture. My lunch was not in fact a fresh green salad, but so what? It was tasty and, other than slightly high sodium, it was very healthy.
I used to motivate myself through guilt. I would tell myself, “oh no Gal, what have you done? You can’t miss that workout! You MUST have fresh vegetables with every meal! What kind of a person are you? You’re a disappointment!” Sound familiar? Lots of people make this mistake. Instead of rewarding ourselves and enjoying our lives, we tell ourselves to do this or else. Well, I refuse to live that way.
Was my day today perfect? I suppose not, I could have eaten three green salads, ran 6 miles and worked out for an hour. However, I simply did not have the time. Was my day today unhealthy? Not at all. I ate within reason and I moved around a lot. Am I going to do this again tomorrow? Nope, tomorrow I have less to do so I’m going back to the gym. Therefore, I don’t feel guilty at all. I feel great. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot today and that matters.
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Stop motivating yourself with guilt and negativity. Start having fun, even if you’re not 100% perfect. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured.
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This one rings true to me, and I appreciate very much what you are saying Gal, but it also harkens other feelings that are harder to discuss than guilt — those of addiction to exercise. I wonder how many people who are reading this have dealt with those feelings too. Also makes me realize that there is a blurry gray line between addiction and guilt. It is very hard to get free from those chains, whether they come from guilt, or from addiction. This is something I have struggled with a great deal in my life of exercise.
This is another good, thought provoking post. With so many people writing about sets, reps, exercise schemes, and the like, it’s nice that you are writing about ideals in exercise — the public needs to ponder these ideals much more than “what movement will shape my glutes?” Thank you.
I have days like this, and I think they’re fine. Most days I do get to the gym if I don’t go on a hike, but occasionally, maybe I’m busy, or just don’t feel like it. I also walk a dog, and walk a mile or two doing errands, and ride my bike if I have to go further. It’s all good. It didn’t use to be, so I guess I’m evolving.