This is the weekly update post for the “12 Months to a Healthier You” Challenge. To find out more about this challenge and to see all of the posts on this topic, click here.
When to exercise… this is the question.
Well, it was my goal to decide by the end of this week what time of day is best for me to exercise. Seems like a reasonable goal, not something to lose sleep over. I know what the logical answer is, but I think logic isn’t going to win this time.
If I were going to go the “logical route” I’d exercise in the morning. It just makes sense. I don’t have to worry about getting sweaty because I’d be taking my shower next. I’d be starting my day with a burst of energy. I don’t have to change out of my real clothes. It won’t get crowded out by the demands of the day. No one is up and expecting anything from me. (Okay, that one was just a little bit of wishful thinking. I think Josiah has a mom-alarm implanted in his ears. I can’t be up for long without hearing those sweet feet making their way down the stairs. We usually have a morning cuddle and read a few books. It would just be wrong if he got up and I was busy exercising!)
So all the logic in the world has not helped me to establish a morning exercise routine. It all comes down to my racing mind. When I wake up in the morning I have thoughts of the day swirling around in my head. I take a while to process those thoughts and to pray before I get up. I’ve found that this helps me to feel a little more grounded throughout the day. When I first get up, my mind is not ready to be calm; it wants to get writing, reading, and what I call “checking in” with work, which is pretty much checking email, a quick social media check, and looking at my planner. When I try to exercise at that time I feel like the exercise is taking me away from something I need to be doing so I rush it and don’t enjoy it at all.
I’ve learned a few things about exercise and one is that if you don’t enjoy it, you won’t do it. I think that also means if you do it at a time when your mind is elsewhere, you won’t do it well and you’ll always look at it as a burden.
I’ve decided that exercising in the evening is better for me because my frame of mind is more conducive to it at that time. The work of the day is done (theoretically) and I don’t worry so much about getting on to what’s next.
We’ve also implemented a new routine in our house that took root surprisingly quickly, and works well with an evening exercise routine. Josiah loves to play board games and asks several times in a day if I will play with him. I try, but I do have a lot of work to do. Also true, is that Josiah hates bedtime. So I decided to give bedtime games a try. It’s easier for me to settle in and focus on playing a game shortly after dinner than right in the middle of the day. Knowing that we get to play a game after he’s “ready for bed” has been a great motivator for him. So far it’s been a great new routine for us.
It actually works out perfectly for me to exercise right before bedtime games. The work of the day is done, dishes are washed, and in a little while I’ll be overseeing bedtime. That gives me a nice little window of time to let Daddy be in charge while I get my exercise. I can go into my room, turn on a podcast and really focus on doing a good job and feeling the benefits of the workout (and soaking up some alone time!). Then a quick shower and then game time.
A new routine always takes time to become habit, so I’m sure there will be ups and downs. The key to anything you’re trying to accomplish is to not see every set back as a failure. Just move on and try again. That’s what I’ll do this coming week as I try to get this routine set in stone!
Now that I have that question answered, this week I’m going to focus on deciding what type of exercise I’ll do. It will be limited to things I can do in my house, but there are still lots of options. So I’ll be looking into those this week. In the meantime I’ll be doing Pilates and T-Tapping.
Have you decided when you’ll exercise? Let us know in the comments.
*This is the weekly update post for the “12 Months to a Healthier You” Challenge. To find out more about this challenge and to see all of the posts on this topic, click here.
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