Now I'm not going to say do THAT!, but you have to move.
In my case I would rather do anything other than get on a treadmill or other type of exercise equipment. Well I take that back. There is one thing that comes after getting on a treadmill. Cutting the grass with a push mower. I've done this all season as part of my "workouts". After a complete spring and summer of constantly getting bitten by ants EVERY. TIME. I CUT THE GRASS!. I've determined a riding lawnmower would be nice and I'll just do a workout routine instead. But if you don't have ants in your yard, have at it! Here's some other examples of movement (exercise) that burns calories! Digging a raised bed with a shovel (or just digging), Heavy duty house cleaning, Hiking, joining your kids on a bike ride. Anything that causes you to move and use energy. Uh making the bed doesn't count. FYI.
That's me and my grandson in the pic above. My workout that day was a trip to Tallulah Gorge in North Georgia. DH is taking the picture. It is 1062 steps down to the bottom of the gorge. That means it's 1062 back up to the top. Needless to say both my workout and my prayer life increased that day. My rambunctious grandson RAN up the steps and at each landing would...ahem, encourage his grandma with wonderful phrases like "NO MERCY GRANDMA!". This was about 20 lbs ago.
My main problem with having to do a structured workout is the fact that I'm accomplishing nothing for 45 minutes. I know "but your accomplishing health!". That doesn't work for me as a motivator. For you guys who work a 40+ hour week and your trying to decide between being healthy and having well adjusted kids or a clean house; it's even less of a motivator. Let me say it doesn't have to be a choice. You have housework that needs doing? Set a timer and move around the house for 45 minutes; sweeping, mopping, cleaning the bathroom, whatever as long as you are moving at a good pace. Want to spend time with the kids? Do something physical either outside or inside depending on weather. Play tag with your kids, hide and seek, etc. You are substituting these tasks for a workout. Look for ways to move. You don't have to have a gym membership to be successful. I stopped trying to make myself an athlete a long time ago.
If you're at a desk job, it's good to get up and walk around every 15-30 minutes. Not necessarily for weight loss as much as aiding in circulation. And not for a long time, just enough to aid blood flow. They say sitting is the new smoking.
If you're already in an active job with a lot of walking, lifting etc, then you're ahead of the game, just watch your calorie intake.
There are days where I'm not cleaning house or working in the yard. In those times I know I need to add something to continue moving. By the way, days off from work are a great time to do a structured workout, just to hush up all the nay Sayers. Lol. I do get on the treadmill some, but my favorite thing to do is step aerobics. I've learned enough moves over the years of dieting that I just downloaded very upbeat music to my MP3 player and worked out a routine. Even if all you can do is step up and down on a step to your music, it counts. My point is to choose what YOU like best. What you can look forward to. I have discovered this as well; walking beats nothing, but walking in and of itself doesn't burn many calories. The only way I'm burning a significant amount of calories on a treadmill is if I'm on at least a 5% incline. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you get the most calorie burn for your time.
Remember for this to work for the long haul, your life needs to be minimally disrupted. Additional costs for a gym membership or special foods, can derail a healthy eating plan. Having to find time in an already busy day to add a workout, can derail a diet plan. You need to be able to easily adapt to the fun changes (ahem sarcasm here) life throws at you.
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