Priorities

More often than not, my blogs are starting out with me describing how I had to convince myself to get up and go to the gym. Mind you, it's not that I really have to convince myself to go to the gym.. it's really convincing myself to wake up for the day. I find I have the same problem even when I don't intend to go to the gym.

That being said, I had a hard time getting up today. I've been skipping Wednesdays because I'm up so late watching Lost and the weather sucks and I wanna sleep. Today, I managed to convince myself that I'll probably skip tomorrow because of weather/tired and I should get up and go. So I did. Day 2 of c25k and it was easier than last time.. almost enjoyable!

When I got home, the following exchange took place on twitter:
psykochatter: Work is optional, right? Need.sleep.
iTwon: @psykochatter no, but the gym is
psykochatter: @iTwon no! The gym is NOT optional! Once I make the gym optional, I might as well order a few pizzas with a side of chinese and watch tv!

Admittedly, that sounds wonderful. Mmm, I could go for Chinese right now. *ahem* Not the point, Megan. Focus. This exchange got me thinking about how exercise has to be non negotiable. This is a hard thing to get your head around if you're going from a pretty sedentary lifestyle.. believe me, I know! But look at the things that we make non negotiable in our life: eating, sleeping, brushing our teeth, showering. These are all things we do for our health, to live, and to keep our sanity. Then there are the things we think are non negotiable.. but really aren't: watching Lost, dessert, going online, speeding. Finally, we have those things that should be non negotiable, but all too often they are skipped or forgotten: exercise, vegetables, quiet time, enough sleep.

It's when we start moving things around that our lives and our health really start falling into place. I have goals- weight goals and physical goals. The only way I'm going to reach these is by making sure I give exercise the importance it deserves. Now, I am fortunate enough to really enjoy exercise, so once I'm out of bed and out the door, the rest is easy. But what about people that don't like to exercise?

Well, I didn't get in the predicament I'm in by exercising. I know what it's like to rather sit and watch TV... to want to relax.. to want to hang out with friends. I think it's a matter of finding something that you want to accomplish. Like, I've always wanted to be a runner. I've wanted to be one of those people that can just take off to clear my head. Be able to exercise any time, anywhere. The problem was always that I hated being bad at things.. and I was bad at being in shape. Sure, I could walk the sh*t out of anything, but there's something about people that run that I've always admired. I wanted to go from lazy to marathon with no effort. Let me tell you- that didn't work.

The other thing is to find something you enjoy- be it a DVD, Wii, the gym, walking, skating, etc. SOMETHING! There are ladies I know that love love love the elliptical. I hate it. I can't stand it. I can't control my speed, I get bored, it's just not for me. The treadmill, however, I like. I can adjust the speed if necessary, I can convert walking or running on it to the real world, they're not always full (*bonus!), and I just find I have more options with it.

I don't know. I just think there is *something* for everyone... it's just a matter of finding it. This is just what was on my mind today, and a change in attitude me thinks. I suppose we'll see.

My knees ache. Remind me to take some aleve tonight.

Until next time..
M