Time and Motivation

I don’t have time. it’s one of the primary excuses people have for not exercising regularly. Another is motivation. People start feeling discouraged – because results take time, and the work is hard – and after a while, they loose their motivation to keep going.

These are similar to the issues I’m facing, but in a weird way. I have to motivation (usually), but I have motivation to do more than what I actually have time and energy for. So, consequently, sometimes that means I do nothing. Instead, I remain sedentary and eat out of boredom.

What I mean is, there’s a lot of stuff that I want to do and that I want to try. It’s taken a while, but I’ve figured out that the exercise program that works for me is just that – a program. Don’t tell me to go to the gym and run on the treadmill and lift weights. It’s boring. It’s time consuming. And, more often than not, it’s stuffy.

Plus, my last workout at the gym left a really bad taste in my mouth. Call me strange, but I’m really not a fan of trying to do my workout and responding to people talking to me at the same time. I’m at the gym to sweat, not to talk. So, consequently, I haven’t had any desire to go back.

I like my home workouts, and I like getting the cardio and the strength training at the same time. It keeps me interested, helps make it go by more quickly, and keeps my muscles engaged through new and different exercises. And I like that I don’t have to go anywhere. I work out in my own home, in my sports bra and bare feet, and shower in my own shower, without needing to pack a bag. (Have you ever packed a bag for the gym and realized you forgot your underwear or pants? Or shoes? It sucks!)

But I digress.

Workout programs work best for me. They are a given number of weeks, a set schedule of what to do and when to do it. If the workout is interval based, there’s someone or something else keeping track of time. The intensity varies depending on the program. You know exactly how long it will take. They can be done with some workout equipment, or none. Like anything else, they’re not without their downfalls. I’ve tried programs where the trainer – in spite of the best of intentions – is super annoying, or the workout isn’t challenging, or the workouts so bizarre that the movement made my body hurt in ways that it shouldn’t.

The thing is, a twelve-week program is a long time to hold my attention without wanting to try something else. So I think, why not try something else?

But the programs aren’t the only forms of exercise I seek out. I like to go trail running. I like to go to my kickboxing gym. And making time to do all if it, and do it all consistently, is nearly impossible while living my life, going to work, and socializing with friends and family.

So here I am, in this place between motivation and time, trying to figure out my next move without overdoing it. Well… cheers to the next