Lifestyle Changes Part 1: Exercise

December and January have come and gone. I had planned to take a homeschool break during all of December to help keep the busyness and stress levels down for myself and my family. What I did not plan on was taking January off too. Part of the reason for the break was illness during the first 10 days (kids with colds, crabbiness  worn out momma, etc.) But I could have picked back up with lessons* when we were well, were it not for two new personal lifestyle changes I have been trying to turn into habits (that was a bit of a mouthful). Today I will describe the first:

1. Exercise
This has always been a detestable subject for me; I hate movement of any kind. My idea of a good day involves the same spot on the couch (I am sitting in it now) and not moving from that spot unless I absolutely have to. But I know (we all know) the benefits of regular exercise and I was convicted to add this to my life. I am not aiming for a goal weight, looking for six-pack abs, or trying to fit into a specific pants size (although these secondary benefits are appealing!), my reasons are: health and longevity. I want more energy to play with my kids, more muscle strength for daily life, to make healthy food and portion size choices, to stabilize hormones, and to improve overall health.

So how did a former lazy-bones change her lifestyle? I just did it. I know it sounds like a non-answer, but this is the truth. I realized that I could make excuses, or I could see "excuses" as challenges to overcome. Instead of saying "I'm too busy" I said, "Where can I fit exercise into my busy schedule?" Rather than seeing my children as a reason I could not exercise, I asked myself "How can I entertain/distract my kids while I work out?" I did this little activity with every excuse I could come up with, including "I hate exercising" which became "I may hate it for 20 minutes, but I will love it the other 23 hours and 40 minutes of my day". Seeing each excuse as a challenge has been key to adding daily exercise to my life!

Another key element to making sure I exercised was finding something I "liked" (I know, I use the word loosely when talking about exercise). I began with my Zumba game, only doing the 20 minute class. I was aiming for consistency, not quality. Another tool I took advantage of was YouTube. They have some amazing videos which you can play even from your smart phone (meaning: I have no more excuses for vacations/traveling/etc). I'd be happy to direct you to some of my favorite videos is you are interested, just drop me a line. My current exercise is 30 Day Shred. This has been a favorite so far because I feel like I am really working hard in only 20 minutes. As a popular phrase goes "Ain't nobody got time for..." a 45 minute workout.

One last key element that I am striving for is consistency! This is why I continue to set aside homeschooling for now. When applying a new habit, sometimes focusing on that habit is crucial to cementing it into your lifestyle. I did not want to be bogged down by starting two new daily habits (for habit #2 tune in to my next post) and restarting homeschooling after a month long break. I want exercise to be a consistent part of my life; I have no plans to stop working out when I reach a certain weight or allow myself to become so busy that exercise gets pushed to the side. Consistency, consistency, consistency! 

One last note of encouragement... This picture below used to be my life (I seriously crack up each time I read this!)



My attitude now is, "yesterday I failed to exercise, today I will not". I start each day fresh, and I make the time to workout a priority no matter what I did the day before.

So what are your favorite work outs? What are some tips or tricks that you apply to overcome excuses? How do you work out with kids at home? I'd love to hear your routines! I could always use some new ideas.


*Just a little note: In case you are new to my blog, my oldest child is 2 1/2 years old. I am not neglecting the education of my child by taking an extended break. Homeschooling is a loosely applied term for us right now; mostly I want to add intentional activities to our day.