Finding excuses to exercise

It is a scientific fact exercise produces feel good hormones.  The better we feel the more inclined we are to do more of the good stuff that makes us feel this way.   Exercise and happiness goes hand in hand for me.  I feel better about myself and more motivated when I am regularly training than if I am not.

While that is all well and good for those already in the exercise cycle for others it is often much harder to get motivated and started.  What stops you?  I imagine a number of things, but the biggest is finding excuses not to do it.  Be honest how often have you used the weather; it’s too cold or too hot outside, or the piling up of laundry and housework or the not enough time in the day excuse and so many more. 

As a contrast would thinking up some positive excuses to actually do it have the reverse effect?  For example, when it is cold outside you could try thinking you will warm up soon, you won’t be in any danger of overheating and you will feel fantastic when you’re finished.   If the laundry is piling up then at least you can quickly add your sweaty kit to the next wash when you are done.  When you can’t afford to join a gym then running or walking is free, change your shoes, get out the door and before you know it you will be at the end of your street.

But if none of these excuses jump you into action then maybe a thought on how lucky you are to have the ability to exercise might just do the trick.  Being injury free, able and healthy is a luxury not everyone has.  Linking your exercise with doing some good for a charitable cause could be a way to motivate you to set a goal and be more active.  Getting away from the laptops, the mobiles, the office desks and the couch is healthy for your body, your mind and your soul. Don’t let those excuses stop you, I guarantee you will feel 100% better for it.

@lindatodd74   

You are what you eat

I have a healthy appetite.  There is nothing much I don’t eat; meat, fruit, vegetables, beans, dairy and everything in between, in fact just trying to think of something I don’t like is quite hard.  

While I like my food and eat well, I have never had much knowledge beyond the basics about maintaining a healthy balanced diet.  So last year when my training stepped up a notch and my desire to eat more did too I did not think this was a problem, assuming I would burn off so much I could pretty much eat what I wanted in whatever quantity.  However, the scales told me a different story and while I consoled myself in thinking muscle is denser than fat a quick bit of research on the weight to height ratios of athletes suggested I was probably going in the wrong direction.   I needed to know more.  

The trouble is with so much conflicting advice about dieting it’s hard to work out what is factually accurate and I was not simply looking for a diet.  I wanted to know more about nutrition and specifically how to find and maintain my healthy weight as well as understand how to fuel my body better for training and recover it faster afterwards.

I decided to enrol in a nutrition course to get some more in-depth knowledge.  While I am only beginning to scratch the surface of a very big subject I am already seeing the benefits of putting into practice some of the theory.   One of the best tips I have is to track your calories and the proportions of protein, carbohydrates and fat you consume daily, alongside the calories you burn from exercise.  Now this may sound onerous but made easy using myfitnesspal.com which is a free calorie counter.  For specific information on what to eat, I recommend the “10 mins to change your life - Time to eat well” booklet which is downloadable from the British Heart Foundation website. 

To be fit and healthy requires a combination of good food as well as regular exercise so it seems the saying you are what you eat is quite literally true.