Jean's Scene: Exercise...Love Or Hate It?

I have gone through different periods of my life where I love or hate exercising.  When I love it, I am in the groove, lovin the workout, consistent and feeling great about it.  Then what happens...I skipped a day or two...then 3....then a week.  Before you know it, I was not exercising as I should.  Now mind you, I was thinking about it all the time.  Thinking about getting up earlier to exercise, thinking about getting the routine going, thinking how much I really need to do 'something'. 

What I find is that life fills up those times where I used to exercise.  But, interestingly enough, life is better when I feel better.  One thing that usually makes us feel better is....yes I am going to say it...EXERCISE. 

By now, we are all pretty much educated on the benefits of exercise.  We know it is good for our heart, weight loss, bones, sleep; the positive physical impact of exercise.  But what about the positive impact on our mental health?  I know I feel better when I exercise; feel better about myself, feel better about the day, feel better about life in general. That feeling better filters through my family.

Like many things out there, exercise is a habit that has to be formed.  And, habits take a certain amount of work.  to be exact, it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So I know in the beginning, it will take a little bit of work to make exercise part of my routine and forming that habit. 

We have to find what works for us, what time of days works, in-home or a gym, by yourself or with a group.  Maybe a mix of all of the above.  I found a great workout I love at a gym once a week, I have some dvds I find work for me, working out with my kids, hiking with my husband.  The key has been to mix it up; yoga, hiking, weights, cardo, at home and out of the house.  The same thing over and over again has been the death knell of exercise for me. 

Of course that will be different for everyone.  For you, it may be the consistency of the place and workout that keeps you going.  But finding what works for you is key.  But most important is knowing that even though we fill up our time with life, our life is better with exercise.