Time Crunch? Why I don't want to exercise.

I did a little poll on my side bar asking my readers about workout challenges.

The winner? So glad you asked…

I don't have time.

Is that really true? When I examined my day I found plenty of time. (there is a good chance that you are busier than me...it might really be harder for you to find the time)

That extra hour of sleep in the morning. I adore my sleep. Don’t you? 

The hours watching Veronica Mars on Netflix. (awesome show...just saying)

You get my drift?

You have to take the time to make the time. <----- Swiped that one from my boss.

After an 8-hour work day, chasing children, playing taxi, who knows how many hours spent in the kitchen, all the time it takes to do all those things that need to be done...don't we deserve some leisurely web browsing? 

Yes. The trick here is balance. 

We must work and we must play. However, we must workout in order to be healthy.

If you are pressed for time and don't want to give up the me time that is rightfully yours, try some of the following:

A. I love to slowly devour Real Simple magazine.  It is my FAVORITE magazine.  It arrived yesterday so this morning I got up 30 minutes early and took my beloved Real Simple to the gym with me. I hopped on a stationary bike and read away! Small sacrifice...but tonight I will be chillin' on the couch with Will and/or doing anything else that I want!

B. I am TV fan.  I have a few guilty pleasure shows that are pretty good at grabbing and holding my attention. Last night I watched Pretty Little Liars while on the elliptical. Working out is much easier if you can distract yourself and a good TV show is a great way to get caught up and lose track of time. 

C. In keeping with the TV theme, I like to exercise at home while watching as well.  I have a few small and inexpensive workout accessories that are perfect for the home. Small set of free weights, wrist and leg weights (I love using these while doing house work), resistance bands (most with instructions and sample exercises) and workout ball.  There are SO many exercises that can be done mindlessly with this equipment while watching TV. 

D. Exercise usually implies workout. This implies the gym, weights, treadmills, and all that other stuff that sucks.  This is NOT true. Be active. Play in the back yard with your kiddos for an hour, run on the beach with Fido, find a way to include more walking in your workday (ya know those stairs aren't JUST for emergencies) or shoot some hoops with your pals. I have a friend that is a swimmer.  That is the only workout she does and she looks as though she spent hours in the gym. Swimming burns calories and works all the muscle groups. It gets the heart pumping and to my friend it is FUN. 

Find the time.

 It is there.

I am learning to give a little more time to my goals for a healthier me.  

It isn't easy but it is worth it.

Do you have a guilty pleasure TV show or magazine?? Do tell!

I'm back on the wagon...

and back in the GYM!!

Wow. Someone let the holidays make some excuses for her. *hides face, very ashamed.

I let the “I’m so busy”, “The holidays are so crazy” and my favorite “I want to enjoy the holiday season”, get in the way of my goals.

I caved.

I got lazy.

I paid for it.

What did I learn during my “break”?

Allow me to share.

1.  Consistency is ALWAYS the best policy. If you want to be healthy you have to consistently do 2 things: eat right daily and exercise often.  Skipping out on one or both can cause weight gain and you lose that “I just conquered the world” feeling that is now replaced with the “may I pretty please with a cherry on top take a nap” feeling.

2.  One good decision will lead to another. Yeah. That one is a 2-way street.  It all started with Thanksgiving.  I broke my work out routine and things went downhill from there.  Really. Make exceptions, give yourself rewards but plan ahead. Example: I like to work out at night so when there are events in the evening I plan ahead a get my workouts in the morning instead. Bend your routine but do your best to get the time in! Also, it’s ok to splurge but make it up in the gym!

3.  If you aren’t moving forward then you are sliding backwards.  There is no such thing as standing still.  The longer I went without working out the harder it was to start back.  It was hard to put in the time and it was actually difficult.  I had lost so much of the progress that I had made in addition to packing back on some pounds.  I have to admit that the 60 minutes on the elliptical was always challenging but it had gotten easier and tonight I nearly died.  No lie.

I am back in a routine and back to blogging.  I’m sad that I back paddled so much and sad that I neglected my blog. I am glad to back and I hope that we can help keep each other motivated.

How did you do during the holidays? Do you have any tips on being consistent even when things get busy?  Please do share!!

Livestrong.com

I am using an amazing website to set my goals and track my progress!
Is this necessary? No.
Could I just keep a notebook? Yeah.
Would it be as cool if just used a notebook?  Hells no!
Livestrong.com  is SO useful.  There are thousands of articles and tools that I have been using.

On Livestrong I set weight loss goals, find out what my caloric intake should be to achieve my goals, track the food that I eat and my workouts. At the end of everyday I can actually see if there is balance in my food intake and the calorie burn.

Do yourself a favor and check this site out.  It really has everything that you could EVER need.  Seriously.

There are other websites out there. I have some friends that use Weight Watchers Online and there is also the Jillian Michaels site.  Browse around and take your pick. Most of these sites also have mobile apps which I love!

Bottom line. Tracking your progress can really be useful. Also, seeing your progress in print can give you a big boost! I personally LOVE to see that down slope on the graph!!

I'm not naturally good at eating healthy...I am a bad snacker. Using Livestrong has made me think twice about the snacking and the kind of food that I eat.  I love to enter my workouts and see the "calories burned" number rise. Its all about what works for you and this site totally works for me!!

Need to Know: Healthy Weight/BMI

When setting my weight loss goals the first thing that I looked at was my BMI {body mass index}and what my ideal or healthy weight range should be.  I get my BMI and weight when I do wii fit.  You can use this formula:

Or you can click here.  The calculator is great because it will let you know where you are in reference to a normal BMI and weight. 

This chart can also help you once you know what your BMI is. 

I also found this Ideal Weight Calculator. These are general ranges to give you an idea of what is healthy based on a minimal amount of information.  There are other factors that could be at play. Check with your doctor if you have other health issues.  My doctor said that 130 - 160 is a good range for me.  I haven't been that little since high school...eek!


Right now I am very overweight.  My BMI is over 30. This is really what got me motivated.  I am unhealthy.  Bottom line. 


Take some time before you set  your weight loss goals to learn more about your ideal weight and a normal BMI. Put being healthy first and I really believe that weight loss will follow!