Comments on: Why I haven’t exercised in 5 months.

By: Rachel @ My Naturally Frugal Family

Rachel @ My Naturally Frugal Family — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:00:25 +0000

I am active now like I was in college. I enjoy going to the gym 3-4 times a week and running. For me it releases all of the negative energy. I started getting up about 20 minutes early each morning so that I could stretch and do some yoga.

I find it gets me off on the right foot and I maintain a more positive attitude.

As for weight loss and what not I try not to focus on that. I just like the way I feel after I exercise and eat healthy, but it isn’t really for a goal (not sure if that makes any sense).

I do have to admit that I thought you might say you were pregnant again and that something to do with that was why you weren’t exercising…oh well

Have a great weekend Janae!

By: Rachelle Marsden

Rachelle Marsden — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 04:18:21 +0000

I love all the homeschooling, LDS, vegan mommas that I hear about on here!

By: Debbie

Debbie — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 20:26:04 +0000

From a fellow vegan, LDS, homeschool mom, I have to say Amen and wonderful post! You just described my life and my thoughts. Thank you so much.

By: Michaela

Michaela — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 04:10:57 +0000

I really appreciate this post especially since you’ve experienced a high level of activity and then a more relaxed approach. I have gone through a similar experience where I would exercise more than I consider healthy for several reasons and now I am able to enjoy different types of movement other than workout machines and gym workouts. I love dancing (ballet, jazz, tap) and it brings me actual joy as opposed to the feeling of doing the stairmaster. It can be challenging to not play into the silly hierarchy of fitness, but it is also very liberating.

By: Janae Wise

Janae Wise — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:21:37 +0000

I agree, there is a rush from exercise, & IS addicting! Melissa I think you’re an awesome example of getting in shape & finding ways to increase your daily movement. You & your baby will the better for it. Way to go. (& congrats on your new house!)

By: Janae Wise

Janae Wise — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:20:04 +0000

I love that you’ve found an approach that works for you. Too many people think that fitness means formal group exercise or “hitting the gym,” when in reality, it goes beyond that. It’s about movement. Take two people, for instance. #1 sits at a desk all day & leads a rather sedentary life with the exception of running & weights for 45 minutes 5 days a week. Then you have person #2 who does no formal exercise but their occupation includes being on their feet all day, lifting heavy objects in addition to getting daily movement from things like housecleaning & gardening. Which person is better off? In terms of physical fitness, I’d say person #2 because movement is built into, rather than being an isolated portion, of their day. That said, many many people don’t have a choice & have desk jobs where they’re sitting for 6-8 hours a day, so of course, adding structured exercise would be the thing for them.

Thanks for your thoughts Alissa!

By: Alissa N

Alissa N — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:55:33 +0000

Such great timing on this post, as most people have made resolutions for fitness in the new year. I love everything you said here, it’s such a great perspective to see from a person who was heavily involved in high daily activity! I have a mental block about working out in the gym sense. I love to dance, run, do yoga and pilates, but I dread doing things like squats and weights. For me, I just choose not to do them. In school I learned a lot about functional exercise, and I think that is the perfect fit for me. I have a much easier time motivating myself to move and do things rather than trying to get myself to “hit the gym”. Can’t wait to see the rest of this series

By: Bitt

Bitt — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:05:18 +0000

I can’t work out for to health reasons. But I miss fun things like skiing and hiking and boating, not the stairmaster. I think being active in a fun way is a better way to live life. So no I can’t work out. I do miss it, but as with you other priorities come first.

By: Sabrina

Sabrina — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 18:29:01 +0000

First of all, I am glad you are all back together as a family again. I am sure it is so wonderful.

For me, I have to have some kind of exercise routine outside of the normal day to day tasks of living. I do try to walk for a lot things and I go up and down our stairs a gazillion times a day, often toting a 17 month old that weighs almost 30 lbs and hasn’t decided he wants to walk full-time yet. All of our kids are giants, so I have been toting large children around for years. Even with all of that, if I don’t go for a run or to the gym or train regularly for some kind of race I can’t sleep at night and I’ll likely eat just as much food as I did when I was exercising. I just love to eat! I also am in a much better mood after getting back from some good exercise. I have never been super tight and toned, because I like my food and treats a little too much, but I am in pretty good shape. That works for me because my insomnia alone would get me if I didn’t tire myself out a little more during the day. I don’t do hours of exercise though, more like 30 – 60 minutes of fairly intense exercise. I just trained for a sprint tri and I only had a couple of times that I had to train for that for longer than an hour. I am afraid if I stopped doing it I would be a wreck.

I am glad you are finding a routine that works for your body though. Sometimes life doesn’t afford you much time for a lot of exercise so you have to be creative in finding ways to move your body and chasing around young kids certainly helps!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:14:14 +0000

So ironic you should mention this! (As you already know) I started out this year with a resolution to get healthy, which lead — after loss of 31 lbs in 3 months — to getting pregnant. Which was also around the time we moved away from our routine and, more importantly, our gym membership. Since moving, my mom is always asking me what I am doing to stay fit for the baby. I have done 3 more 5ks since being pregnant (taking my time to make it easier on me and baby, of course), but the main thing is that I have been walking… A LOT! Going to school means walking across campus, to and from bus stops, and parking lots. And taking the stairs (when others take the elevator). All with a backpack filled with what I need to make it through the day: books, water, snacks, etc. I was still feeling pretty good up until my winter break, which has left me a bit sluggish since my routine was again interrupted.
Now we are moving again and school has started again. So, time to find a new routine and ways to get more “exercise” in.
But man… it’s hard NOT to miss the rush of serotonin you get from a good workout!