6 Ways Exercise Has Made My Life Better ~via @lomargie
The New Year is here and the most popular resolution is to lose weight. Now, listen, I am all for it. We all know that carrying around weight is the number one threat to our health. Plus, we just feel blah when we do not like what we see in the mirror or how we feel at any given time of the day. But I also think we are focusing on the wrong things. My goal in working out, and my sport is CrossFit, is to be healthier for my kids and for my lifestyle. It is not to hit a number on a scale or a number on a widely varying tag on a piece of clothing. I wanted to have energy again, to be able to keep up with the kids and to be proud of myself again. A little over a year of hitting the box every week and I am three dress sizes down but have not lost a single pound. I am exchanging fat for muscle and it is awesome. More importantly, almost every aspect of my life is better! In this post I will share just 6 Ways Exercise Has Made My Life Better from a REAL mom who spent years saying, ‘I could never do that!’!
6 Ways Exercise Has Made My Life Better
I Just FEEL Better
As I said, in the year or so since starting CrossFit, my scale has not moved a single pound. I was getting frustrated so I, literally, tossed the scale. After all, I may not have been able to see in numbers my progress but I sure was feeling it! It took about a month but I started to notice that I just felt better. My mood seemed better and things rolled off my back more easily. Problems did not seems so insurmountable. Issues seems more manageable. I wanted to eat better, to get out more and to interact more with the kids and my friend’s. It was an overall feeling more than specifics but I was just feeling more like a person and less like a blob just going through my day.
I SLEEP Better
I have always, always been an insomniac. I don’t care what mattress I had, how tired I was or how many pills I tried to sleep better. I never could. If I did, I woke up at the smallest noise. It took about two months but I started to notice that I was falling asleep faster and staying asleep too! At first I noticed I was really exhausted after working out. But now, a year later, I sleep through the night consistently and it has been amazing! I credit an active exercise routine for the massive change!
The Midday SLUMP is Gone
I see it on Facebook all the time. ‘I need coffee at 3pm!’ ‘I am so tired!’ at 4pm. That mid-day slump that can sink the most productive of days. I used to take energy tablets and tried to get energy through foods. But it was not until I started and stuck with my exercise program that I noticed a real change. It was gradual at first. One day here or there that I would notice I could work all day without stopping. But now, I almost never have the mid-day slump! Exercising really does stabilize your day!
I PARENT Better
Yes I still yell at the kids and get frustrated by them. But now I take more things in stride. I am calmer, offer real parenting to them instead of having a short fuse which led to more of a barking parenting style. Instead of sitting on the couch I get out and jump on the trampoline with them, do more activities with them and play more games with them. I credit it to the whole ‘feeling better about me’ product of working out consistently!
I am more ACTIVE
I hear if from people all the time. ‘You are always so busy and always going everywhere!’ And I am. I no longer turn down things that feel like they are going to take a lot of effort. I look forward to active events that challenge me. I used to turn the all down but now I feel like I am seeking out reasons to be more active! It has so enhanced my life!
I am more CONFIDENT
My nature is to be self-deprecating. Ask any friend and I take the load of everything on my shoulders and refuse to accept any credit. I just have a very hard time being proud of myself. It makes me feel as if I am bragging! But, since CrossFit I am starting to understand that I do have the ability to change my life for the better, and that when I put in the effort and the energy, I DO deserve the credit. I carry myself with a higher head, don’t shy away from showing off my still in progress body and feel great, personal pride in my achievements. My confidence is really the best gift that has come out of this!
If your goal is to get healthier, to be more active or to lose weight, squash the excuses with action. For every, ‘But I can’t…’ and ‘I can’t afford…’ and ‘I have no time…’, do something to make your exercise goals come true. Even if it is 15 jumping jacks a day on the living room floor! It will make much more of a difference than you can even imagine!
