Skip the Excuses! Get Healthy!
March 17th, 2016I hear excuses all the time in my office. “I’m too busy to exercise. I don’t have a gym near me.” Last week, I was having a particularly busy day and realized that we all have a tendency to not exercise. Believe it or not, I was tempted to forgo my usual 30 minutes of running even though I have been consistently running almost every day for years. It felt like I had a devil sitting on one shoulder and angel on the other like what you see in cartoons when the main character doesn’t know what to do. On the shoulder with the “Devil”, I was hearing “You don’t have a full 30 minutes, but only a measly 20 minutes, how much of a workout would that be? It won’t be worth it to get changed into workout clothes and shower.” The “Angel” said, “Any amount of exercise is better than nothing. Even if you burn just 100 calories, that’s better in the long run than no extra calories burned today.” Suffice it to say, the Angel won out. I ran just 20 minutes on the treadmill, which actually seemed a lot longer than I remembered 20 minutes to be! I felt great afterwards and didn’t even need a coffee in the afternoon. I also slept very well that night and that led to an even better day.
On a related tangent, I believe there are two vicious cycles that we fall in and out of throughout our lives. One is a vicious cycle of unhealthy habits. What do I mean by this? Let’s say someone is eating something unhealthy, usually something high in fat and sugar. Afterwards, the person will experience a rush in blood sugar followed by a rapid decline which leads to feeling tired. The person will want to rest by sitting on a couch or lying down. Exercise is the last thing on their mind. That night, the person may not sleep so well and the following day he/she may feel more tired. As a quick fix, they may grab something high in sugar to “wake up” with a sugar high and this starts the cycle all over again. Eating unhealthy foods leads to lack of motivation to exercise and poor sleep. Weight gain exacerbates the cycle, by causing more fatigue or even lead to a condition called sleep apnea that severely interrupts sleep leading to daytime sleepiness. Believe it or not, there have been many studies regarding sleep deprivation and insulin resistance leading to higher sugar levels in the blood and possibly leading to early diabetes. Some nutritionists believe concentrated sugars can even be addicting. Just as drug addicts experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop using their drugs, people who consume large amounts of sugar can feel ill if they don’t get their usual “fix” of soda or sweets, leading them to consume even more.
The other vicious cycle is one of healthy habits. Each morning after my run, I eat lunch. I don’t want to put anything bad into my body. I know I just wouldn’t feel right if I ate greasy food. A healthy salad would replenish the potassium, water, and vitamins that would refuel my muscles that I just worked out. I feel more energetic throughout the day and have little desire to reach for unhealthy snacks that could be loaded with sugars and fats. At night, I’ll certainly be able to sleep better and go to bed allowing my body to have enough time to repair. The next morning, I feel refreshed and that allows me to be motivated to exercise, starting the cycle once more.
Sometimes it takes just a little extra push to get healthy. We all need to come to terms with our bodies and have this realization at some point in our lives. Nothing comes easy, but you can encourage that “wellness angel” side and conquer the “unhealthy devil” side. Put reminders of your wellness goals on post-its and scatter them around your home or office. How about putting a post-it with “Workout, Feel Better!” on your door so that when you leave the house you will think about going to the gym later that day. Maybe you want to lose weight so that you can improve your health to be a role model of your kids. How about putting a picture of your kids doing exercise as your lock screen on your smartphone or tablet? Maybe enlist a friend or spouse so that you can motivate each other. There is a law of physics that says, “A body in motion tends to stay in motion, a body at rest tends to stay at rest.” My prescription for good health, keep moving!
