I knew from the very beginning that today was going to be challenging. With the way the weather has been lately, I go from air conditioning one minute to heat the next. Last night, it cooled down. Guess what? I had left the air conditioning on. I woke to pain in my arms, tingling in my hands. It was my carpal tunnel. Tis the season, I guess. I may need to start wearing long sleeve shirts to bed. Oh joy. Always one to look for the bright side...at least I don't have to wear those uncomfortable arm braces anymore. I discovered the secret. I just have to keep my arms warm at night. I miss the days when I could sleep in the raw. Stupid carpal tunnel. Surgery? The doctors say no. Its evidently not "bad enough" to do surgery. And after the tests they did to determine whether or not I had it, I'm not going back...ever. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Okay, I admit it...I did try twice, but I had hoped the first doctor was just a sadist. He wasn't alone.
I got dressed in my workout clothes even though my body was telling me, after my son got on the bus, I was going to crawl back in bed. My back hurt, my hip ached, and when I descended the stairs, my knees were popping and crackling like the Rice Krispies elves. Snap didn't show, so I figured I was good. I made my decaf Hazelnut coffee with Truvia and Soy Creamer, fed the cat, and took my vitamins. My son came downstairs.
Before long, he was on the bus and I had to make a choice. Believe me, I was ready and willing to make an excuse not to work out. My body said "Don't do it. Go back to bed. You can make it up over the weekend. You did good this week. You deserve a rest. Take a break." My heart said, "Go downstairs and work out. Do what you can. It can only feel better to move. Come on. You can do it. I believe in you." I hemmed and hawed until my head chimed in with, "Stop making excuses you dirtbag! If you want to be healthy and fit, you have to work for it like anything else!" Wow, I thought. My head is like a Drill Sergeant. But, some days, even I need that extra push. In the end, I listened to my heart, and my head kept me going. I ended up doing a full workout...5 miles at an incline, 50 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 butt lifts, and 300 weight repetitions. I earned my hot shower today and it felt great.
Do you ever make excuses not to work out? It hurts? Its too hard? Not enough time, too much on your plate? Can't fit it in to the schedule? Let me ask you...do you ever have a chance to sit down and watch television? Of course you do. Try this...during commercials, knock out a few push ups or sit ups. Or, pre-position your hand weights wherever you spend the most time.
You can even take your weights to work with you. So what if folks stare. They are just wishing they'd thought of it first. Your boss will appreciate your efforts at being proactive. Think about it. A healthy employee spends less time away from work.
You can stretch. You can do chair push ups or butt lifts. Begin seated like normal. Just grab the arm rest, balance carefully, and lift keeping your legs as straight as possible (be especially careful if your chair is on wheels). Walk around the building at break time. Walk at lunch. Grab a co-worker. If you must, you can even talk about work. Now...open your desk. Throw out all the pre-Halloween treats (you know you put in there) and throw in a few healthy snacks for in between times when your stomach might growl (my stomach never growls anymore because I eat a little something every two or three hours). An apple, a banana, those mini fruit cups. My husband likes the Nature Valley Oats and Honey granola bars. I usually go for the Pure Protein Peanut Butter or the Fiber Plus bars. And by all means, pack a healthy lunch. If you have an office microwave, those Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers http://www.healthychoice.com/showCat.jsp?cat=30000 or your favorite soup. You don't want to be tempted to go fast food. I mean, do you really need to play that Mickey D's Monopoly game? If you do, go for it. Just stop, think, and make good choices on what you order.
Now, for your efforts...you can come home feeling good about your day. You didn't make excuses. You made time for yourself. You made healthy choices. And when you look in the mirror, you know your body, your heart, and yes, even your head will be proud of you. I know I am.
No comments:
Post a Comment