Tag: #motivation #fitness #fitisafeministissue

challenge · dogs · fitness · food

Day three check in on my three viral fitness trends

Sam B1 Comment

See Doing What TikTok Tells Me: A Two-Week Experiment for the backstory.

1. Okay,  I like the 9 daily movements upon waking. I’ve done them every day so far.

Little life hack: I do them while the coffee is brewing.

2. Cheddar likes the after dinner digestive walls. No issues.  Done all three days. 

Cheddar!

3. I’m not so sure about the 30-30-30 thing. That’s 30 minutes of exercise and 30 grams of protein 30 minutes after waking. 

West’s the wrinkle? I take medication that I need to take first thing in the morning and not eat for an hour.  So 30 grams of protein in the first 30 minutes isn’t happening.  I do have 30 grams of protein when I do eat though. 

The 30 minutes of exercise is also hit or miss. It’s easy on Mondays when I ride my bike on Zwift.  Tuesday is personal training very early. But I missed Wednesday because  I had to travel to Toronto on a very early GO train.

I’ll keep trying!

family · motivation · sleep

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings

Sam B8 Comments

I am one of those people whose life often prompts other people to ask, how do you do it? Where do you find the time? It was more striking when I had three young kids but even now I hear it.

I hear it about lots of things but most often about exercise and working out.

But even as someone who manages to fit things in when others can’t, I hate slogans like the one above and below. They’re a little too mean for my taste. I find them judgmental.

We lead busy lives. Someone posted in the fitness accountability group that Cate and I are both part of about trading off sleep versus workouts. He shared an article, Should I sleep less to fit in a workout? Bottom line, it’s not worth it. Don’t miss sleep.

But what gives?

I thought that in the spirit of honesty I’d talk about the things I don’t do that help me find time to exercise.

First, I don’t watch very much television.

Second, I have low standards for my personal appearance. I keep my hair short. Mostly I just wash it, put styling lotion in it, and leave it be. I don’t wear much make up.

Third, I’m not a single parent. During the kids’ early years I wasn’t even the most involved parent. Jeff was. We’ve also got a community of other adults around us who’ve helped out. Hi Tracy! Hi Michael and Val! Hi Rob! Hi Sarah! While the kids were little my mum worked full-time taking care of my kids. In addition, there were grandfathers who did most or all of the driving kids around. A nearby aunt didn’t hurt either! (She’s the best aunt in the world. Hi Susan!)

Fourth, I get help cleaning my house. And by “get help” I mean I pay someone to clean. Even so, between times, it’s mostly a mess.

Fifth, I pretty much don’t cook. Luckily these days my kids do. We all pitch in.

So yes, I have time to exercise but that time doesn’t come from nowhere. I make sacrifices and those sacrifices might not be ones you want to make. I’ve also got a lot of privilege in the form of family support, income, and a job where I can get away with my short, messy hair.

How about you? What gives to make the time to work out? Where in your life do you cut corners?