When I first started to see how long I could keep going with my consecutive exercise streak, I had no idea where it would take me. I was striving to see if I could maintain if for a year. I had no idea it would still be going yet…over 10 1/2 years, and counting. Some days though, it can be a real challenge to get out. Some of you may think this would be easy by now, but it is still an ongoing challenge. Trying to fit it in my daily schedule, with all of life’s twists and turns, can make it more challenging. Believe me, there are days when I don’t want to exercise. I could come up with many excuses to not go out. But, as time has taught me, I feel much better after I do. I need that stress reliever. I need that time to unwind, and either use it to get ready for the day ahead, or try and decompress from everything that life threw at me that day. “Uff Da” sums it up!
There are multiple things in life that pull at you for your time. You have to make the priorities and decide what is best for you.
There are always deadlines, pressures of work, and demands of people for your time. There are always hills to climb. But you have to face them. What do you do when you encounter this in your day? How do you handle the pressure of it all? Do you have any secrets to share with the rest of us? I would really like to hear from you! I certainly don’t have all the answers. I am trying to push myself, not to be better than anybody else, but to be better than I used to be. I only need to prove that to myself, and nobody else. Hopefully, over the long term, this will help me to be around a lot longer to spend more time with my family and friends. But you have to make if fun, or you won’t continue with it.
Sometimes I like to run, or walk, or bike, by myself. It gives me some time to clear my head, and think. The only one pushing me is me! I don’t have to wait to hear somebody else tell me advice, or try to expect an answer of help from someone else. I just need some time for me to process all this. Then there are those days when I really enjoy working out, or exercising with other people. What challenges are they facing? Maybe they have some advice or suggestions for me, or vice versa! I enjoy hearing how everyone else handles things in their life. We all have challenges, and we all work at them in different ways. How we go about it is individual to each of us. There are no two of us alike. We are unique to ourselves, and we have to figure those things out.
It sure makes it nice on those days when you are not by yourself, to have someone reliable to confide in, to bounce things off, to vent with, to exercise with! We all need those social times together to support each other, but we also need some of that alone time, to think and process things. Why do we do the things we do? The challenges we create really are of our own making. Turn them into a positive thing, and not another pressure of life. Sometimes I wonder why I continue to keep exercising everyday. I wonder what really is this proving. Then, after walking, or running, with time to process, I realize I am still doing this for me. I am the one benefiting by this. I am the one setting the tone for me. If maybe this helps get somebody else moving, and taking care of themselves, then great! If anybody has any ideas of what works for them to help get them motivated to exercise, please tell me! I always am willing to listen. If it works for you, then maybe it can work to help somebody else too. As individuals, we alone do not have all of the answers. As I wrote about several weeks ago, we all need to keep learning. But, we can also help teach each other things too. We all have something to offer, and we all have the ability to learn. Just do it! I can’t wait to hear ideas from you, so please, fill me in, and then I can help pass them on to. Some days I need help staying motivated as well to “keep my streak alive too”! We all need to help to keep moving!
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3924
