I’m Hillary and this is IT! WOO!
I’m currently on a 6 week streak of exercise.
This is a big accomplishment for me since COVID exploded in NY, especially considering how much my mental health plummeted between the end of March and mid-May. I could barely peel myself out of the reclining position, let alone put forth the energy to exercise.
If we’re being honest, I’ve always struggled when it comes to exercise. The truth is that I don’t care enough to be a “gym rat” no matter how much I try to convince myself that I’ll love it once I get into the groove.
This is the cycle I go through - sound familiar to anyone?
I’ve tried to push myself, having short lived sprints where I’d go to the gym every day for 2 weeks. Then inevitably life would happen, I’d miss a day which became three or four and before I knew it I was thinking,
If I can’t do all the things, I’ll just do nothing because anything less than all the things is equivalent to nothing.
A ton of the information I consume via social media, TV and pretty much every communication platform feels like I’m being told that I must spend a significant portion of my day or week on exercise to be healthy or experience any type of “change.”
I mean, we all know what that means, yeah? If I have any hope of resembling a Kardashian which is what all women who can’t afford a sh*t ton of plastic surgery, daily professional makeup application and custom made clothing should reasonably be able to do.
I’m re-training my brain about the fitness narrative I’ve internalized for so long. Is exercise essential for my mental and physical health? Absolutely.
However, there is not a shot in Hell that I’m spending more time exercising than I am binge-watching my favorite shows on my couch, reading, DM’ing people on Instagram about The Golden Girls, or exploring my creative outlets. I do not enjoy exercise enough and I truly do not care enough to spend a sh*t ton of time on it, and thank f*cking Betty White for that.
I am not built for exercise to be anything but the equivalent of a vitamin I take; I don’t love that I need it but I do enjoy the benefits, and I do not enjoy doing it with a partner.
…how or why, exactly, I’d take a vitamin with a partner is open to interpretation.
You know that douchey saying Kate Moss put out there a while back, essentially making a whole lot of people feel sh*tty about themselves for, you know, eating?
“Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”
First of all 2009 Kate Moss, f*ck you.
Second of all, clearly you’ve never had a Half Moon baked good from Lyndell’s Bakery in Somerville, Massachusetts.
…or pretty much anything from Mario’s Bakery in Oceanside, NY.
…or a cookie from Levain Bakery in NYC.
Jesus woman, have you even been to a bakery?!
Whatever. My point is that cupcakes f*cking rule.
Okay, that’s not my point. I do not need to change my entire lifestyle, and I sure as f*ck am not going to stop eating cupcakes. I’ve tried to force myself to enjoy myriad forms of exercise: running (I did a half marathon in 2017 and while I’m proud of myself, NOPE), elliptical, aerobics (ughhhhhh), stairclimber, zumba, etc. Spin is the only thing that keeps me coming back.
Currently, I’m enjoying listening to my own music and doing scenic rides:
Maybe next month I’ll only want to stream classes. Give yourself the freedom to change it up so you won’t dread it.
Curious about my “insane” workout schedule?
Peleton bike
20-30 minutes (unless I’m feeling really razzy - then I ride longer)
3 times a week.
How much time I ride depends on my energy level and whether or not I’m doing strength right before. That’s it.
If in an entire week passes and I do no strength training? Oh well. I’ll start again next week. Giving myself that freedom instead of internally berating myself helps me get back on the horse way faster.
Truly find your groove (even if it’s a random, unpredictable groove) and if you stumble, just get back up and start again. I will do the same.
It’s about the habit, y’all: not the hiccup.
With warmth and gusto,