On October 2, I will have been working out every single day for two years. Two years. This means I’ve worked out for about 675 consecutive days already. That’s more than I’ve worked out in all of my 36 previous years combined. I started with going walking, fast walking, around my neighborhood. And then quickly decided it was time to buy a treadmill cause the weather was getting iffier and I didn’t want to have any excuse to skip a day. I bought it and have used it every single day I was home. When we took vacation, I made sure there was a gym nearby. When we flew to Turkey, I got off the 16-hour plane ride and went to the gym. I literally haven’t skipped one single day.
But this post is not to tell you about how awesome I am.
Back when I never exercised, people who exercised a lot always told me that once I started doing it, I’d get used to it and eventually I’d start craving it. I thought they were full of you know what. There was no way I would crave exercise. In fairness, I’d never put the idea to test so I couldn’t be sure but I felt pretty confident in my stance.
And I am here to tell you that I was totally right.
After 675 consecutive days, I still dread exercising. I still have to drag myself to the treadmill. Yes, the actual exercise is now easier but there’s no craving. There’s no part of me that’s dying to get up on that machine. Or lace up and run outside or whatever.
Not an ounce.
The only reason I am exercising every day is because I’ve made it a core part of my daily routine. I get up and exercise. I am not allowed to do anything else until I’ve done that. No sketching, no reading, nothing. So I get up and I do it.
And then I am done with it.
That’s still the best part. The being done with it.
It hasn’t become a habit. It’s something I do cause I make myself do it. It’s hard. It takes some of my willpower (less since it’s scheduled but still…) and even when I am on the treadmill, it takes more willpower to not stop at one mile or two. Going all the way to 3 miles is hard many days. I want to stop, quit, give up.
So if you’re like me and heard that you’ll grow to love it and crave it, I am here to tell you that’s not true for everyone. It wasn’t true for me and it might not be true for you.
But don’t ever let that stop you.
If I can do it, you can, too.
Hey Karen! I wanted to say first, that your blog is awesome. It is clear that you take time writing your posts, and they are a pleasure to read. You make me think a out my life, and have motivated me to make some changes. But, I have to respectfully disagree with your idea today. In my experience, the only thing that has made me crave exercise is when I take a break from it, whether scheduled, or forced (due to injury, usually). So, I guess only time will tell if I am right, or wrong. ):
An interesting. So theoretically I’ll only crave it if I don’t do it for a while? I still don’t think I wouldn’t but I guess I won’t find out since I have no intention of stopping 🙂
Exactly! I never have any intention of stopping, either. And, when I was your age, nothing stopped me!
You’ve been exercising so consistently you probably don’t even notice how good it’s making you feel. I’m with Kim. If you end up on a break (injury, whatever), you’ll probably notice and miss it (even if it’s still an effort to get going).
I admit it. I’m one of those people who do crave exercise. But I still need to give myself a little push on some mornings.
I love exercise. I don’t do it every day. But I can tell when it’s been a while because I don’t sleep as well and my shoulders inch up into my ears.
My husband loves being healthy. But he does NOT like exercise. Even taking a break doesn’t make him crave it. He’s like you, his favorite part of exercise is when he’s finished. But he sticks with it. And I have to admire him for that.