Exercising During Commercials
I'm getting up an hour earlier these days.
At first I said I'd never be able to do
it: I was already sleep deprived rising
at 6 AM how would I ever get up at 5 AM?
I'd never be able to get to sleep earlier
(this is still true), and a hundred other
reasons why it wouldn't work. And then I
tried it, and it does work. I'm still sleep
deprived, but that extra hour in the morning
is a Godsend. I love it.
How do you Present Ideas
to Yourself?
So why did it take me so long to "just
do it?" Probably the way I presented
the idea to myself. Notice I used words
such as "never" and "already"
as in "I'm already sleep deprived."
I kept telling myself it wouldn't work,
that it was a bad idea and until the first
time I actually tried it, I secretly believed
when the alarm rang, I'd just turn it off
and go back to sleep. I'd forgotten how
much I enjoy getting up early. Mornings
are my best time of day. I'm the most productive
in the morning so it makes sense to give
myself an extra hour.
I don't Have Time to
Exercise
Sometimes a small adjustment in how you
run your day can help enormously in freeing
up some time for things like exercise. "I
don't have time." I hear that a lot,
but if asked, "What's your favorite
TV show?" most people can list a few
-- hours spent sitting and watching. There's
nothing wrong with enjoying some TV, but
there's also no reason you can't exercise
during the commercials.
When I was a kid and it was my turn to
clean the house, I made a game out of it.
I loved TV, watching probably six or seven
hours a day then, so missing a show to clean
was not going to happen. So I'd clean during
commercials. Today there are over 20 minutes
of commercial time during each hour of the
show. That's plenty of time for getting
things done. As soon as the show broke for
commercial, I'd jump from my chair and dash
to wherever I'd left off. I'd bring in laundry
and fold it while I watched. I'd iron in
front of the TV, I'd bring in piles of miscellaneous
debris from other rooms and sort it into
piles for where it belonged, then on the
next commercial I'd go put things away.
I'd move from one room to the next, carrying
things that belonged there with me, and
returning with things that did not. Eventually
the house was clean, and hadn't missed my
programs.
If you enjoy TV, consider how much time
there is available during the commercials
and start using it. Whether for exercise
or cleaning, or anything else you need to
get done: responding to correspondence,
studying, paying bills, grooming the cat
- there are lots of little chores we need
to do, no reason we can't carry them into
our TV room and get them done.
Turn TV Time into "Get
Fit" Time
You can turn your TV room into a fitness
room easily. A cushy floor mat, if the room
isn't carpeted. A pair of dumbbells or two.
Empty bleach jugs make good dumbbells, but
be careful if they are only partially full
of sand, dirt or water (whatever you use
to fill them with something to create the
weight), as if the weight shifts during
the movement you could injure yourself.
Canned food make good homemade weights.
I have half pound and one pound cans, heavier
can may be too difficult to hold. Go on
a scouting expedition around your house
and see what you find that could work as
weights then store them behind the couch
and start using them. Twice a week or three
times, consistently, and you'll start noticing
a change within a short time - usually in
a month or six weeks definitely.
My first exercise equipment was a pair
of dumbbells, a one pound and a five pound
set. You don't have to have a fully equipped
home gym to exercise at home.
Push ups are an incredible exercise, men's
and women's style. No special equipment
needed, just get on the floor and start.
Standing squats (pretend you are going to
sit in a chair, then stop at about or before
chair level, and return to standing straight).
There are even books written for exercising
on the commercial breaks. I put together
a page with a few of the books I've found
which present this concept such as "The
Commercial Break Workout: Trim and Tone
Two Minutes at a Time" by Linda Buch
and Seth Anne Snider-Copley.
Grab some Extra Minutes
and Get Started
I wanted to get up an hour earlier so I
could work out in the mornings. When I exercise
first thing, nothing else interferes. No
matter what comes up, it doesn't take away
from my fitness program. Unexpected calls
or invitations, traffic jams, "There's
no bread," yells my son who still thinks
it's my job to keep the pantry stocked,
so I need to run to the store, nothing ruins
my day's plan to ride my bike or lift weights.
The consistency of a regular exercise program
just makes me feel good - you might find
it does the same for you, and if you have
had a difficult time finding time - make
time. Grab some extra minutes during commercials
on TV, get up earlier, find whatever works
for you. Write it on your calendar, make
a date with yourself, and get started.
Kathryn Martyn, M.NLP
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