Stuck in Couch Potato Doldrums?

Spring break has passed, y’all. Winter is ending. And when it does, we’re going to have to wear shorts. Oh dear. No more sweats. No more baggy winter clothes. The time to snuggle down in front of the TV with the bag of chips is coming to an end. The sun is coming up earlier and the air oh-so-much warmer. And that brings us to the shorts that fit so well the end of last summer. And reminds us of what we used to do outdoors: playing tennis, hiking, swimming, golfing. Whatever your movement of choice is beckoning. But your “get up and go” has “got up and went.” You are stuck in couch potato doldrums.

Relate to this scenario? You’ll know if you are a movement slug if:

• Even the thought of exercise of any sort makes you hyperventilate. Enough of an excuse to head back to the couch, right?
• You think of exercise as cruel and unusual punishment. It hurts. It is painful. And it takes time. Anything but that.
• When will you ever find time to fit it into your busy life? You have the kids’ sports. Your favorite TV programs. Sorting your sock drawer. No time for you.

The key to get in shape for spring (and staying that way) is to keep it simple. A few tips to help you are:

• Stop waiting to feel like exercising. Trick your mind into gently moving into an exercise routine. Perhaps the first day, you time yourself and walk for 15 minutes. To the end of the block and back. Then gradually stretch out the routine. When I first started in this years ago, it took me 60 minutes (that’s right, one hour) to walk up and back down the ¼ mile hill next to my home. But that was my benchmark. The next day, it was 59 minutes. I eventually got to 3 miles in 50 minutes. Celebrate!
• Write your goal on a piece of paper and put it on your alarm clock or steering wheel. Even getting gold stars to put on your calendar when you exercise is cause for motivation. Remember 1st grade? How proud you were when you got a gold star for reading? Don’t think you’ve changed. Dig deep to find that thing — thought, feeling, goal, reward — that gets and keeps you moving.
• Don’t skip your walk or workout. Before you sabotage yourself, ask: will you regret not exercising? Ask: is there any reason I can’t put off deciding how I feel about doing this until after it’s done? Make motivation easier by eliminating your excuses before they happen. Pencil yourself in for that walk or workout. Your mind and body will thank you.