“I have exercised constantly since the month began. The month is coming to an end; it will all be good and fine, when I skip exercising today. I have a good feeling, that I will pick up from where I stopped the other day.”
It is the little lies we tell ourselves, and also those which resound within us, that make us feel better, about our shitty lives. Once in a while, one may feel discouraged and not in a mood of exercising. A strategy of making one not to feel guilty is drawn, as one slides deeper, into a passive form. Random facts of having followed one’s routine, are suddenly remembered, ensuring that one masks the guilt. It is all a trap, and once one gives in, it is hard to come back from.
Skipping an exercise day starts slowly but continues steadily. In a long run, if morale and inspiration are lost, one stops exercising completely. This follows one feeling weak and reluctant, to resume exercising, after skipping several days. Our bodies especially muscles in this case, do possess memory capabilities, a reason also as to why exercises become easier with time. However, when exercise is skipped as scheduled, this memory capability is lost with time, as muscle cells die off, and constantly replaced, with new muscle cells.
One has to keep a fairly constant schedule, and avoid cheat days, as much as they can. In case one is running late, at least do a half or a quarter of your exercises. In such a situation, it is best to choose and do exercises, which involve the whole body. Jumping jacks are an excellent example, since they incorporate cardio, endurance, strength, and flexibility. They enable good blood flow, breathing and circulation of synovial fluid in joints. Mini vertical leg raises and push ups can be added, to further strengthen muscles, and get good looking abs. These exercises together can be done within less than twenty minutes, depending on level of intensity. This is better than postponing.
Postponing exercises to another day is detrimental. For I, I always exercise like there is no tomorrow. This helps in staying focused, and pushing myself, with an urge to finish my exercises. Any time I do skip exercising, my mind tends to wonder off, as I constantly feel guilty, for not exercising. In case I am aware of an upcoming event which may cause I to miss a workout, I make appropriate adjustments in my activities. There is this constant thing inside I, which wants I to become better than the person I was, a day before.
Sometimes on resting days, I may feel a glimpse of guilt, for not exercising. I then sneak in a few new exercises, as a way of combating the guilt of passiveness. A general rule of thumb is that, avoid missing scheduled workouts, as it could turn into your routine. Let us not forget that life keeps pushing forward, and one can never recover lost exercising time…
Plapus 