Tag: running

Excuses

Being the over planning person that I am, I scheduled Monday through Saturday mornings for yoga and meditation. Yes I actually created an appointment in Outlook which of course syncs with my phone, but there is one problem today is Wednesday and haven’t hit the mat yet this week. So I have managed to make some sort of excuse three days in a row. Maybe I just have an issue with mornings, but I’m not sure that is the issue. Well if this is about excuses then early in the morning could qualify as one. Here is the definition I found of excuse used as a noun:

“A reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense.”

whats your excuse

The above definition best describes how I have justified not pursuing goals by providing some reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify my behavior. Does any of this sound familiar? Make great plans and then fail to execute, and come up with various excuses which of course you know are pretty much bullshit. So what do we do about this common phenomena?

  1. Realize you are doing it. This is generally pretty easy because the excuses are accompanied by periods of guilt and self loathing.
  2. Once we realize it, then stop it! Move on with your plan and stop using the excuse.
  3. Analyze your excuse and determine if the goal was unreasonable or you were not committed to it.
  4. If after you have analyzed the excuse and the goal then decide if the goal is worth the effort and move on.

Remember that most excuses are a way to avoid something that is uncomfortable, and that would probably be enjoyable once you actually got started. Examples of this might include getting out of the door to go running, attending a party, and yes performing your yoga practice. All three of these are perfect examples of activities that once you start them you find they are very enjoyable, but often your mind says I don’t really want to do it. So this hesitancy to move forward is probably a trigger for creating an excuse, so remember if there is some minor discomfort associated with an activity then push forward and don’t allow yourself to make an excuse.

The world is filled with people that have failed to achieve their dreams and goals as they fell prey to their favorite excuses.

Namaste

The Joy’s of Walking

walking 01

As I used to be a runner this post is not about advocating walking over running.  I used to love to run and while most of my miles are now acquired walking I still miss the feeling I had when I was done running.  Yes the key statement is I used to be a runner, and now I’m perfectly happy walking 3 miles instead of running.  Maybe it is age, maybe it is just bad knees and a bad back, but running takes a toll on my body.  The problem is there is no substitute for getting outside in the fresh air and enjoying the weather good or bad.  For all you hard-core runners who think walking is not much of a workout, I can totally understand, but let me at least state some of the benefits:

  1. If you walk long enough you can get a pretty decent workout
  2. Because you are not killing yourself you can take time to think while you are taking your walk
  3. It takes the average person about an hour to walk 3 miles, so you get to enjoy the outdoors and get some fresh air
  4. It strengthens your legs and back
  5. You typically don’t experience any soreness or pain
  6. It burns calories commensurate with distance and pace
  7. And while you don’t get a big release of endorphin’s like running provides, you do feel better both during and after the walk

I’m sure I could come up with a few other reasons why walking is a good thing, but this should suffice for most of us.  While I decided that about a year ago running wasn’t a good option for me anymore, I found that walking provided some of the same benefits and a few unique ones.  Oh and by the way running shoes are also great for walking.

Now go get your walk on.

Namaste