Lizzie B
12-27-02, 12:02 AM
getting over the guilts
You skipped your workout today - and yesterday. In fact, you haven't been for a walk all week. You blamed the busy holidays for getting in the way of your exercise plans. You ran out of time, you forgot, you felt too tired to go to the gym.
Feeling guilty? Don't worry. We all do sometimes. And, interestingly, guilt is sometimes about the things we haven't done, rather than things we have. We can get the exercise guilts for the same reason we occasionally feel guilty about not spending enough time on our work, with our family and relationships: We generally expect too much of ourselves.
So the exercise program you planned just last week has gone bottoms up and you're so mad with yourself you could just bag the whole idea. First of all, put it in perspective: One workout missed does not a complete failure make. Dr. Ava Walker, associate director of the University of Minnesota's exercise science lab, says, 'The guilt will probably happen before anything physiological happens,' and advises guilt-ridden exercisers not to worry about getting out of shape because of a day or two of missed exercise, as it can take up to 12 days before significant physiological changes occur.
Guilt Be Gone
Feeling better? Good. Now, getting back on track is as simple as the fingers on your hand. Here's a High Five to make getting over the guilts work for you:
Be honest with yourself about what you can do and what you like to do. Hate running? Then don't. Choose instead to kick a ball around with the kids or walk briskly with the dog. And be realistic about your exercise goals. Don't plan a regime that would better suit an Olympic athlete. Everybody is different - and different things work for different people.
Start out slowly. Don't be overly ambitious. Rather, plan to add a block, a lap, or an extra few minutes of exercise as the weeks pass. Remember: Experts agree that between 30 and 60 minutes of activity each day of the week is about right - and that includes planned exercise and incidental activities such as walking up stairs.
Measure yourself by your progress, not your perfection. Perfection isn't the goal anyway. Fitness is, and that is achievable. Instead of tracking your time, see how many lampposts you can pass on your walks, or how many more blocks you can do.
Make an exercise appointment with yourself every day to help keep on track, and treat it as seriously as you would any other appointment.
Forgive yourself when you miss a day of planned exercise. Some exercise is better than none, and getting into the habit of exercise, even if you miss a day here or there, is what counts. Georgia Kostas, director of nutrition at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, says to remember two things: 'Something is better than nothing' and 'every little bit counts.'
© 2002 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2002 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
WEIGHT WATCHERS and POINTS are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are being used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.
You skipped your workout today - and yesterday. In fact, you haven't been for a walk all week. You blamed the busy holidays for getting in the way of your exercise plans. You ran out of time, you forgot, you felt too tired to go to the gym.
Feeling guilty? Don't worry. We all do sometimes. And, interestingly, guilt is sometimes about the things we haven't done, rather than things we have. We can get the exercise guilts for the same reason we occasionally feel guilty about not spending enough time on our work, with our family and relationships: We generally expect too much of ourselves.
So the exercise program you planned just last week has gone bottoms up and you're so mad with yourself you could just bag the whole idea. First of all, put it in perspective: One workout missed does not a complete failure make. Dr. Ava Walker, associate director of the University of Minnesota's exercise science lab, says, 'The guilt will probably happen before anything physiological happens,' and advises guilt-ridden exercisers not to worry about getting out of shape because of a day or two of missed exercise, as it can take up to 12 days before significant physiological changes occur.
Guilt Be Gone
Feeling better? Good. Now, getting back on track is as simple as the fingers on your hand. Here's a High Five to make getting over the guilts work for you:
Be honest with yourself about what you can do and what you like to do. Hate running? Then don't. Choose instead to kick a ball around with the kids or walk briskly with the dog. And be realistic about your exercise goals. Don't plan a regime that would better suit an Olympic athlete. Everybody is different - and different things work for different people.
Start out slowly. Don't be overly ambitious. Rather, plan to add a block, a lap, or an extra few minutes of exercise as the weeks pass. Remember: Experts agree that between 30 and 60 minutes of activity each day of the week is about right - and that includes planned exercise and incidental activities such as walking up stairs.
Measure yourself by your progress, not your perfection. Perfection isn't the goal anyway. Fitness is, and that is achievable. Instead of tracking your time, see how many lampposts you can pass on your walks, or how many more blocks you can do.
Make an exercise appointment with yourself every day to help keep on track, and treat it as seriously as you would any other appointment.
Forgive yourself when you miss a day of planned exercise. Some exercise is better than none, and getting into the habit of exercise, even if you miss a day here or there, is what counts. Georgia Kostas, director of nutrition at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, says to remember two things: 'Something is better than nothing' and 'every little bit counts.'
© 2002 Weight Watchers International, Inc. © 2002 WeightWatchers.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
WEIGHT WATCHERS and POINTS are the registered trademarks of Weight Watchers International, Inc. and are being used under license by WeightWatchers.com, Inc.