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How to Love Exercise {Episode 232}
429 Plays1 year ago
Do you hate exercising? Or have you ever given up on an exercise routine? In this episode, Bonnie & Audrey share their top tips for creating and maintaining an exercise routine you love. They also share their current exercise routines, and how they keep themselves accountable. Plus what they do if they hate an execise session.
Mentioned in this episode:
Episode 64: Body Image as Moms
About Outnumbered the Podcast:
Two moms, parenting a combined total of 19 kids and finding joy in the chaos.
Join Audrey and Bonnie as they share real parenting tips for real people through humor, advice and compassion.
Whether it's tackling how to teach kids to work or discussing where to turn when you're all out of patience, these two experienced moms are here to offer authentic tips for raising children joyfully.
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Transcript
Introduction and Finding Joy in Exercise
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome back to Outnumber the Podcast. You are listening to episode 232, creating an exercise regimen that you love. Yes, we said you will love it. We promise. We promise that there is an exercise out there that you will love, but it might take a little bit of time and effort to find it. So we're going to give you our top tips for finding that exercise that you love, making a commitment to it, and then holding fast to it for the long haul so that you can see real improvement in your body. Let's go.
Meet the Hosts and Podcast Focus
00:00:32
Speaker
Hello and welcome to Outnumbered the Podcast. I'm Audrey. And I'm Bonnie. We are experienced moms to a combined total of 19 children. In our weekly episodes, we explore relatable topics using our perspectives of humor and chaos. Tune in for advice and encouragement to gain more joy in your parenting journey.
Body Image and Exercise
00:00:57
Speaker
Hey everyone, welcome back and welcome to an episode about creating an exercise regimen that you love. And we're so excited about this because Audrey and I both love exercise. And no, we're not being facetious. We really do, but it's taken some years. We haven't always, and we're going to share some of our tips about how to find and implement a system that makes you want to get out there and exercise regularly.
00:01:19
Speaker
Yes, we want to remind you guys before we start that we have an episode called Body Image for Moms and that's a good place to start or a good companion episode to this one because exercise is and has been a huge part of like both my and Bonnie's life and also part of our positive body image.
Listener Feedback
00:01:39
Speaker
work process. So definitely listen to that one too. But you guys, somebody left us the sweetest review. I just have to read it to you. It's from Sheri Lorraine. It says, so charming. This podcast feels like a phone call with a best friend. Bonnie and Audrey do such a good job. You just feel like they get me. I love their insights and pick me up. We don't know you guys, but we feel like we do because we're all moms doing this, the same thing.
00:02:07
Speaker
the same stuff we run into all the time. That's why we're doing this, because we want to talk to you about what we've learned, so you don't have to make the same mistakes.
Loving Your Exercise Routine
00:02:14
Speaker
Yeah, or you do and then you just commiserate with us because we all make mistakes so thanks so much for that sweet episode so kind Okay, so back to exercise Basically what we want to focus on today is not so much the exercise part as the love part of this title, right? Because anyone can exercise anyone can go out and get on a bike or walk around the block or lift some weights But we want you to love it. Why?
00:02:38
Speaker
Well, not only does it feel better, but it actually will ensure that you do it over and over and over. We promised we are not going to tell you to go do something that you hate and that makes you miserable until you have to do that for the rest of your life. That is no way to live. And I feel the same way about food. There's a food you hate and everybody says it's just so good for you.
00:02:56
Speaker
don't have to eat it. It's okay. Find something else that will give you some more benefits, right? What we have noticed is that those who have the healthiest bodies and consistently show up for themselves physically are the ones who do things that they love. And that goes not only for physical health, but things like nutrition. They eat the things they love. They take supplements they love. They do things that strengthen their emotional health, their mental health. We don't want to lock ourselves into habits that we hate. That is
Tuning into Your Body's Preferences
00:03:25
Speaker
misery. So let's find a way to love it. Yes. I want to say to you guys that if your body is telling you, you hate a certain food or you hate a certain type of exercise, that's probably because it's not optimal for you. Your body's just telling you, it's trying to talk to you and tell you things. Okay. Now granted, there's some things who likes liver, right? And it's good for everybody.
00:03:49
Speaker
But in general, your body is probably talking to you about an exercise or a food or whatever. So if you're the type who hates exercise, we can guarantee it's probably because you haven't tried something you love or that works with your body or that is a good way for you to get your physical health where you want it to be. So keep trying. We want to talk to you more about this.
00:04:16
Speaker
Yes, and I will say that we fully acknowledge that exercise is hard. That's what makes it difficult to do over and over. It's not like eating healthy, I feel like can require some planning and strategy, but it's still an enjoyable thing. You sit down to a nice salad. That's an enjoyable thing as long as you've kind of prepared your body to
00:04:33
Speaker
to like that sort of thing. Exercise sometimes is just always hard, even if it's something you love. It is meant to strain your body so that you can develop a healthier heart, healthier muscles.
Commitment to New Exercises
00:04:45
Speaker
So not only do you have to try lots of things, but you have to try them for more than one day, okay? Trying a new exercise one time will not tell you whether or not you like it, because you'll probably hate everything the first time. The first time I tried weightlifting, I was like, oh, this is awful. The first time I ran, I was like, why do people do this? They're masochists, right? Of course, the first time is going to be miserable.
00:05:02
Speaker
So I like to think that trying things once and then determining that you hate it is like a toddler who licks broccoli and then is like, I don't like it. Of course you don't because you are just a toddler when it comes to exercise and you're only just licking it. You're only just trying it once. You got to commit and try for a while. That's such a good analogy. Kids licking the broccoli. Yeah, you don't know. You haven't tried it.
00:05:25
Speaker
Or maybe even just looking at it, I feel like that's what my kids do. I don't like the way it looks. Yeah, smell. No, I don't like that. Have you tried it? Which cooked broccoli does smell kind of gross, let's be honest. It does. Cheese sauce, that's why you need cheese sauce. Now I'm hungry. Okay, so you guys, that is our number one tip for you.
Exploring Exercise Options
00:05:46
Speaker
That is our first tip for you. It might be number one as well. Try lots of things. If you're doing an exercise you don't like, try something else. Try yoga. Try walking. Try Pilates. Try swimming. Try biking. Try Zumba. Try high fitness. Try kickboxing. Try martial arts. You guys, there's so many options. There's so many things that you can try.
00:06:07
Speaker
Yes, absolutely. A few more that are some of my favorites, weightlifting or strength training with just your body weight, spinning, so like stationary bike workouts, maybe trying a personal trainer, having somebody walk you through some exercises, running. Again, not a lot of people say they like running right off the bat, but eventually so many people do like it, but it does take some time.
00:06:27
Speaker
So then don't forget about the things that kind of don't look like exercise. Like you don't have exercise clothes on. Dancing, running your dog in the park, playing pickleball, basketball, hiking, rock climbing, anything that gets your heart rate up or moving. And if you've been kind of sedentary,
00:06:46
Speaker
Everything is going to feel like exercise at first. So good, good on you. Go, go and get
Exercise Suggestions for Blood Types
00:06:51
Speaker
it. I want to also recommend the book, eat right for your blood type, because it has a whole section on for each blood type on what kind of exercise is the most beneficial for each blood type. So if you want to get the most bang for your buck, start with the exercises that like your body is the most likely to adapt to or to get the most benefit from.
00:07:14
Speaker
Okay, that's super fascinating. I want to check that out. And I will also say that when it comes to, like you say, going from being very sedentary to starting exercise, so many of us just dive in, and that's probably the biggest mistake, right? We're like, well, let's just go do a weightlifting class at the gym. So funny story, I used to belong to a really swanky gym. I worked there in the childcare center, so they gave me a free membership. It was amazing, and their classes were incredible. But one time I had a baby.
00:07:39
Speaker
And then like five weeks later, I went to one of these weightlifting classes, which are for people who regularly exercise intensely. And here's me, postpartum me, like, I can do it. And I think
Safe Exercise Practices
00:07:50
Speaker
I couldn't walk for like a week. So do not do that. Don't be a dummy. Even if you're doing a lot before having a baby or before, I don't know, having surgery or taking a break for some reason, ease yourself back in. Do your body and mind a favor by being kind to it and easing back in. But I will also say that when it comes to the things that aren't, don't look like exercise, but do get your body moving.
00:08:10
Speaker
Be intentional about it and make it exercise. So for example, we like to go on this little teeny tiny hike up a little kind of decorative mountain with our family. It's so, so, so small. But when I go, I try to make it my workout. So maybe I'll
00:08:25
Speaker
run up a little portion or maybe i'll carry a kid with me or maybe all you know go up and then come back down for another kid or i will do a little bit extra to make it my workout instead of just kind of trudging along same thing with something like walking you can walk like your window shopping or you can walk where you're you know clenching your muscles and you're moving quickly in your your you know moving your arms and
00:08:46
Speaker
and make it worth your while if you're going to do something like that. Don't give yourself an easy out. Yeah, exactly. Walking with your toddler. You go at toddler pace and it's super slow, so clench every muscle as you go. Imagine yourself walking through pudding. Isn't that the one they say like wet cement? Like your resistance walking. You can even exercise by walking.
00:09:09
Speaker
Right. Right. And the more you do this, the more you will want to. A leisurely walk won't feel as energizing as a really brisk one or as one where you are really activating all your muscles. So get to where you enjoy that and it will be so much more fun to go out and do these fun play things because you're knowing how good it is for your body as well.
Overcoming Learning Curves
00:09:30
Speaker
Okay. So step number two, first one is trying lots of things if you haven't found one you love yet. And number two is
00:09:35
Speaker
give something new a chance, right? So not just things that you've tried in the past. Well, I think I maybe liked tennis before, but try something brand new and stick with it for a while. So we recommend trying something for at least a month. So four to six weeks, or at least six times. If you're only doing it once a week, that might be for a month or so.
00:09:53
Speaker
What that does is first of all, it helps you get through the learning curve because every new physical activity has a bit of a learning curve, especially as you get older, right? You get a little bit less coordinated or your muscles don't work the way you thought they did. So don't go swim one time and think, oh, that was miserable because yeah, you're still learning the right strokes. You're still learning how to breathe correctly.
00:10:10
Speaker
and then you get a little bit more comfortable with it and then you can make a decision. Once you get to where you think, okay, this isn't quite so bad, then decide, is it something I love? So for example, swimming is something that is a little bit easier for me than it used to be. It's still not my favorite thing. I do prefer running, but I only know that because I've done it dozens and dozens of times and I've given myself a chance to get really comfortable at both of them and then make a decision.
00:10:34
Speaker
Yes, that is such good advice. One way that you can kind of force yourself to do it for a month is, for example, sign up for a class or a gym membership for like a month long, something that like you put some money into it. And so now you're kind of going to do it for six weeks because you've signed up, you spent a little money on it. So that's a good way. Okay, so here's something that I tried that
00:10:59
Speaker
I did not love. I did the mistake of not trying it very long. I tried kickboxing. Now, this is just at home, so I often use body fit by Amy. We'll link her in the show notes. But she goes through a lot of different kinds of workouts. This is also a good recommendation for our try lots of things part.
00:11:20
Speaker
So she'll throw in some kickboxing and she'll throw in some kettlebell workouts and she'll throw in some yoga and she'll throw in Pilates and all these different things. So I was like, it was, and sometimes it'll be mixed in with other things. So I was doing this workout of hers that I thought I liked and it had some kickboxing in it. And oh my goodness, I felt so uncoordinated. I could not keep up. I could not get the moves right. I could not turn my whatever in the direction I was supposed to. It didn't feel graceful. It felt aggressive. I just absolutely hated it. And I was like,
00:11:49
Speaker
Yeah, no more kickboxing for me. This is just not working. But again, I only did like one workout with kickboxing in it.
00:11:58
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Well, we can agree to disagree there because I love kickboxing. That probably has something to do with personality too. You're a lot gentler than I am. Good, but oh my goodness. Maybe I would like it if I tried it again or tried it. If I just picked one of her episodes and just did that every week for six weeks or something and I could get the moves down, maybe it would feel more intuitive, but it just felt so unnatural to me. It's probably not right for my blood type kickboxing.
00:12:25
Speaker
That's right. Well, and I will say that the more coordination, the exercise type you pick,
00:12:30
Speaker
the longer you're going to need to stick with it to see if you're good at it. So things like Zumba or any sort of dance workout or a kickboxing thing, swimming. So when you're using lots of body parts at the same time doing different things, that's going to require more coordination than just lifting some dumbbells, okay? So that's going to take a little bit more time to get used to. And it's totally okay if you end up hating it, but you could love it. You just never know. It could be just the thing to get you back into exercise, but give these things a chance.
00:12:56
Speaker
So I personally am not a huge fan. Another thing I'm not a huge fan of is
Enjoyment in New Fitness Activities
00:13:00
Speaker
biking for exercise. I like to go on nice leisurely bike rides, but not like push it hard. But I have trained for some triathlons and so both the swimming thing and the biking thing are required. So I would love the running aspect and then just kind of tolerate the other two, but I really did learn to enjoy it towards the end.
00:13:17
Speaker
that just goes to show that the time spent on these things can be really, really enjoyable. And you may learn to use different areas of your brain, different portions of your body than you've ever used before and might teach you something new about yourself. Oh my goodness, biking. I like biking, but here's another thing about why you need to be consistently trying it for a while is because it uses some muscles that
00:13:41
Speaker
Kind of hurt. Like sitting on the bicycle seat, I don't have padding or something in the right places. And I like limp for a week afterwards. When I first get back on the bike for a while, especially because I have a racing bike that has a little teeny tiny little hard seat. Yeah. It is very uncomfortable for the first two weeks. You're like, Oh, I know last summer, my daughter and I were going on a bike ride once we were trying to do it once a week. And I don't think that was enough to get my body.
00:14:09
Speaker
my seat muscles built up or something. Yeah. Anyway, keep trying. That's the point. Keep trying. Try something new.
Finding the Right Time for Exercise
00:14:20
Speaker
Okay. Our third step or third tip for you is pick a time and duration that you can commit to for the long haul. So if you're trying to exercise for singing in the morning and you're not a morning person, it's just not going to stick. You may be motivated for a while because you have this new thing.
00:14:35
Speaker
5 a.m. is not the time to start a brand new unfamiliar workout where you're just unfamiliar with what you're doing and you're hating being up at that time of the day. Anyway, you've got to be put some thought and intentionality into when you work out and why you work out then.
00:14:54
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. And it doesn't mean that you can't train yourself to like a 5am workout, but just realize that it's going to take some commitment if that's not something that you're used to and, and be ready to, you know, keep pushing through for the long haul. And I think for me this, this just takes trial and error.
00:15:11
Speaker
And every phase of life is very different. So when I had little babies, every one of my babies needed a feeding at 5 AM, always. So I could never do early morning workouts. The earliest I could get out might be seven or so. And sometimes that was too late for my husband leaving work. So I had to get scrappy, you know? The trick is just to commit, to try a time. Let's say, well, let's try 6 PM. My husband gets home, we eat dinner. I'm going to leave him with the kids. I'm going to go try to go on a walk. And then just tell yourself, I know there's an exercise, form of exercise out there that I love and I will not stop until I find it.
00:15:42
Speaker
And then your brain knows, okay, well, this wasn't it, but there's another one. Instead of just thinking, well, this wasn't it, I'm just destined to be slothful forever.
00:15:52
Speaker
Yes, that is right. Um, so one time that does not work out for working out for me is in the evening, like pretty close to bedtime because, or at least like heavy exercise, like I can do a yoga or I can do a walk or something gentle in the evening. But if I like do this big heavy workout and I'm getting sweating and I'm getting my, I'm getting myself adrenaline and my metabolism and heart rate and all that, I'm not going to go to bed in an hour. I'm going to be like,
00:16:22
Speaker
worrying, spinning for a couple hours. That does not work for me. And there are times in my life where I have had to figure out a workout routine that involved my kids because there was no way that I could leave kids at home alone and go work out somewhere or it just wasn't, it just didn't work out.
Exercising with Kids
00:16:41
Speaker
So I have done
00:16:42
Speaker
Back in the day before YouTube was a thing, I had CDs and I did P90X with my kids and they did what they could and I did what I could and we just did that. We were like three times a week. It was exercise time and we did that. I have done yoga with kids climbing all over me like a jungle gym. There are times when I have had to work out with kids, but for me, exercising
00:17:04
Speaker
is such a huge priority that I'll make it work even if I have a kid sitting on my head while I'm trying to relax in yoga or something. Oh man, all the memories when you said CDs of P90X, I think they're called DVDs actually, but yes, I had those too. Yeah. Yeah. So you were like a P90X person too. Yeah. What was his name? Tony? Tony, something or another?
00:17:26
Speaker
Yeah, I think. Yeah. Those are crazy. And he like yelled at you. Whoo. Yeah. Even his yoga was like, his yoga one was like an hour and a half long. And like, I was could physically not stand up at the end of an hour and a half of yoga. Try to kill your yoga. Yeah.
00:17:45
Speaker
Yeah, so see, I personally cannot stand working out with my kids around. I think it's because I just get really, really cranky and they climb on me and I get interrupted and then it's not fun. And mostly I just, I think my brain is always looking for an excuse to stop exercising. So if a kid gets on me, I'll be like, well, just stop and play with them.
00:18:02
Speaker
Instead of pushing through so for me personally I have to leave my house And so I'd rather wake up at five o'clock in the morning with my husband still there then then exercise with kids But it's just personal preference you have to do what works best for you And like we said sometimes of life are gonna be way harder than other ones But if you are committed you will find a way like I said I worked at a gym daycare for a while so if I could get a free membership and my kids could play there and
00:18:24
Speaker
Sometimes we would just go to the pool and I would put floaties on them and I would try to swim some laps or we would all go for a walk together and they'd ride their bikes and I would just push the stroller full of a couple of kids. So anything is possible if you are committed.
00:18:37
Speaker
Yes, I have done all those things too. I didn't work at a gym, but we went to a gym that had a daycare and we just made it work for a while because exercise was more important than not exercising. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Exercise Accountability
00:18:50
Speaker
Okay, so tip number four is to be accountable to someone other than yourself, which is very, very helpful to have someone that you answer to.
00:18:58
Speaker
So, I personally have been lifting weights regularly for almost two years now. I did it some on and off in previous years, but I chose to, after my last baby, I chose to invest in a personal trainer because I needed someone to show me the ropes to remind me everything, how everything worked, and most importantly, to hold me accountable to showing up at the gym. And so, I met with her at 8 a.m. every Monday. And so, whether I was tired or overwhelmed or stressed out
00:19:21
Speaker
Monday morning, I was at the gym and that just set me up for the whole week. And it was, I've been more consistent than I have ever been in my life because someone was waiting for me. So if you can get a friend or something to hold you accountable, it makes all the difference. Yes. There are so many different iterations of this that make it work for you. I remember when I was growing up, my mom would walk a mile and a half down to a friend's house and the friend and her would walk back a mile and a half to her house and then the friend would walk home. So they were each getting like a three mile walk, but they were
00:19:52
Speaker
together on the middle part of that, the middle mile and a half. And it was just great exercise. It's something they did. I have often worked out with one of my kids who I find often when they hit those teenage years that they really need something extra as their body is growing and changing. They need it for the physical. They need it for the mental. I especially like to do this with my daughters because I guess I understand more
00:20:16
Speaker
the female body and the female emotions and hormones and everything that's going on. Um, so I'm currently working out at a gym with my 20 year old daughter and we go two mornings a week and it helps her for work in college and it helps me for so many ways.
00:20:31
Speaker
or some evening she'll be like, are we working out in the morning, mom? And some of the evenings I'll be like, we're working out in the morning, right? So we're holding each other, helping each other accountable. Another, I know like holding yourself accountable to yourself, it doesn't always work. But here's something that's currently working for me. I am holding myself accountable to my future self. Because I'm getting to an age where women
00:20:55
Speaker
start to lose bone mass, bone structure, osteoporosis. And if you work out with just even the tiniest bit of resistance, you can reverse or offset or eliminate that possible osteoporosis happening. And with as many
00:21:15
Speaker
children and extended nursing as I've done, it could possibly be a concern. So I'm holding myself accountable to my future self. My future self doesn't want to have a hip break or all the other things that come with osteoporosis. So my future self is very glad that my present self is holding yourself accountable because
00:21:39
Speaker
I had my last child when I was in my early 40s and I want to be in a state where I can, I want to be in a good condition physically where I can be around to take care of him and enjoy him and be, I want to be a spry old lady. But I feel like I'm holding myself accountable to my future self and to my, to my future children as they're, as they're still needing me as they're growing.
00:22:03
Speaker
Oh, I love that. Not future children. I'm sorry. I'm holding myself accountable to my current children and in their futures. No announcements. Not saying anything here. Good catch. I love that. Yeah. And if your future self is a bit of a stretch for you or you still can't make that work, holding yourself accountable to your children in the future, to your future family, right?
00:22:24
Speaker
What about your husband, right? Can you keep up with him? Can you keep up with your grandkids? Are you going to be able to roll down the hill with them and bounce them on your knee and go for a jog together, ride bikes together? If we want to enjoy our lives, we have to take care of the vehicle that we are in.
00:22:40
Speaker
I would also say that holding yourself accountable does not have to look fancy. It doesn't have to look like a personal trainer. Audrey and I are actually part of a little Marco Polo group we have where we just check in with each other about fitness and nutrition goals. We'll say, oh, my goal is to do a little bit more strength training, or my goal is to pump my heart a little bit more each week, or, oh, how much are you doing on the stair climber? It can be so helpful to just have someone check in with you every now and again, so you have to answer to someone.
00:23:03
Speaker
Yes. And that Marco Polo group is so, so helpful because like you'll mention something or I'll ask somebody in the group a question or, you know, like, there's just like a, like a hive mind kind of thing where I haven't done this machine before and I can't figure it out from watching YouTube videos. So I'll ask you guys and like, it's just really helpful to feel like you're.
00:23:22
Speaker
Like, I'm exercising this morning and I know so-and-so exercise this morning too or that kind of thing. You could have a text thread with a friend, a sibling. You could make a chart with your husband. You could create a reward system for yourself. Gold stars. Hey, it worked when you were kids, right? There's tons of cute hundred day trackers or one thing a day trackers or every week tracker, however you want to do it. There's lots of things out there that you can
00:23:51
Speaker
bring into your repertoire to help you stay consistent.
00:23:56
Speaker
Yes, and again, remember that all the charts and all the accountability systems will not mean anything if you are doing things that you hate, right? So I actually, I go to a gym that I really enjoy and there are a million things I can do. There's stair climber and there's elliptical and there's walking and running and there's a million classes and there's training programs and all these other things and a pool you can swim in, but I have learned what works for me. And so generally I do the same
00:24:24
Speaker
thing over and over and over because I love it. And add on top of that, I always listen to music that pumps me up. Could I listen to podcasts and audio books? Of course I could, but that doesn't work for me. It might work for you, so try that, right? Try a million different things until you hit on the thing that just gets you out of bed in the morning. I don't have to
00:24:42
Speaker
look at my chart and see if I want to get a gold star to get to the gym. I wake up and think, oh, I can't wait to go get some frustration out on the steer climber. Or I can't wait to, sometimes I just go walk on the treadmill and they have a theater room where I can watch a movie or something just to decompress. I need time away from my kids and working on my body. So that is so helpful to me because I found something that I enjoy.
00:25:04
Speaker
Just to give you guys a little sneak peek into our own current workout regimens, I wake up and exercise either right away, if my kids are already up, I have to leave the house quickly before they tie me down, or if they're still asleep, then I will make time for scriptures first and then I will leave. I like to go to the gym at least three times a week, sometimes four, usually for weightlifting, usually lifting weights or doing something similar to that. And I like to use a stair climber or walk on the treadmill. And then I also walk or run outside a couple of times a week if the weather allows.
00:25:32
Speaker
Okay, currently I mentioned that I'm going to the gym with my daughter twice a week and we go early. I like to also put a little scripture in my mind before I go and I usually listen to the Bible as I'm driving there and back just to get my morning started, right? Also in another way.
00:25:49
Speaker
Um, so we do a little cardio to warm up and then we do a weightlifting routine. It's just one she found on the internet that she downloaded and I have this spreadsheet that I used to track it. And then at the end, um, I go do, she goes and gets ready to go to work, but I go home and shower. So, um, I go back and do more cardio, either stair stepper or treadmill or.
00:26:12
Speaker
elliptical or the rowing machine, I just kind of cycle through them. Then a couple of times a week, I like to do yoga at home and I usually end up doing that in the afternoon because the place where I can work out is in my bedroom where my husband or kid might still be sleeping in the early morning. So I usually do that like after lunch in my afternoon work hours. And that's also highly beneficial type of exercise for my blood type. So I do try to do a lot of yoga and then some evenings I will go for a walk.
00:26:42
Speaker
I love outdoor exercises, like super amazing for me. And then my daughter and I are trying to go for a bicycle ride once a week, also this summer, but maybe I'll bump it up to twice a week or something because those muscles are just not quite there where they need to be yet.
00:27:05
Speaker
Yeah, it takes a little bit of adjusting. Like you said, keep giving it a shot until your body's used to it, right? One thought I wanted to share is that I recently saw an Instagram video that was talking about the benefits
00:27:20
Speaker
of exercising for children when it comes to just watching their mother exercise. Basically, that the fitness level of the mom is directly related to the fitness level of the kids, even if they don't exercise together. Just the fact that the mom is fit shows the kids how to also be fit. I don't think it's specifically that they're seeing mom go to the gym and they then want to go to the gym, but rather they see mom prioritize her body.
00:27:45
Speaker
and be able to go out and do a cartwheel and be able to go out and ride bikes together and be able to do these physically demanding things and they think, I want that, right? Or they just think that's normal. They just ingrained that in their brain that it's normal for mom to go out and ride bikes. It's normal for mom to go be able to jog to the end of the block or not. If they don't think that's normal, then they are going to just subconsciously
00:28:08
Speaker
Let that go as they grow up. So I have so many memories of my mom in her 80s workout gear. Sorry, mom. I'm calling you out. In her little leotard and her biker shorts, right? Flinging hand weights around a whatever random 80s music because that was important to her too. And she went on walks almost every single day of her life. I mean, she still does. She's still around. But as far as when I was growing up, I just remember seeing that all the time and knowing that that was important. It was going to be important for me. It was important for her. It's important for everyone.
00:28:38
Speaker
Yeah, my mom totally did aerobics in the 80s, aerobics classes. And to this day, I think the best workout music is 80s.
00:28:45
Speaker
80s work out, 80s music, right? There's nothing that I work out too. Because that was like my paradigm growing up, mom. It is so good. Like warmers and, you know, aerobics, right? Here's a funny story. I would sometimes join her and we would just kind of dance around together. It was aerobics. It's always a kind of fun little dancey beat. And my brother was off making mischief somewhere in the house. And apparently he found, I think, a pair of tongs or something, kitchen tongs, and stuck it in an electrical outlet.
00:29:12
Speaker
and blew some switches and turned off the TV and were like, what just happened? Having an unsupervised child, that too can happen to you.
Finding Enjoyable and Sustainable Exercise
00:29:24
Speaker
Okay, so a few final thoughts. Again, if you have been hating something or avoiding exercise because you hate it,
00:29:30
Speaker
You have our permission to stop. You never have to run another mile in your life. I am giving you that permission. You never have to swim laps ever if you hate it. Just don't do it. But find something that does work, right? That works both your heart and your muscles, ideally both at the same time, but you can swap off between strength training, slower strength training, and also cardio. But your body needs that to have a long, healthy, amazing life.
00:29:56
Speaker
And just a side note on that, endless cardio is not very effective, especially when it is low level. So many of us are like, well, just go and get on the treadmill for 47 minutes. That'll be great. But we're not really huffing and puffing, and we're not really using our muscles. We're just meandering along.
00:30:11
Speaker
I'm a huge fan of strength training. Like Audrey said, it eliminates osteoporosis. It eliminates that muscle atrophy that naturally comes with age. It actually boosts your immune system. It helps lower insulin resistance. It just helps all the things. So use those muscles.
00:30:29
Speaker
Yeah, those such good thoughts.
Balancing Health and Lifestyle
00:30:31
Speaker
So keep in mind, there's three parts of being physically fit. There is cardio, there is strength, and there is flexibility. So try to try different things in all those areas. Like don't just do cardio or don't just do strength training, but like try to mix them in all those. Cause there's different parts of being like, you know, maybe you've got the biggest muscles in the world, but you can't reach down and touch your toes. How's that being very physically fit, right? So my final thoughts are try to promote a culture of health.
00:30:59
Speaker
in your life so don't just eat right and never exercise or don't just exercise and then eat crappy like have a whole culture of health do it do it for your kids so that that is their paradigm that is what is normal for them like you're not only doing it for yourself and your own physical and mental health you're doing it for your kids and theirs
00:31:17
Speaker
Surround yourself with like-minded people. If you are surrounded by people who make fun of exercise, you're going to hear their voices in your head when you go to exercise. I guarantee you, I have some family members who I don't talk about exercise because they just make fun of people who exercise, right? And how's that helping me? And then my biggest tip for you is that what you do today is
00:31:39
Speaker
going to affect how you feel tomorrow. You might not notice the benefits today. Sometimes you will, like when you're really in a good routine. You'll notice you have more energy and you feel better and you eat better that day. But being healthy today affects tomorrow.
00:31:55
Speaker
And that's what you want. Like don't exercise and say, oh, I, you know, nothing happened. I felt terrible the rest of the day. Well, yeah, kind of it hurts, but tomorrow you're going to feel better. You're going to feel lighter. You're going to feel stronger. And, um, so keep that in mind. How you, what you do today is going to affect how you feel tomorrow and just do it. You find something that you love and, and love it.
Tracking Fitness Progress
00:32:20
Speaker
Yeah, and you might also want to keep track of the progress you do see. So like with weightlifting, you see your body change, right? You see your self-developed muscles and lean down a little bit. Taking pictures or measurements can motivate you to keep going when all you feel is sore every day for three weeks, you know? But then you start to see some changes. And it's just amazing what our bodies are capable of when we take care of them. So let's go do that. All right, friends, that's what we've got for you this week. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Bonnie.
00:32:49
Speaker
I'm Audrey and we're Outnumbered. Thanks for listening friends. Click the link in the show notes to subscribe to our email and never miss another episode. Show us some love by leaving a review on iTunes or sharing the podcast with a friend. Thanks for all your support. We'll talk to you next week.