Recently Earrings Off! co-host Teresa and I did an exercise where we each had to name 6 things about us. It could have been 6 things we do or like or 6 things we find challenging. We engaged in this exercise to better know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. An additional goal was to help develop future topics or areas of interest for the podcast.
During the exercise Teresa and I went back and forth as we each shared our answers. What was interesting is that of all the things we could have shared and all the various ways we could have ranked our responses, we each listed our love of exercise as number three.
Teresa and I love to work out. We like it even better when we get to work out together. We know the health benefits but when Teresa shared her answer she said “I just love to move.” That struck a chord with me because I use the exact same wording when trying to explain my workout schedule to people. There is something inherent in me that responds to working out. I am human so like everyone there are days when I just don’t feel like working out. However, most days I just grab my workout gear and go.
Science says that it’s the endorphins that flood your body after exercise that makes a person want to experience that feeling again and again. That’s probably it. However, I am convinced that exercise has saved me more than once given some bad habits that I continue to struggle with.
Your thing may not be exercise. You may not like to exercise and resist it as much as you can. However, I bet there is something that you have worked into your lifestyle to improve your health that now seems less like a decision you made but seems more like your natural preference. Take a few minutes and think about what good habits you routinely do. Do you naturally prefer water over sugary drinks? Do you prefer your salad with a bit of olive oil and lemon rather than ranch or blue cheese dressing? Do you like your coffee black without creamer or sugar? Do you always choose the broiled offering over a fried option? That’s a great place to start. Don’t minimize the good choices you make. Now just work on gradually building on them. Do it before the doctor tells you that some new condition has now taken the choice away from you.
