My daughters love to show me how ridiculously stiff I am compared to them. That's not embarrassing; they've both done a contortionist show before. Both of them can lay face down on the floor, then pull both feet up over their back and plant them flat on the floor next to their head.
Having trouble picturing that?
That's nothing. That's just happens to be the only picture I can find quickly. My daughter's the one on the left. She can actually take those feet and tuck them under her chin in that position.
So I don't worry about not meeting my daughters' standards.
My sons are a lot more gracious. If I manage 25 pushups, they say, "Wow, dad, that's impressive," even though that would be a warmup for them.
I'm Not Actually Motivated
Because it's easy to find me stretching with my daughters or exercising with my sons or walking or jogging down the road or doing some weird self-created exercise on the picnic table in our front yard, people think I'm very motivated for fitness.
I'm not.
That's why they see me.
Let me explain.
Exercise for the Unmotivated: Do It Now
I get hit with the thought every now and then that I really ought to be in better shape. If I then formulate a plan for getting in better shape, my lack of motivation will ensure that I do not carry it out.
So, instead, I don't formulate a plan. I do something. Right on the spot.
Anything.
At work, when I think, "Gracious, I've been in this chair typing for 3 hours," I don't formulate a plan on when to take breaks. I'll never follow through on it.
I take a break.
I drop to the floor and do pushups. Or I throw a leg up on one of the file cabinets and I stretch. Or I take care of the windmills or psoas major stretches that I try to fit in close to daily.
Finding Time for a Jog
A few years ago I was addicted to running. I got in good enough shape that I ran a half marathon (13.1 miles) and even a small ultramarathon (50km, which is 31 miles).
That was 4 years ago. I've gained 30 pounds and lost most of my wind in that time.
Yesterday, one of the young men that works in my warehouse asked me if I still dream of running the Badwater ultramarathon.
I smiled and told him, "Yeah, I still dream about it."
The Badwater Ultra
The Badwater ultra used to be from the lowest point in the US—Badwater, CA—to the highest point in the continental US—the top of Mt. McKinley, also in California. It was 148 miles across death valley in July, from around 200 feet below sea level to over 14,000 feet above sea level.Now, though, California won't let them run the race through Mt. McKinley park, so they have to stop at 8,000 feet, and the course is only 135 miles long.
Temperatures are always over 110 during the day and often hit 130.
If you complete the course in less than 48 hours, you get a belt buckle.
After that young man asked me about Badwater, I though, "Well, that may be just a dream, but if it's ever not going to be, I'll have to run."
It was lunchtime in August in Tennessee. What better time to train for a desert race?
So I changed into running clothes that I keep with me, and I popped out the door for a 2-mile walk and run.
Do It Now
I may never run Badwater, though I hope to return to the shape I was in back in 2006, which would put me close to qualifying for the race. I know a lot more about pain and injury prevention than I did then, so maybe it could happen.
But that's not the point.
The point is that if I'm ever going to be in the shape I want to be in, it won't be because I have a plan. I'm not motivated enough to fulfill plans.
I can, however, do something every time I have a flash of motivation.
Even in a suit, I can do pushups. Even dressed up for work, I can stretch, and I can certainly do any one of those mandatory weekly exercises I recommend.
People Think I'm Motivated
As a result, people find me exercising at odd times of the day. They think that's proof that I'm highly motivated.
No. It's proof I'm not, and I've figured out how to overcome that.
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