As it turns out, an exercise routine is hard work – which I suppose is one reason it’s referred to as a workout. But it’s more than just the actual exercise that takes work; you have to get a routine that’s right for you . . . that’s the really tough part. And for us procrastinators, it’s a fabulous excuse to just not get into to that routine right away.
First, you have to decide what kind of cardio you want to do – running, swimming, aerobics. Then you have to decide if you want (or can afford) help – a gym, a class, a trainer, a friend that makes you go walk with them even if it’s cold or hot or you would rather have cookies. Then you have to decide what’s going to distract from the fact that you are actually running around in circles or jumping up and down like a fool – creating a good playlist (which can take days, by the way) or possibly that friend. And then, and this is the big hurdle, you have to be motivated to actually exercise – aahh!
Me, I think I’ve finally decided on a routine I might like . . . we’ll see. I decided that structured workouts would be best for me, but classes and trainers, well I’m not one to do things like high kicks in public. So I bought a DVD . . . a dance DVD. I had made a playlist, but the beauty of the dance DVD is that there’s music built-in. I plan on mixing that with walking the dog and some situps, pushups, and such. So I have a plan.
I did the full DVD for the first time today (I’m still working on that motivation bit). And I have to ask, why exactly did I choose to go with the cardio-dance thing?? I was starkly reminded for the entire hour of pas de bourrees, “New Yorkers,” and triples that I have absolutely NO rhythm, period. And for someone who has never taken a dance class and rarely frequents a dance floor for fun, the steps were confusing and the tempo was usually a bit quick – not that I ever kept tempo. The result was a combination of the Dirty Dancing montage where Baby just can’t get the steps right and an episode of the Wiggles. There is a reason I don’t dance in public, usually.
Occasionally the dance instructor will encourage you to improvise, to add “your own fun moves” or “have fun with your arms,” but man, I’m too focused on trying to figure out what exactly my feet are supposed to be doing and how in the world she can move her midsection like that. Perhaps my sister could get a hang of the body roll and add her own fun hip thing, but I just don’t get it. (And yes, apparently the body roll is an official dance move associated with the cha cha – maybe that’s common knowledge, but it was news to me.) My God, when they asked me to spin in the middle of two moves that I just managed, well, this is where the Wiggles moves came in handy.
But I guess the good news is that it got me moving for an hour straight – it certainly got my heart rate going. I suppose I chose the dancing because it’s a good distraction; it’s meant to be fun, which is what I want, but I’m also somewhat of a perfectionist and wanting to get the steps right takes away from the amusement part. I’ll get better at it – as soon as I learn to “clinch my buttocks as I bend my knees” and keep rhythm while hopping and tapping my toe some-which-way. Until then, I will be Baby when she and Johnny danced at the club and she tried poorly to ad-lib since she couldn’t do the lift, I will be that for an entire hour! (Man, I think I’ve seen that movie too many times.) It’s just too bad I don’t have Johnny to teach me the samba – now that would be motivation.
Alas, I suppose the motivation should be health or energy or attractiveness . . . here’s to health.
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