Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

At first, I was training for a race, so I didn’t have time to play DDR. Then the race was over, but I got a new job that was only 5.6 miles from home, so I’ve been riding my bike to work, so I don’t have the time to play DDR. I’m getting my exercise in during my daily commute and it actually ends up saving me time in the end. I haven’t fired up the Xbox and danced my butt off for months.

The truth of the matter is that I miss playing DDR. I also miss going to the gym. I have so many options for exercise, that I am missing things when I don’t allow myself to do them. I never, in a million years, thought I would feel like this. I miss walking into the gym and having my choice of all the toys to play with. I miss dancing against other DDR players on Xbox Live, even though they kicked my butt almost every time.

I wish I knew what I did to get to this level. I wish I could bottle it up or list it out and hand it to you in a neat little package. All I remember is that I hated some things, so I just didn’t do them anymore. I remember finding some activities that I really liked, so I did them more often. Finding a race that I want to run, paying the registration fee and setting a schedule to train for it is one thing that I really like. Riding my bike to work and knowing that I am saving money, the environment and time is also something that I really like. Playing video games that are active is another.

All those things that I did to lose weight before that I hated are long forgotten and not enticing at all. The thought of doing aerobics sounds like work instead of play. The thought of riding an exercise bike fills me with a sense of dread. Even the thought of running without a goal sounds dull and boring.

Exercise has become a form of play for me and I have incorporated it into my life so much that I wish I had more time to play. I rarely even think of it as exercise anymore. It has taken me about four years to get to this point, but if you are still feeling like exercise is a chore, here are some hints:

• Find something that you like to do: You have to wake up in the morning wanting to do it. It should be a reward for you at the end of the day or a reason to get up in the morning.

• Mix it up: Running for miles with no goal in site didn’t work for me, but having a race to train for made running fun. What can you do with activities that you are good at to make them more fun for you?

• Give it some time: Your tastes take some time to change. Falling in love with a physical activity takes practice. You have to be able to move past the pain of a new activity and the feeling of inadequacy when you’re not good at it. Give it enough time to get reasonably good at it before you trash the idea.

Exercise is healthy for your body, but it can also be healthy for your emotions. Having something fun to look forward to every day is attainable. Take it from me, you can actually enjoy your workouts. Get out there and find what it is that you love!