5 Reasons Why Working Out Is Like Brushing Your Teeth
By admin
Stay with me for this one. I promise it will all make sense. And you’ll totally shake your head in agreement.
But first a back story…
This week for many women (and men) is the kick off for weight loss and fitness resolutions. Sure 2015 kicked off last week, but who wants to start eating cleaner or working out more on a Friday?
And guess what!? I’m no different. Over the past 2 months, I have totally relaxed a bit too much. Gotten a bit softer and out of my comfort zone. It happens. I’m human.
And because of this, I am participating in my boot camp’s transformation challenge. Yup, if I can ask people to change their habits for 8 weeks and push themselves out of their comfort zone…
So can I. Luckily, I love challenges with a start and stop date, and I love fitness… so I’m pretty pumped!
But I know that not everyone is like me. I am kind of insane. It’s cool. Wanna be friends?
Okay, moving on…
Pushing It Off As Long As Possible
My mom got a treadmill for Christmas (don’t worry, she asked for it).
It’s one of those treadmills that is perfect for the bedroom because it folds right up and slides under the bed perfectly, eliminating a chunky eye-sore but making it easy to set up when you want to move. <— My mom’s words, not mine. I find that benefit to be annoying, it’s too easy to put out of sight, out of mind. But that’s just my opinion.
Anyways, she was all excited about this in her effort to lose around 15 pounds. So when I asked her a few days after Christmas if she had used it yet, her response made me giggle (on the inside, I don’t laugh at my mother).
While I personally found this silly, I mean it’s walking, why can’t you start now? Everyone should want to move more each day.
But, I quickly realized that she wasn’t alone in this thought process.
To her, being new to exercise, working out is a chore.
Not something to look forward to, but something that is necessary to achieve the goals she wants. She knows she needs to exercise to help her joints feel better, her body to have more energy and for the pounds to melt off more easily than relying solely on diet.
So this treadmill it is… as of yesterday.
I know she’s not alone because I had over 60 new clients yesterday and over half of them have the exact same thoughts and feelings.
Not so sure about this whole fitness thing, but willing to do it for the prize.
And that’s how it starts. That’s how it started for me too some 12 years ago.
But that’s not how it has to be.
Fitness By Numbers
According to statistics, only 49.6% of Americans exercise for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week. I know not significantly, but that’s still less than half the population.
We like to follow trends. Our bodies like to follow trends.
If people around you are sedentary, chances are you’re going to be too. If people around you move, and like to move more, you’ll find yourself being influenced by their constant desire to exercise. It’s the law of nature… so I like to think. With the stats above chances are incredibly high that most people are surrounded by the unmoving people more often.
But let’s change that. Like I said, we like to follow trends. And just like in middle school, it takes juts one trendsetter to change everyone.
I can remember back in Middle School, there was this girl, Ashley. She was gorgeous, everyone loved her and wanted to be a part of her click. Gosh, I really hated middle school for their clicks.
Anyways, whatever Ashley did, everyone else followed suite. I think she was one of the first in our class to wear Happy (Clinique) perfume. Of course within weeks, every girl was wearing Happy. I may have had it too.
The point? It takes just one person to spark a change for those around. And you, can be that spark.
To do it, you have to make exercise make sense. It has to be more than getting sweaty, smelly, and painful. You have to make it seem easy. Make it seem worth it.
And that’s where my list of why it’s like brushing your teeth comes in.
We all brush our teeth every day, right? At least I hope so (as do the people around you). It’s something EVERYONE can relate to. And relatability is that spark builder.
Why Exercise Is Like Brushing Your Teeth
- No matter how crappy you look, you FEEL instantly better.
Ever drink a little too much and then wake up feeling like crap with a really nasty taste in your mouth the next day? Sure brushing your teeth doesn’t take away the hangover, but you do instantly feel more put together, cleaner, and alive.Exercise is the same.
No matter how crappy of a day you’ve had, or how many people annoyed you, a good workout can make some of that day feel not so bad. Part of your “work day hangover” is alleviated. The sour taste in your mouth? Gone!
- You used to fight it, now it’s second nature.
When I watch my 3 year old niece, I practically have to bribe her to brush her teeth. She doesn’t want to put that cute barbie toothbrush in her mouth even if doing so brings extra playtime. All kids (at least the ones I know) are like this.So when does that change? At some point along the way of growing up, brushing our teeth is second nature. We don’t question it and sometimes we do it when we don’t have just because we feel “blah” after eating something.
Exercise… it’s the same. We fight it at first. It’s not second nature and it’s not something we want to do.
We do it because we know we need to. But somewhere along the way, we start to change. We workout a little longer, we start to look forward to our workouts, and dare I say it, we actually LIKE doing it to the point we do it when we don’t have to! BOOM!
- The options are almost limitless!
Some people like Crest, some Colgate (we’re a Colgate family), some AquaFresh, some Arm & Hammer.Then once you choose your brand, do you want whitening? Sensitive? Regular? Infused with mouth wash? What flavor?
You get the point… we actually have to make several conscious decisions about what we like and what we trust to put on top of our toothbrush.
Yup… exercise is the same. What works for one person isn’t going to work for another and what one person loves another will hate. It’s cool. I don’t get upset if someone tries my boot camp and doesn’t like it. It’s not for them. Maybe Barre, or running, or Crossfit is more their style?
Who knows. But it’s important to not give up. If you don’t like your toothpaste, you don’t stop brushing, right? No! You try another one. So if you’re bored with your current workout or you’re just not that into it… try something new!
Oh by the way… One of my goals for 2015 is to master handstands. I’m pumped that I registered for a handstand clinic this weekend. See, new things!!
- People like you more when you do it.
No one likes a stinky breath friend. And if they’re really your friend they would tell you to go rinse with some Listerine before grossing out others around. Spouses don’t like kissing garlic breath (or onion breath) and of course, NO ONE likes morning breath.The truth… those that brush have more face to face friends. It’s the hard truth.And that goes with exercise. Exercise, increases endorphins and helps relieve stress which of course makes you more tolerable to others around you.
There are times when I have so much pent up stress the only way I can feel better is with a run. No amount of wine or Netflix can help. Just good old exercise.
Plus, most of my friends, I’ve met through fitness! See… exercise means friends!
- You don’t want to ruin it with sugar after.
When you brush your teeth, especially at night, you don’t want to eat anything. Your teeth are clean, that’s it. It’s time to go to bed. Water and milk, those were the only things I was allowed after brushing as a kid (and the only things I allow myself to now). You just cleaned them, why would you want to dirty them up with cavity causing junk?Well, you just exercised to burn off calories. Do you really want to walk away from the workout to grab a donut or piece of pizza? For some people, this is a yes but for most of us (and hopefully you), it’s like brushing your teeth. Your body is clean, you just worked it out, why fill it will fat building junk?
When you do one good thing for the body, that often causes a waterfall of several good things. Exercise leads to wanting to eat better and vice versa. Exercise and keep the body clean!
So there you have it… my reasons to not only exercise, but to brush those beautiful pearly whites!
And now I NEED to know…