If there is an excuse for not working out and eating healthy, I have used it: I don't have time. I'm too tired. I'll start tomorrow. I'm no good at this, I give up. I don't know where to start.
Yes, I have used all of these and more.
I was never an entirely active person growing up. I was not overweight, so I just assumed that working out was not important. Now that I've had three kids and passed my mid-thirties, I am discovering just how important it is to stay active.
I understand that exercise and eating right are cornerstones to overall health and go a long way as a preventative medicine. I want to be able to keep up with my kids and set a good example for them. Instead of telling my children to run around outside and play, while I sit at the computer, I want them to see me enjoying exercising too.
All good intentions aside, it is still easy to fall back on those old excuses. Especially with the shorter and colder days ahead, the desire to choose rest over exercise is strong. That's why I'm happy to have discovered the Madison chapter of No Excuse Mom (NEM), to keep me on track. NEM is a movement that was sparked after Maria Kang's "What's your excuse?" photo went viral.
NEM is a place for all women, not just mothers. The group organizes free workouts where kids are always welcome. All ages, shapes, sizes and fitness levels are welcome at the meet-ups, and workouts can be modified as needed. This takes care of so many common excuses not to exercise: I don't have money for a gym membership, I don't have daycare for my kids, I'm too out of shape, and I don't know where to start.
Facebook group. I can't always make it to the meet-ups, but I have really stuck with my goals after finding that joining the group made me accountable for my actions.
Here is where members can post their successes and challenges. Members are encouraged to ask questions on anything from what to eat, gyms to join, or what types of exercises to work on. Here is where you can admit to a slipping back into old food habits and will not be judged but rather supported as you work to get back on track. It is the real world, and that, to me, is so refreshing.
