Let's Work Out

picture from www.trends4youth.com

Hi guys! What's popping? Yes, I'm sure you guessed that the next thing after eating right would be working out, right? I can imagine my siblings cracking up at the thought of me writing this. You see, I DO NOT like to work out, but what I can't stand is the thought of adding flesh in the wrong places. So for me, it's a matter of choosing the lesser evil, of which in this case, is working out! That's right! I would humbly offer my body to work out sessions to get rid of flab I do not want. It's sort of tricky for me because I'm seen to be naturally skinny. Let me tell you a bit about that, follow me.

Okay, so I really do not like to work out, but this wasn't always the case. I still remember vividly how I used to join my big sister in exercising daily. It was sort of like a family ritual, we'll do the stretches, kicks here and there, sit ups of the various kinds, squats, side crunch and various others. Once we're done with those, the others would close for the day while my big sister and I would head out; we'll jog round a certain path; we had 2 major paths.  I still remember my pink shorts I loved to wear for the run. We usually stopped by at a phone booth to call her then fiance, now husband and then jog back home. I still remember people screaming at us, saying she shouldn't kill me oh, asking me what the hell I was doing or what my aim was. I was really young and skinny, either in primary school or beginning secondary school. My nickname at home then was "skinny bones", so you can imagine why we got all the yelling. I loved the whole routine though, it was fun and exhilarating. This was in Lagos, Nigeria.

Years later, my dad brought this back to life. He made us all go jogging every evening, we'll stop at a certain spot to play football or just catch and throw the ball. I loved this experience too. This was in Abuja, Nigeria. Today, however, I would avoid getting on a treadmill with all the excuses in the world. There was a time, we heard of the death of someone we knew. He had a heart attack at TWENTY FIVE! I bet you thought that was old folks death route huh? This sort of scared my dad, not scared really, but made him try to force us to get on the treadmill daily as everyone started giving excuses of being too busy to step out of the house to do any form of exercise. We were so discouraging, he gave up soon enough, from time to time he still tries to reinstate the rule though. Come to think of it, I do not really know when I lost so much interest in exercising. It only brings good memories, so why the sudden dislike? I should probably see a shrink... psyche!

As much as I hate working out, I do know it is essential for staying healthy. You would avoid a whole lot of health problems by simply adding a work out plan to your daily schedule. You know the best part? You can choose the fun types or you can make it fun. We always did the house work outs with music or a work out video playing while we imitate their moves. The trick is to start small. Don't attempt to overdo yourself from day one. Just like math, you start with the easy ones and progress to something more difficult. You may only even need to increase the laps in small enough bits. Start with 20 push ups, add five by day 3, make it 30 the following week and up the ladder you go. Always start with stretches, you don't want to surprise your body too much. It's like telling your body to get ready. Also, expect to be sore for the first few days. This is normal. You could do only exercises for general fitness, running helps the heart a lot OR you can do a bit of general exercises and focus on areas you want to work on. I've been trying to add weight for a while now, unfortunately for me, every time I try, it seems like it goes only to my cheeks and belly. It just drives me mad and I just give up. This time though, I refused to, and as expected, my stomach was losing the flatness I once had and loved. Now, as you can imagine, I'm working on it. 

I meet people all the time telling me how much they want to slim down, but they are unwilling to put in any effort. If you want something, why aren't you doing anything about it? It is NOT easy, trust me, I know this but it works. As slow as it may seem, it does work. You know what will make it even faster? Eating right; a good, healthy diet plan. I have seen this too many times to believe otherwise. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication and if you're not willing to pay the price, then please stop whining about it. What matters the most is that you're happy and following closely is that you're healthy. So, my advice is, if you are unhealthy or unhappy with your body and exercises will help, please put in the needed effort. 

What are your thoughts? Please someone tell me I'm not the only one who doesn't like working out but can tolerate it for a happy and healthy life. You know the drill, share your thoughts with us below. Lots of love.