Finding time for exercise

Finding time to exercise is difficult. Especially when everyone in the family is a "night owl".

Everyone knows that exercise is important for a healthy body and mind. When I was a kid in school, at some time during the day me and my classmates were allowed to run around outside or indoors (depending on the weather) to play. I remember swinging on the swings, playing tag, climbing monkey bars, and just running around outside. When I would come home from school my friends and I would play soccer, baseball, or army men. Most of my day would be spent standing, walking, running, or playing.

Time has passed and I am now an adult. As an adult I spend a lot of time sitting at a PC or sitting in a meeting, or sitting to eat lunch/breakfast/dinner. I sit in the car on the way to work, and I sit in the car on the way home from work. I sit on the couch to watch T.V. or lay in bed to play on the laptop before going to sleep. I sit, sit, sit, sit, and I do not like it one bit.

My father was an army drill instructor. As I was growing up he taught me a lot about physical fitness. He never stressed body building, or emphasized competitive physical activity such as running or sports of any sort. He stressed the importance of NOT sitting around doing nothing.... was that a sentence? I was growing up during the, as he called it, "MTV watching and Twinkie Eating" (soon to be called Generation X) generation.

So, every now and again he and I would jog in the mornings or evenings. I hated it. I tried baseball but was too afraid of getting hurt from the pitch that I never tried joining a team. I was never large enough for football, and thought soccer was not really a sport. I was also asthmatic, so physical exertion usually ended up with me sucking on an inhaler, or struggling to breathe. Exercise was painful. But I knew I needed to exercise to stay healthy.

So, I joined the band. I played a large brass instrument called a "Baritone". The practice improved my lung capacity, which helped mitigate my asthma. I marched in the late summer and fall, and played concerts in the winter and spring. I played the Baritone from sixth to twelfth grade. Then, after graduation, I never played another note. I started smoking instead..

Fast forward 20 years into the future (the present) and here I am. I am no longer smoking (I quit about 12 years ago) and I am much more physically fit than I was in school. I noticed on my 30th birthday that I no longer needed my inhaler. It was as though I suddenly got new lungs. I ran my first 5k when I turned 30, and ran in the Tulsa Run. My wife and I started having children, and the sitting on my butt began.

I have tried many different types of physical exercise. These include running, calisthenics, pilates, and Sony Eye-Toy or Dance Dance Revolution. I exercise in the office with elastic bands sometimes, or I will stretch, do push ups, or jumping jacks for a few minutes. I am not always consistent about my exercise. I just know that it is important for health. I also know that I feel like a million bucks whenever I start an exercise routine.

So, the point of this story is that exercise comes and goes. It comes in all sorts of forms. As long as I am getting up and moving in some way or another I feel good. When I sit for long periods of time, day after day, I feel like a puddle of mud. As of this writing I have been dieting for almost four weeks, and I have followed an exercise program religiously for two weeks.

Finding time to exercise with a family of five, with two full-time jobs, and two dogs in the house, is very difficult. But, I have made it my mission to exercise at least an hour a day. My wife and I try to get the kids to bed early (9:00 PM is early) so we can get on the treadmill or use the weight bench. My wife and I are also members of Weight Watchers. So far I have lost almost 6 lbs. I feel great, and my pants and shirts fit me better. I have my jawline back!

Check out my postings on http://www.fatsecret.com/member/BAJennings. I record my diet and exercise there almost daily.