What me exercise?

I think when God was giving out the exercise gene, I must have stepped out of the queue to stare at the icecream man walking by. Indeed , for me to even exercise anything apart from my mandibles is a Herculean task. Alas! God didn’t endow me with a slim and sexy body, I have to not only watch what I eat but watch how I move . And as I get older , I realise that I have to be more particular about exercise if only to remain healthy and fit . Luckily for me, my classmates have a Whatsapp group and send cheery messages like this

Tip 1 : 

Get on to a what’s app group of peers who remind you to exercise early in the morning. There’s nothing like motivational messages like this with news about classmates who are sick, dead or dying that make you leap out of bed and into your running shoes .

Tip 2 : 

Good exercise gear. Apart from exercising my mandibles, I also like to stretch other muscles and my favourite form of exercise is walking . There’s nothing like a brisk walk in the open air , be it a park, the sea side, a busy road or even in the building premises. What really gets me in the mood , though, is a nice set of tracks and Ts. A good pair of walking shoes, trendy exercise clothes are a great reason for me to move my butt.

Tip 3 : Set Short term realistic goals . If I know I have a wedding to attend, a school reunion or even a holiday in the near future, I immediately set myself a target of getting into shape with small achievable targets. Losing 2 kg is far easier than losing 20 ( which is my actual target) and the thought of being 2 kg lighter for an approaching event motivates me to exercise .

Tip 4 : The spectre of ill health. 

Apart from looking good , exercise is essential for one’s well being. Not only do I enjoy an exercise high but seeing some of the older residents of our building walking with assistance or in wheelchairs simply because of poor health due to lack of exercise, spurs me on to get up early and or find some time in the day to make time to exercise.

Tip 5 : Visualisation

Finally what really motivates me to exercise is the vision of me healthy, strong and walking on the beach with my grandchildren, attending their graduation ceremonies and maybe even dancing at their weddings .

I try to exercise at least three times a week. Most times it is a gentle walk while I do errands or a definite 40 minute yoga program. Once in a while I join Hubby Dear for a long walk by the sea but I can assure you that if I had no motivation, I probably would have just lazed around in bed all day long.

What motivates you to exercise? 

Linking this up with #FridayReflections  hosted by Corinne and Sanch Vee.