Friday, February 16, 2007

Things I like now that I used to hate

Looking back over the past six or seven years, I've had an attitude shift. Part of it was intentional and deliberate, part of it a side-effect. I used to toss out "I hate this" and "I hate that" phrases all the time concerning fitness activities, either to myself or out loud. They were pretty convenient excuses for sloth, although naturally I didn't think of them that way at the time. These included:
  • "I hate exercise." Chronic laziness! Now I hate it when I take an unscheduled day off.
  • "I hate running." Now I enjoy it. Knowing that I'm making progress with each step helps. Ambitious race goals also help.
  • "I hate running in the rain/cold/heat." There are still lots of days when it's not my favorite weather, but now it's a very rare day that I'll reschedule a workout due to weather.
  • "I especially hate running on the track." Now I choose to run on the track once or twice per week - yes, it sometimes gets boring, but more often I find it relaxing and often inspiring. Certainly very convenient for me and safer than the roads when I run in the dark. I like to monitor my pace and use the track for intervals.
  • "I hate swimming laps." Now it's a treat to have a solid hour free to spend in the pool working on my stroke.
My attitude held me back and kept me on the couch. Which comes first? Change the attitude, change the activities, change the fitness, change the body. They all go together.

There is one I'm hanging on to, though. I can't change everything!
  • "I hate getting up early." But I do it anyway.

10 comments:

Iron Pol said...

I used a different trick. I found things I hated more. For example, I still despise running, but find the GI issues associated with my previous weight to be worse.

Swimming is still pretty low on my list of fun things, but it's way higher than the heart disease prevelant in my family (and all to touch and go in my case).

And a new one is my kids. Much as training is tough and less fun than watching an exciting show on television, setting a good example for my kids is better.

And that second item, a sure sign of some kind of illness or disorder.

21stCenturyMom said...

I hate getting up early until I'm out of bed and then I'm glad I didn't succumb to the bed monster.

I'm still a dark and rain wimp, though. I really need to work on that.

Nancy Toby said...

Well, it's true I don't exactly LOVE running, and I'm still convinced that "runner's high" is a cruel hoax, but....

Fe-lady said...

Yeah for attitude adjustments!
I still hate a lot of things...but not exercise! (Lately it's parents who refuse to parent and blame the schools for their child's behavior/ignorance/weight gain/etc.!) :-)

Iron Pol said...

*Gasp* Fe Lady asked people to take responsibility. How un-PC!

Unknown said...

I fell out of the exercise habit four months ago... trying to get back to the habit. attitude is everything!! thanks for your post - good encouragement!

Steph Cooke said...

Right now I hate the thoughts of trying to do a proper front crawl... but I have to master it!
Sometimes I find I like exercise much better in retrospect rather than when I'm actually slogging away!!

SToby said...

My father, a long-time criminology professor, used to say, "Socialization is the art of learning to like what you have to do anyway." I don't think he made this up -- it's probably a famous saying in sociology.

Herself, the GeekGirl said...

Ah, those sound familiar! Except instead of "I hate" it used to be "I cant"...

Herself, the GeekGirl said...

PS: I've felt lightheaded and kind of sick during runs, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't the "runner's high".