Heaven knows I've heard similar admonitions from doctors and other health care professionals, though rarely with such wit and bluntness.
It's sort of like "winning people to Christ" by telling them they're headed for hell. I don't think that approach works in the long run, not even among the original 1741 congregation for Jonathan Edwards' quintessential hellfire-and-brimstone sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."
So if scaring people doesn't move them to work out, what does?
Here's what works for me:
- Seeking an activity I truly enjoy. I love my water time. Even when I'm tired and my body is telling me it's time to take a shower and get dressed, I'm always reluctant to get out of the pool. (Yes, my doctor has cleared me to return to the pool. Hallelujah!)
- Combining activity with something else I enjoy. Some people like their power-walks because they do them with a friend, and it's a special bonding time. I like my gym time especially if I can get a recumbent bike, treadmill or elliptical that carries HGTV -- a cable channel I can't watch regularly because I don't have cable at home. I've been known to prolong my workouts to catch the end of an episode of "Property Brothers" or "Love It or List It."
- Not worrying too much about whether a workout is the "right" mix of cardio and strength-training. Your workout could be tailor-made to what your doctor or physical therapist considers your ideal regimen, but it's worthless if you hate it and have to drag your ass to the gym. (Even if you love an activity, sometimes ass-dragging is required.)
- Being honest about what a time-suck a fitness routine can be. I don't pooh-pooh people who say they don't have time to exercise, because I'm one of those people. It's not just the hour on the apparatus -- it's changing into gym togs or my swim equipment (suit, cap, goggles, flippers), and the drawn-out post-exercise routine of showering, weighing myself and changing into my civvies so I can grab a Subway before getting to my next City of Portage evening meeting.
- Putting on my bikini, and once in a while, wearing it for my swim. Folks, I'd never believed that I would want to wear a two-piece swimsuit after the age of 22, let alone that it was possible. Now, I want to hang on to my bikini body with all my strength and stamina.
- Along those lines, investing in something cute to wear for land-based physical activity. I have two pairs of floral leggings that I wear just in the gym -- and if, while shopping or garage sale-ing, I spy a T-shirt that would go with one or both pairs of leggings, I'll make an impulse buy, knowing I'll wear it for workouts.
- The sixth Law of Camp Fire: "Hold on to health." I was a Camp Fire Girl in my grade-school years, and that tenet has always stayed with me, even when I heeded it imperfectly or not at all. We have a responsibility -- to God, to people who love us, to people who depend on us and to ourselves -- to take care of the temple that is our body. Now, tending the temple doesn't mean the temple won't break down with time, and with sheer bad luck; with my recent A-fib diagnosis, I'm living proof that activity offers no guarantees of enduring health. But I am better equipped to deal with health challenges if I stay active, and eat foods that are fuel. Which brings me to the final motivation:
- Endorphins. I'm one of the lucky ones. When I move, I feel the effect of the natural body chemicals that bring me peace, confidence and a sense of well-being.
So...what's your motivation?
If you are having trouble locating it, feel free to borrow mine.
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