For all you Canadians, this is a kookaburra, and yes, they do laugh. In fact, they laugh like crazy at 6am when my husband and I join our group-personal-training friends in the park.
Sydney winter is cold (think 6 degrees), sometimes wet, and definitely dark at 6am. We, along with all the other resilient, crazy people in our Step Into Life crew, meet up Monday-Wednesday-Friday at 6am to exercise.
Outside.
I don't know why I do this.
I'm not sure about your fitness journey, but mine has been 30 years of doing something -- not regularly, not perfectly -- but always something. I've done adult ballet classes, running, belly dance, tennis, zumba, more running, gym memberships, gym equipment in the garage, more running and now, for the last 18 months, a group fitness class in the park at 6am. And more running.
But working out is challenging, and the truth is this: I hate physical challenges.
I know some people LOVE competition. It doesn't motivate me.
So I've tried something new. I tell myself I'm 'Doing The Right Thing For Me.' I've always known that we're made to move our bodies and we have to keep moving them forever. So I've started to do fitness in a way that makes me happy. Not faster, or longer or in competition with a person or an app or even myself.
Nope. I'm just running and training for me.
Having those kookaburras laugh at us -- and laughing at ourselves -- at 6am with people I'd be happy to have around my dinner table works for me.
It's become our routine. We get up at 5:30am, get in the car, go to training and have a laugh. (Thanks, Steve and Simon!!)
The running side of this equation has been harder. I started (again!) because so many of my fitness friends run with grace and grit. Yes, it's hard for them, too -- imagine half-marathons, marathons and 7K lunchtime runs -- but they love it. And they inspired me.
But running is HARD (remember? I hate exercise that's hard?). Granted, I will do a million other hard things -- like write a book, make dinner 365 days a year, clean my own house, run a business, deal with the big scary problems that life hands us all -- but I hate doing hard exercise.
And yet, through my life, I keep circling back to running: slowly, irregularly, imperfectly.
Have you seen this? I think it's Glennon Melton from Momastery:
Often I wonder why I don't give up on fitness. But somehow, I don't. I just keep getting back at it, running down my street again. I listen to music; I plan and plot my novels; I pretend I'm somewhere more fun (like at a party, not pounding the pavement).
Are you like me? Are you incredulous that that this fitness thing will NEVER stop?!
The need to move will go on as long as we breathe. Forever.
I reckon I might as well make it automatic. Decision-less. And have a laugh at the same time with people I like, if I can.