I don’t know about you, but in my house, summer is somehow way crazier than the school year. Unlike the structure of the school year, summer is borderline out of control; every week is different, depending on what camp or activity I foolishly decided to sign one (or two, or three) of my children up for (even though last summer, and every summer before that, I decide that next year, we’re hardly going to do anything, we’re just going to chill and relax and enjoy the warm weather). Inevitably, I always over-schedule us and we spend the summer running around like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to get 3 kids to 3 activities in 3 different locations at or near the same time. All without any drama, screaming or fighting. (Ha, just kidding. Obviously we are lucky to make it from point A to point B without any (major) bodily injuries or (overly) scarred souls.)
So, you are asking yourself, what the heck does this story have to do with fitness and working out? Well, in summer especially, finding time to work out is challenging, but it is more important than ever – it is the one hour (or, let’s face it, 30-45 minutes) of the day that I can control. It is also, therefore, the one sliver of sanity I get in my otherwise insane day. I can’t control those nut jobs running around my house, I can’t control those nut jobs running the country, I can’t control anyone I encounter on any given day – but I can control what my body does during that precious workout time. And sometimes, I’m even impressed with what I make myself do! (Though don’t get me wrong, there are also days when I’m less than impressed with what I accomplish during that time, but it’s always up to me and me alone, with no outside interference. And it’s always better than what I would have accomplished had I not worked out at all.) The same can be said for anyone coming to a class – although you are given some instruction as to what to do with your body, YOU are in control of how and whether you accomplish it, and no one else.
Lucky for me, I have to be at the gym at certain preordained times, because it is my job – otherwise, to be quite honest, I don’t know how often I’d make it there. So for those that don’t have the commitment or the obligation to be there at a certain time on a certain day, I feel you, and I give you MAD props for getting there when you do. I know all too well how hard it is to get there and how so often you just want to bail, because it’s one less struggle to tackle and one less thing to fit into your crazy day. But ask yourself this: have you ever gone to work out and regretted it afterwards? Have you? I’d wager that you have NOT. No doubt there are times that you are cursing and complaining all the way there (and if you’re dragging your children, you may or may not be cursing at them), but I repeat, you NEVER regret it. Even those workouts that you feel like you really weren’t giving your all, you’re still there, you still made it, and you’re still burning more calories than you would be picking random dirty socks off your family room floor and screaming at the top of your lungs for your kids to turn off their frickin’ iPads. So, to steal a phrase from Nike, JUST DO IT. Your sanity – and your body – will thank you.
–Written by Personal Trainer and Instructor at FITT-RX, Carrie Brasser