Excuses, excuses

Ah, the excuses I make to myself for not exercising.

I'm too tired.
It's too hot.
I don't have time.
I don't feel well.

None of them original, all of them oft-used.

You know what? Get over it. Just do it! And if I don't do it one day, do it the next, until those excuses are squashed for good.

One that I really struggle with is "I'll look silly", or "I won't be good at it". This has been part of my personality since I was a child: my mother often tells me the story of when she tried to teach me to knit, and when I couldn't pick it up within a couple of days, I threw the needles away and never tried again! (For the record, I taught myself to knit a few years ago, mostly from YouTube videos. I did ALMOST reach the point of throwing the needles away again first, though.)

I'm a Virgo, and though I'm not a huge astrological devotee, one Virgo personality trait that fits is that I am a pedant; a perfectionist. In some ways, this is good, but like many personality traits there are two sides to the coin. If I can't do something well, I would rather not do it at all.

Co-ordination has never been my strong point. I ran, in school, because that didn't require any, except the basic co-ordination required not to fall over. I never danced at school socials, because I don't do it well - in fact, I still don't dance at most social events unless I'm tipsy.

When I joined a gym six months ago, I tried one Zumba class and hated it, because I could not get those moves. I doubt anyone was paying any attention to me, but I just couldn't hack being so bad at it. RPM is more my style because all you have to do is go slow or fast! Similarly, I never did the resistance exercises that the trainer recommended, because I didn't know if I did them right and I didn't want to be told that I wasn't.

But you know what? I am an adult now; I need to get over this.

I did a kickboxing workout DVD tonight, and without anyone watching, it was FUN, even though I didn't get all the moves. Maybe I'll work up the courage to try a Body Combat class or something. One day.