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Post by needmysanity on Nov 12, 2024 20:06:04 GMT
Yes, I think we as women tend to put ourselves last and defer to others' needs before making time for ourselves. Yes and yes! I'm really trying to be more aware of this and allow myself some time for self-care. This past year has been challenging for me due to menopause, working in a toxic environment, and dealing with everyday life. It has taken a toll on me both physically and mentally. Now that I've moved past much of this, I have given myself permission to focus on my own well-being. Changing my mindset is difficult, but I’ve noticed that my son and husband have been taking on more responsibilities around the house and encouraging me to take care of myself. |
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Post by epeanymous on Nov 12, 2024 20:14:56 GMT
I go to barre at 6 or 6:30 every morning. If I did not go to the gym at that hour, I would not get to go, many days. I can completely see how particularly SAHMs of non-school-aged kids would never go, because often when you are home and your husband is working, they "need a break" after working and haven't always perceived that so does the SAHM.
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Post by fotos4u2 on Nov 12, 2024 20:32:01 GMT
I'm the stereotype they talk about. I hate exercise and always have--even as a child, even when I weighed 100 lbs and was 5'4". I've never gotten that adrenaline high everyone talks about. I've tried. I'm actually not unathletic. When younger I could run decently fast and was coordinated enough to play most sports I just chose not to. That said I know exercise is part of healthier living so I've tried. I've joined many gyms and did the "couch to 5K" program way back when it was a thing (didn't get even close to a 5K, barely got to running a mile).
Now I do think part of the gender equity is because males are socially conditioned to enjoy exercise. More boys are put in sports, encouraged to go the gym at a young age. A good portion of adult men still play organized sports whereas women don't always have the same opportunity. Basketball, softball, soccer, tennis, golf... It's much easier to stay active when you've been active your whole life.
My dislike of exercise led to my encouraging my own kids to not follow in my path. All three of my kids played organized sports all the way into high school. Two of them still exercise regularly, not surprisingly, that includes my son and the one daughter who continued to play sports into college.
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Post by Susie_Homemaker on Nov 12, 2024 21:08:20 GMT
Someone here (sorry I forget who) - recommended this book - and I did enjoy it. It emphasizes how important exercise is as you age, you should exercise 6 days per week (and 4 of those should be hard exercise) for the rest of your life.  I can not recommend this book enough. It tells you why you should exercise and what happens to your aging body when you do, and also what happens if you don't. I like knowing why we have to exercise and then here is what is happening inside of you when you do (or don't) exercise. It really opened my eyes and changed my mindset from 'I should exercise because it's healthy' to here is exactly what happens in me if I don't and I can avoid all of that if I do. *I'm not talking about getting a disease or illness, just the things are ARE in my control. |
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Post by bc2ca on Nov 12, 2024 21:13:05 GMT
Interesting thread, jeremysgirl. I do think it is super difficult for women to prioritize themselves when in the child raising years. I didn't have kids until my late 30s and found my activity level skidded to almost nonexistent. We did have spits and spurts of doing things. Swimming was always a family activity from the time the kids were little and I accidentally coached soccer for a couple years. Accidentally because our coach ended up traveling so much, I ended up taking over practices. I grew up in an era when there were no girls sports leagues so managed to fake it until the kids' skill levels surpassed mine. And then I really settled into reading a book during practice and regret that I didn't spend that time walking the track. Once you stop moving, it is REALY hard to get going again. Even harder if you start putting on weight. Although we didn't have girls' sports leagues growing up, we were involved in swimming, figure skating and tennis for many years. As a young adult most of my activity was driven around socializing. Every thing was co-ed and, IME, you definitely didn't have to be an athlete, just reliable and willing to have fun. I played softball, flag football, curled and continued with tennis and skiing until I had kids. I'm surprised more don't have access to women's sports and recreational leagues, especially if living a reasonable sized cities. Just a quick search shows me we have women's rec soccer, rubgy and tennis leagues. I know there is a ton of pickle ball options, too. If I hadn't got sick last year, I was planning to talk DD into joining an outrigger canoe club with me. Friends hike and golf in women lead programs. |
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Post by ~summer~ on Nov 12, 2024 21:19:08 GMT
I’ve been playing tennis again the last few years, and recently tried pickleball. It was both “easier” and a better work out than I expected. Highly recommend peas try it.
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The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
Moose. It's what's for dinner.
Posts: 7,411
Location: Alaska -The Last Frontier
Jun 30, 2014 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Nov 12, 2024 21:50:46 GMT
I used to be a gym dweller. I would drop the kids at school and then hit the gym.
I don't do that anymore. When my husband needed help with the business, I gave up my gym time to work in the office.
I also discovered that I could keep my weight at a certain level by what I put in my mouth.
Another factor is my back. I have had chronic back pain for probably 10 years and 2 spinal surgeries in the last 2 years.
I do move my body but not in a walk 2 miles, do weight training, etc.
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seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,878
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Nov 13, 2024 3:48:50 GMT
I didn’t read any comments, just the OP so I’ll reply and go back and read.
I don’t exercise for multiple reasons.
1. The cost for me to join a gym- I won’t exercise at home, on my own. I need a group.
2. Time- 3 days a week I’m with my DD at her gymnastics gym from the time I get out of school until 8 pm. By the time I get home the last thing I want to do is exercise- I’m tired. 2 days a week I’m with DS at soccer- I sometimes walk laps but that’s boring as hell even with music. That leaves me 2 days in which I don’t exercise- see #1
3. There are no gyms or exercise classes near me in the boonies.
ok… after reading I have some to add
- I danced (tap, ballet, jazz) from the age of 3-18. I don’t enjoy non-structured dance as an adult.
- I swam on a team my high school years. I enjoyed it but no pool here.
- I did bungee fit consistently for 2 years one day a week until DH ended up with melanoma that metastasized to his brain. He’s doing ok at the moment but the unpredictability of his disease means I need to not be tied down to a class on Fridays in case I need to run sports for the kids.
- I don’t enjoy participating in most sports. I detest running and get shin splints on the regular if I walk on anything but flat ground.
My DD is 13 and has been doing gymnastics since she was 3. She started competing at 10.
My DS is 8 and has played both soccer and baseball since he was 3.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Nov 13, 2024 12:32:25 GMT
I can not recommend this book enough. It tells you why you should exercise and what happens to your aging body when you do, and also what happens if you don't. I like knowing why we have to exercise and then here is what is happening inside of you when you do (or don't) exercise. It really opened my eyes and changed my mindset from 'I should exercise because it's healthy' to here is exactly what happens in me if I don't and I can avoid all of that if I do. *I'm not talking about getting a disease or illness, just the things are ARE in my control. Thank you for your feedback on this book. I have more of a tendency to commit to something when I can truly see the arguments for it laid out clearly in a convincing way. I know it sounds nuts maybe but since my child died, I keep thinking I should really value my own life more by taking better care of myself. I'm surprised more don't have access to women's sports and recreational leagues, especially if living a reasonable sized cities. Just a quick search shows me we have women's rec soccer, rubgy and tennis leagues. I know there is a ton of pickle ball options, too. If I hadn't got sick last year, I was planning to talk DD into joining an outrigger canoe club with me. Friends hike and golf in women lead programs. I live in an urban area, but more of a small city feel and I can't find things that are women only. I do not want to play with men. I had a bad experience trying to play softball with men years ago. They are bigger and stronger and it isn't a fair competition. They take mansplaining to a whole nother level when sports are involved. They are too domineering. They tend to be more competitive and focused on winning. I just do not want to play with men. |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Nov 13, 2024 12:35:46 GMT
I also discovered that I could keep my weight at a certain level by what I put in my mouth. This was one of the things talked a lot about in the comments. Women are more focused on their weight and how they look than men are. They aren't as much into moving their bodies for the sake of health. I have had chronic back pain for probably 10 years and 2 spinal surgeries in the last 2 years. I have followed your surgeries and I cannot imagine how difficult this would make exercise. I hope you can keep walking after you do heal all the way from your most recent surgery. |
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Post by bc2ca on Nov 13, 2024 17:39:44 GMT
I live in an urban area, but more of a small city feel and I can't find things that are women only. I do not want to play with men. I had a bad experience trying to play softball with men years ago. They are bigger and stronger and it isn't a fair competition. They take mansplaining to a whole nother level when sports are involved. They are too domineering. They tend to be more competitive and focused on winning. I just do not want to play with men. I definitely get this. I'm just surprised more women only options aren't available mostly because in my experience they have been. One friend is part of a women only walking/hiking group as was her mom when we were growing up (different cities). I know a lot of woman, including two of my sisters, that played in adult women only recreational soccer leagues. As I said up thread, we didn't grow up with any sort of girls sports leagues available, so I know they were complete rookies when they signed up to play in their 30s. Again, they were in different cities. I think a great starting point for anyone wanting to move their body more is a pedometer to track your steps (most phones do it anyway). I remember being horrified at how few steps I got in a day and focussed on just simply moving more when I could. Parking at the far end of a lot and taking the stairs type stuff. Now that I get the steps in, I'm concentrating on yoga and adding in arm weights. |
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Post by Zee on Nov 13, 2024 18:01:46 GMT
I have never been good at team sports and never liked playing with men/boys on a team! But i don't mind working out at the gym with them or having them for personal trainers.
I prefer running to every other form of exercise besides lifting weights. I have no excuse for not lifting in about two years. Running, I can't do with my IT band issues. I hope some day they'll go away and I can run again. At least I can still walk without trouble.
Mainly, I feel like I didn't have enough time for the last two years, and now I don't have the will. I hurt all the time anyway, might as well have a good reason for the aches and pains! And I know if you don't stay active you'll get rusty.
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Post by Rainy_Day_Woman on Nov 13, 2024 18:56:26 GMT
I bike to and from work- and it's 20 KM each way, so I do get some exercise but I don't know that I completely count it. I could never exercise that much if I had to find the time to do it- it's literally the fastest way to get to and from work.
I have a really hard time finding the time, when I am better about finding the time, it is usually taking away from sleep and only lasts so long until I crash and burn.
My husband prioritizes his work-out. It's the number one thing that has to happen every day. I guess I can somehow respect his dedication (in some ways, at least... I also totally resent it and the control it has over our schedules)
I could never put it ahead of everything else like that. Honestly, life is so busy that there is something else that takes priority for me everyday.
I'm sure it's easier to put off because I also don't want to do it, whereas he loves it.
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Post by nightnurse on Nov 13, 2024 19:21:44 GMT
A typical woman’s day starts with her getting up early so she can get all the kids ready for school, maybe packing her husbands lunch too. She drives the kids to school or the bus stop or day care, then goes to work. After work, she hits the grocery store, picks up the kids, makes dinner, helps with homework, cleans up, does laundry, gives the kids a bath, gets them ready for bed. The typical man just has to go to work. So it’s pretty easy to see why men have time to go for a run while their wife cooks dinner, or hit the gym before work while she’s getting the kids ready.
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Post by stampinfraulein on Nov 14, 2024 4:46:00 GMT
As an habitual exerciser for years, and admittedly somewhat athletically gifted, I have also wondered about this, because personally, my life goes to shit when I don't exercise. I don't like feeling bad and out of touch with my body. I think people think exercise is only for the athletically gifted, and they don't want to look bad and be embarrassed when they're just starting out.
I think one of the main reasons is that people think oh, unless I do A B or C I'm not really exercising. I think unless people find the type of exercise that resonates with them. It's not one size fits all, so it involves a little self exploration. You don't like running? Try some type of dancing. Exercise is hard. Damn hard. Self-motivation is hard. Loving oneself enough can be difficult. Finding time for it for some people can be rough. I've got a friend who's just taken a new job and is traveling a lot. I know I personally would have trouble maintaining a routine with lots of travel. But if you think creatively, it can be done--it just may be more challenging, and when just exercising is challenging enough, well...But every hotel she stays in I'm sure has a gym. The point is that there is so much pushing people not to exercise, they never reach the point where it is rewarding. The sense of agency and power, the endorphins released, the feeling of well-being, comfort in one's body and the pleasure that comes from moving well. Once it's a habit, I find I miss it, and I get cranky when I don't get it. And we are raising generations of sedentary children. Elementary education has cut back on physical activity--when I was in grade school, we had 3! recesses of 30 minutes a day. Kids are couch potatoes with their noses stuck in devices. Back in my 20s, when I was the literally the only woman in the gym lifting weights, it was popular for women to say Oh, I don't want to become too muscular, because that's not feminine. They'd see photos of female bodybuilders who were obviously using steroids to build unnatural muscle. The first time I remember reading a positive account of women and their musculature was after Linda Hamilton's arms were on display in The Terminator in 1984. (I've seen photos, never seen the movie) And women said, I want that. It's me. I'm people! Seriously, I was just talking to DH about this the other day--I'm 46 years old and still can't shake the shame I felt in elementary school when we had PE and I would PRAY to not be picked last for a team, or count the kids in front of me and hope that we could get 3 outs before I had to take a turn at bat/kickball because for sure I was going to make a mistake, be slow, drop the ball, lose the game for my team and embarrass myself in front of my classmates. I am NOT athletically gifted in any way whatsoever and it's very much a source of shame and embarrassment for me STILL because otherwise, I'm an extremely capable and talented person. This childhood wound runs real deep and for sure keeps me from going to the gym or joining CrossFit again. I did CF for a couple of years and I was the slowest and the weakest person in EVERY DAMN CLASS I attended. I came in last every single time, and if you've ever been to CF you know that at the end of the workout you have to call out your times/scores and they are recorded on a board for everyone to see, just so that your unathletic-ness can really be appreciated by everyone. Talk about embarrassment. I sucked it up but every single class was a struggle for me, both physically and mentally. I'm just not sure I have it in me (older, even fatter and in worse shape than before) to deal with all of that again. It's just too much.
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Post by stampinfraulein on Nov 14, 2024 4:50:11 GMT
As an habitual exerciser for years, and admittedly somewhat athletically gifted, I have also wondered about this, because personally, my life goes to shit when I don't exercise. I don't like feeling bad and out of touch with my body. I think people think exercise is only for the athletically gifted, and they don't want to look bad and be embarrassed when they're just starting out. I think one of the main reasons is that people think oh, unless I do A B or C I'm not really exercising. I think unless people find the type of exercise that resonates with them. It's not one size fits all, so it involves a little self exploration. You don't like running? Try some type of dancing. Exercise is hard. Damn hard. Self-motivation is hard. Loving oneself enough can be difficult. Finding time for it for some people can be rough. I've got a friend who's just taken a new job and is traveling a lot. I know I personally would have trouble maintaining a routine with lots of travel. But if you think creatively, it can be done--it just may be more challenging, and when just exercising is challenging enough, well...But every hotel she stays in I'm sure has a gym. The point is that there is so much pushing people not to exercise, they never reach the point where it is rewarding. The sense of agency and power, the endorphins released, the feeling of well-being, comfort in one's body and the pleasure that comes from moving well. Once it's a habit, I find I miss it, and I get cranky when I don't get it. And we are raising generations of sedentary children. Elementary education has cut back on physical activity--when I was in grade school, we had 3! recesses of 30 minutes a day. Kids are couch potatoes with their noses stuck in devices. Back in my 20s, when I was the literally the only woman in the gym lifting weights, it was popular for women to say Oh, I don't want to become too muscular, because that's not feminine. They'd see photos of female bodybuilders who were obviously using steroids to build unnatural muscle. The first time I remember reading a positive account of women and their musculature was after Linda Hamilton's arms were on display in The Terminator in 1984. (I've seen photos, never seen the movie) And women said, I want that. This also. Exercise has literally never been worth it for me. The pain, sweaty blotchy purple face, sore muscles for days afterward, shame/embarrassment, cost in money and time--never has any exercise been good enough to make any of that worth it for me. People say that you just feel so GOOD once you exercise and that has never been the case for me, not ever. I get zero endorphins from working out.
I've been a SAHM since 2005. For 14 straight years I had a young child at home with me all day, and a husband who worked 10 hour days and was out of town a lot. If I wanted to exercise I had to find a gym with a daycare and I had at least 1 kid who would not stay in there for more than 20 minutes before crying so much that they had to come and get me, so what was even the point of going? And no chance of doing it after school/in the evening because I was exhausted and I have a DH who has never pulled his weight in housework or childcare so even if I did have the energy, I would for sure come home to everything a disaster and kids up past bedtime, etc.
Even now that my kids are all in school I struggle to find the time. I have to be getting kids up for school by 6:30 am, I don't sleep well so doing it at 5:00 am is not an option. When I exercise I turn purple and get really sweaty so there is no just going on with my day afterwards without a shower, hair, makeup etc which takes an hour. I'm still dealing with having to get everything done by 3:00 when the elementary school kid gets home from school and during the day I have a small business to run, a household to manage, volunteer responsibilities, etc. Even if I do the gym from 8:00-9:00 once everyone leaves for school, then by the time I come home and eat breakfast and shower/get ready that means I can't even start my workday until 10:00 am at the earliest and sometimes that's just too late.
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seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,878
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Nov 14, 2024 6:08:47 GMT
As an habitual exerciser for years, and admittedly somewhat athletically gifted, I have also wondered about this, because personally, my life goes to shit when I don't exercise. I don't like feeling bad and out of touch with my body. I think people think exercise is only for the athletically gifted, and they don't want to look bad and be embarrassed when they're just starting out.
I think one of the main reasons is that people think oh, unless I do A B or C I'm not really exercising. I think unless people find the type of exercise that resonates with them. It's not one size fits all, so it involves a little self exploration. You don't like running? Try some type of dancing. Exercise is hard. Damn hard. Self-motivation is hard. Loving oneself enough can be difficult. Finding time for it for some people can be rough. I've got a friend who's just taken a new job and is traveling a lot. I know I personally would have trouble maintaining a routine with lots of travel. But if you think creatively, it can be done--it just may be more challenging, and when just exercising is challenging enough, well...But every hotel she stays in I'm sure has a gym. The point is that there is so much pushing people not to exercise, they never reach the point where it is rewarding. The sense of agency and power, the endorphins released, the feeling of well-being, comfort in one's body and the pleasure that comes from moving well. Once it's a habit, I find I miss it, and I get cranky when I don't get it. And we are raising generations of sedentary children. Elementary education has cut back on physical activity--when I was in grade school, we had 3! recesses of 30 minutes a day. Kids are couch potatoes with their noses stuck in devices. Back in my 20s, when I was the literally the only woman in the gym lifting weights, it was popular for women to say Oh, I don't want to become too muscular, because that's not feminine. They'd see photos of female bodybuilders who were obviously using steroids to build unnatural muscle. The first time I remember reading a positive account of women and their musculature was after Linda Hamilton's arms were on display in The Terminator in 1984. (I've seen photos, never seen the movie) And women said, I want that. It's me. I'm people! Seriously, I was just talking to DH about this the other day--I'm 46 years old and still can't shake the shame I felt in elementary school when we had PE and I would PRAY to not be picked last for a team, or count the kids in front of me and hope that we could get 3 outs before I had to take a turn at bat/kickball because for sure I was going to make a mistake, be slow, drop the ball, lose the game for my team and embarrass myself in front of my classmates. I am NOT athletically gifted in any way whatsoever and it's very much a source of shame and embarrassment for me STILL because otherwise, I'm an extremely capable and talented person. This childhood wound runs real deep and for sure keeps me from going to the gym or joining CrossFit again. I did CF for a couple of years and I was the slowest and the weakest person in EVERY DAMN CLASS I attended. I came in last every single time, and if you've ever been to CF you know that at the end of the workout you have to call out your times/scores and they are recorded on a board for everyone to see, just so that your unathletic-ness can really be appreciated by everyone. Talk about embarrassment. I sucked it up but every single class was a struggle for me, both physically and mentally. I'm just not sure I have it in me (older, even fatter and in worse shape than before) to deal with all of that again. It's just too much.
This non athletic girl right here, the one writing this right now, was asked to teach PE. I about peed myself laughing at my principal. So, for the last 3 years I’ve taught pe in 6 week stints twice a year. I do not really like it but someone has to do it and I’d rather teach PE than teach language arts or history so I do it. We do yoga/mindfulness Monday, dodgeball Tuesday, volleyball Wednesday, basketball Thursday, walk (ain’t no body running on my campus) the mile Friday. I have all my kids in a Google sheet with alternating colors behind their names and exercises/stretches in matching colors. I randomize their names and whatever color they are they have to pick an exercise/stretch to match. Mine is always a 1 min wall sit. Then I make the teams going down my roster and usually pulling every other or every 2 for a team. I make sure it’s somewhat equal with ability. I don’t do captains because I too was the last one picked and the slowest kid and never enjoyed it. When I have an odd number of kids I will join in and nobody still wants me on their team but I make fun of myself and we laugh about it while I trip or fall or hit the ball on the roof or get hit in the face because I have zero hand eye coordination. I always tell my kids that they have to try really hard to fail MY PE class 😂 |
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RedSquirrelUK
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,920 
Location: The UK's beautiful West Country
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Post by RedSquirrelUK on Nov 14, 2024 8:45:52 GMT
Why don't I exercise more than a few walks each week?
1) Lack of motivation
I could call it lack of time, but actually I'm sure I could cut some of my voluntary work or rest time (but see 3) to exercise.
2) Pain
Even if I take extra painkillers, a few minutes of being on my feet makes me hurt. Any heavy-duty painkillers make me sleepy which means I then don't exercise anyway, or feel dreadful while I'm out.
3) Fatigue
Post-cancer and on my preventative medication, I'm always tired. I sleep much more than I use to and I'm still tired. If I have the choice between a lie-in and exercise, the sleep wins. Always.
BUT I now have motivation because my surgeon has told me I would be better off losing half a stone before my final (hopefully) surgery next Feb/March, so I've bought a skipping rope and am scheduling in some time. I still have to manage the pain and fatigue but we'll see. Fingers crossed.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Nov 14, 2024 12:05:28 GMT
A typical woman’s day starts with her getting up early so she can get all the kids ready for school, maybe packing her husbands lunch too. She drives the kids to school or the bus stop or day care, then goes to work. After work, she hits the grocery store, picks up the kids, makes dinner, helps with homework, cleans up, does laundry, gives the kids a bath, gets them ready for bed. The typical man just has to go to work. So it’s pretty easy to see why men have time to go for a run while their wife cooks dinner, or hit the gym before work while she’s getting the kids ready. I get that this is a thing in certain phases of our lives. But with 2/3 of women not being consistent exercisers, I'm not thinking this is the whole of the story. These pea responses prove it. Most of us peas are not in the small child phase of life anymore. |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Nov 14, 2024 12:08:24 GMT
I guess I can somehow respect his dedication (in some ways, at least... I also totally resent it and the control it has over our schedules) This is a very interesting perspective too. I wonder if you feel this way about his workouts, you would feel the same about yours. That it was just another thing, like working, that would have to be a strict schedule about. I was the slowest and the weakest person in EVERY DAMN CLASS I attended. I came in last every single time, and if you've ever been to CF you know that at the end of the workout you have to call out your times/scores and they are recorded on a board for everyone to see, just so that your unathletic-ness can really be appreciated by everyone. Talk about embarrassment. This is awful! I was like, really? We are shaming people who want to be fit? |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Nov 14, 2024 12:10:56 GMT
We do yoga/mindfulness Monday, dodgeball Tuesday, volleyball Wednesday, basketball Thursday, walk (ain’t no body running on my campus) the mile Friday. This still seems a little sports-heavy. I had a PE teacher in 6th grade (1986) who used aerobics videos sometimes and I'll tell you, the boys hated it, but the girls felt like finally we had some activity we liked. |
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Post by lg on Nov 14, 2024 12:45:16 GMT
The reasons I don’t exercise:
Because I exercised so much when I was younger I wrecked my body with many injuries to most joints so now it’s all broken and doesn’t work properly and aches all the time. I don’t have the money or the time to get it all fixed.
Because I spend 3 hours plus driving kids to and from school each day as they cannot get there any other way, so when I get home in between I don’t want to or have time if I have chores etc to do.
Because when I have down time I want to sit and not do anything as I’m busy all the time.
Exercise does make me happy and is really great for me but I feel this is not my season to do it on a regular basis.
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seaexplore
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,878
Apr 25, 2015 23:57:30 GMT
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Post by seaexplore on Nov 14, 2024 14:08:39 GMT
We do yoga/mindfulness Monday, dodgeball Tuesday, volleyball Wednesday, basketball Thursday, walk (ain’t no body running on my campus) the mile Friday. This still seems a little sports-heavy. I had a PE teacher in 6th grade (1986) who used aerobics videos sometimes and I'll tell you, the boys hated it, but the girls felt like finally we had some activity we liked. My classes are 85 min in continuation HS. These kids don’t change out. It boggle my mind that they failed PE in the first place. We stretch for 10-20 depending on how many kids are there and then we half ass the sport of the day for another 20-30 and then they get their phones. They give me what I need and they get rewarded. |
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Post by Susie_Homemaker on Nov 14, 2024 14:25:01 GMT
stampinfraulein I was this kid too. I'm still not athletically gifted at all and I still don't love to exercise but I "got the message" finally that it's something that I have to do if I want to age well and be fit and healthy for as long as possible. I walk and I strength train. I do both of these by myself. I lift weights and enjoy seeing the progress. My only competition is with myself and I do not care what others can do. I can see that I'm getting stronger and I know how great it is for my body. Don't give up on yourself because others can do more. You are worth the effort!
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Post by sabrinae on Nov 14, 2024 15:53:30 GMT
A typical woman’s day starts with her getting up early so she can get all the kids ready for school, maybe packing her husbands lunch too. She drives the kids to school or the bus stop or day care, then goes to work. After work, she hits the grocery store, picks up the kids, makes dinner, helps with homework, cleans up, does laundry, gives the kids a bath, gets them ready for bed. The typical man just has to go to work. So it’s pretty easy to see why men have time to go for a run while their wife cooks dinner, or hit the gym before work while she’s getting the kids ready. I get that this is a thing in certain phases of our lives. But with 2/3 of women not being consistent exercisers, I'm not thinking this is the whole of the story. These pea responses prove it. Most of us peas are not in the small child phase of life anymore. Even if women aren’t on this particular phase of life - study after study has shown that women take on the bulk of the work on the home - kids, housework, groceries and the mental work of keeping track of everything going on and that needs to be done. Not having little kids make that somewhat easier but women still have way more on their collective plate than men do. My kids are teens now 11 I’m still the keeper of all the mental load. I have tried to get my husband to be responsible for some of it Outside of divorcing him I have given up. Even if he takes the kids to an appointment I get texts and calls to answer the same questions I’ve answered numerous times for him. My kids have somewhat complicated medical issues. I’m not going to leave them on their own to navigate a complicated medical System. Women simply have less time and energy to put into exercising regardless of their stage of life. |
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Post by nightnurse on Nov 14, 2024 17:00:23 GMT
A typical woman’s day starts with her getting up early so she can get all the kids ready for school, maybe packing her husbands lunch too. She drives the kids to school or the bus stop or day care, then goes to work. After work, she hits the grocery store, picks up the kids, makes dinner, helps with homework, cleans up, does laundry, gives the kids a bath, gets them ready for bed. The typical man just has to go to work. So it’s pretty easy to see why men have time to go for a run while their wife cooks dinner, or hit the gym before work while she’s getting the kids ready. I get that this is a thing in certain phases of our lives. But with 2/3 of women not being consistent exercisers, I'm not thinking this is the whole of the story. These pea responses prove it. Most of us peas are not in the small child phase of life anymore. I think once you’re out of the habit of exercising, it’s that much harder to get back into it. Men don’t have to give it up when they become fathers but most American women do. So then after their kids leave the house, it takes that extra effort to fit it in their schedule again. And they are probably still doing the bulk of the housework while also working. I’m sure it isn’t true of every single person but I think statistically it’s common enough to count. |
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Post by rymeswithpurple on Nov 14, 2024 17:45:59 GMT
I keep finding myself thinking that I need to walk more or just be more active. I roll out of bed, drink a cup of coffee, and then putter around (AKA, play on my phone or something) until it's time to work.
I tried various sports as a kid, but none really stuck around for more than a season.
We have a gym in our apartment complex's basement, and in warmer months, I can walk on a small trail behind us. Have I done any of those recently? Nope.
We walked about 3 miles every day over our vacation recently and between that and some early mornings (AKA, 6:30 - I know that's not early, early, but when you're me...well, it is. I love my sleep!), I definitely slept better and I know it's partially because of all the walking.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Nov 14, 2024 18:08:11 GMT
I get that this is a thing in certain phases of our lives. But with 2/3 of women not being consistent exercisers, I'm not thinking this is the whole of the story. These pea responses prove it. Most of us peas are not in the small child phase of life anymore. I think once you’re out of the habit of exercising, it’s that much harder to get back into it. Men don’t have to give it up when they become fathers but most American women do. So then after their kids leave the house, it takes that extra effort to fit it in their schedule again. And they are probably still doing the bulk of the housework while also working. I’m sure it isn’t true of every single person but I think statistically it’s common enough to count. That might be. I mean I know I still take on more than my husband. But now that Esther is gone and Chloe is grown, the amount of time I have on my hands outside of my job is significant. I am also not caring for elderly parents so there's another caregiving aspect that women often deal with that I don't have. I honestly have to say that per my other thread on ADHD, keeping myself busy is a priority because I do better the more engaged my brain is. So right now, compared to how my life was in the past 25 years, this is a huge change. I do have time to exercise. I don't do it for reasons listed above. But many of my friends are empty nesters and in the same boat I am. I think you don't really know it until the kids are grown and self-sufficient just how much of your life you actually devoted to them if you aren't in some kind of state of shock once that responsibility is lifted from you. I'm still in shock phase. |
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Post by Susie_Homemaker on Nov 15, 2024 15:47:25 GMT
I don't suffer from ADHD or bipolar, but I can totally relate to this. We are empty nesters and I really have no excuses not to exercise. I enjoy it when I do it, I feel better and it's good for me. When I get out of the habit of it I get in a funk and think 'I should be exercising' but I"m in a funk so I don't feel like it and can't get going, which puts me more in a funk because I'm not exercising,,,, My natural default setting is sloth and relaxing so I always have to fight that because I DO enjoy moving my body and lifting weights. I do "take breaks" but then kick myself back at it again. This week has been a 'back at it' week and I"m mentally feeling so much better. My funk is lifting and I'm ready to move again. *If all ya'll have time for is a 10 minute walk, then do that. If you don't have the energy, know that you are helping your energy stores by taking the 10 minute walk.  |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Nov 15, 2024 18:10:12 GMT
When I get out of the habit of it I get in a funk and think 'I should be exercising' but I"m in a funk so I don't feel like it and can't get going, which puts me more in a funk because I'm not exercising,,,, Exactly it! It's like a cycle I have a hard time breaking. And once i can get out of the negative cycle, then I appreciate it, but getting out of it is a bitch. I read it takes like 60 days for normal people to form a habit. I'm not even sure I am capable of ever forming a habit. It's why my quitting smoking seems so precarious to me still and I've not had a cigarette in 7 months. Given the right temptation, I could pick it right back up again. Bipolar people are 3x more likely to be overweight. This is why. Consistency is difficult. |
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