I like to exercise outside, it’s pleasant, fun and free.
Most times when I’m outside exercising someone will pass by and say something like, “Oh, I should be doing that but. . .
I don’t have the time.
I’m too tired.
I have a sore __________ (pick a body part).
or, the most common,
I’m just not motivated enough.
As a health and wellness instructor I bring this up not because I think these people need to get their ‘you know what’ together and stop making excuses. I bring it up because I believe it illustrates a strong, mostly subliminal cultural narrative. A narrative that says if you’re not exercising or if you can’t motivate yourself to get out there and ‘crush it’, there is something wrong with you.
And you should be made to feel Guilty.
But, simply put, Guilt is a tactic that just doesn’t work. Most people are doing the best they know how too- regardless of how it ‘appears’ to others. And for a lot of people it takes most of their energy to just get through the day. I know this well myself, there have been many times in my life where I have struggled, really struggled, not just with exercise or nutrition but with the basics of daily life. And feeling guilty never, ever helped. In fact, it usually made matters worse.
When looking at this situation through the lens of evolutionary biology and understanding where we come from and how we got to where we are now, you clearly see that we are an incredibly hardy, efficient and resilient species. We had to be, otherwise we never would have survived as a species!
For most people, if they knew of a better way of doing things that was good for them, guess what- they’d very likely be doing them.
For most of us, there is so much going on, so many things demanding our time and so much stress that it’s hard to see the forest from the trees.
And feeling Guilty about it, either from others or, as is mostly the case, ourselves,
Just
Does
Not
Work.
We all have things we enjoy that keep us healthy. But we live in a culture that for the most part does not foster the curiosity to explore and to learn and to make mistakes, including the exploration of what it means to be healthy and happy. Not only is there very little emphasis placed on the importance of Quality of Life, but for most people daily life actually runs counter to it. We all know very well, without your physical and mental health, your overall well-being,
Everything Else Is Pointless!
I do my particular exercises because I enjoy doing them. While they definitely have health and physical benefits I know that if I didn’t enjoy them I probably wouldn’t do them.
You have your own individual path that leads to a balanced, healthy life.
And it’s easier than you think.
And feeling Guilty will not get you there.
PS- Guilt is associated with so many other cultural narratives, so maybe more posts to come. . .
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