Not a professional, but I play one on TV

Nah, I don’t.

I’d like to think of myself as an evangelist tho. Of course, for Christ, but also for health. I’m speaking from personal experience so I want to start out by saying “Do as I say, not as I do…” It’s worth pointing out that this story is my story. Your results may vary. Do I sound like I’m a TV advertisement? Maybe.

I was born in the 60s and grew up in the 70s & 80s. That may not seem important but it is. Google models in 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, and 1985. Look at the perception of attractive was back then. Rail skinny. And for a girl growing up in an Italian-American family that liked to eat….I learned to have a horrible relationship with food. Also, for the heck of it, add in that the 70s and 80s were the era of “food additives” and restrictive diets. Salt would give you high blood pressure. Animal fat would give you heart disease. Butter is bad for you so eat margarine made of hydrolyzed oils. Sugar…bad. Eat sugar substitutes made from chemicals. Food coloring and fake flavorings abound. Oh, and don’t eat egg yolks. They will give you high cholesterol. Heart disease like bacon fat…etc. A good diet would be 1200 calories a day. No guidance on what makes up those 1200 calories, just 1200 calories. And it was sold in every teen girls’ favorite magazines.

My relationship with food has always been awful. But really, that’s not what I’m talking about aside from the 70s and 80s were likely the cause of that relationship!

Really, I want to talk about the past few years. In the past few years, we’ve seen the rise of quick fix weight loss “tools” like Ozempic. Just like those drugs big pharma has created to “cure” Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, IBS, TED, and gazillions of other diseases that (likely) they created, Ozempic is the “cure” for obesity. Well, sorta. If you don’t mind the side effects of feeling like dog poop all the time, or getting other infections that “could be life threatening,” I guess then go for it. But what about this.

Exercise. Really. Get up. Get out. Take a walk. Lift weights. Ride a bike. Go for a swim. Go for a run. Get on the rowing machine. Anything. Why not do that? Is it not the cheaper alternative to paying for a drug that might just make other parts of your body fall off? Just move. Movement is medicine. Cheaper and better medicine than something lab-created.

Post-covid, there are a myriad of online options that can guide you into an exercise journey. For free. At your fingertips. Crazy, huh? There’s an entire garage-gym revolution…out here on the interwebz. So, because there’s such a low barrier to entry, why are we hesitant to choose exercise over meds? It’s the instant gratification thing.

Don’t deny it. If you could take a pill that PROMISED you would never have to exercise again and you would maintain a sylph-like physique, you would be all in. Faster than you could pop that pill in your mouth and say, “What are the side-effects?” You would. Don’t lie.

For a long time, I thought I would be “all in” too – for something like that. But when I listen to the advertisements for Farxiga, Tremfya, Humira, Tepezza, and the list goes on….the side effects seem to have nothing to do with the area affected by the disease. Tepezza (thyroid eye disease) affects urine and kidneys or something like that. Farxiga (diabetes and kidney issues) can cause an infection of the perineum. What in the world?

So would I trust my health and well being to a pill? Nope. I don’t mind taking vitamins and minerals but honestly, other pills….no thank you!

We live in a country that desires “quick fixes” for everything. And exercise is not a quick fix. But exercise is a permanent, healthy fix.

What are your reasons why you aren’t exercising? Let me tell you mine (from before I was regularly working out).

1. I don’t have the time. I’m so busy. I work 45-50 hours a week. I am taking care of another human being. I just don’t have time.
2. It’s hard. I like easy.
3. I haven’t found a “program” that I want to stick with.
4. I don’t have anyone to work out with.
5. I don’t see progress so I quit.

Do any of those sound familiar? Let’s break them down into reasons why you CAN exercise.

1. Make the time. No one is going to do that for you. Are you going to wait until you have diabetes, heart disease, COPD, kidney or liver issues? That might be when it’s too late. Make the time now. If you don’t take care of you…nobody else will.
2. Yes. It’s hard. Everyone likes easy. It’s easy if you just start…and do it every day for a few weeks. Then it’s not only easy, it’s a habit.
3. See above where I mention the PLETHORA of free or cheap programs to follow. Google and Instagram are your friends there. And by Google, I also mean Bing or DuckDuckGo or any search engine. Search for Online Exercise Programs. I just did it and even got Forbes best online workout programs!
4. Join an online community focused on working out. If you don’t feel comfortable with an online community, see if the local YMCA has group fitness classes. Stop by Planet Fitness…they may still cost under $25/month. If you would prefer to do the “at home online” thing, search Instagram for workout or fitness and you’ll find people who share your goals.
5. Give yourself time. Exercise serves several purposes but let’s say TWO purposes for this blog:
   • External – you will begin to look better with (and without) clothes on. Your clothes may even fit better.
   • Internal – any chronic disease markers may just begin to disappear or reduce. Your A1C may drop. Your LDL may go down. Your kidneys may begin to function better. Your joints may not ache as much.

So, to wrap up, here are the ways I “answered” my own objections:

1. I decided to get up early every morning and work out while it was dark and quiet in the house. I wanted to get ahead of the disease issues I saw looming in the distance.
2. I just ignore this particular one. Yeah. It’s hard. #dohardthings
3. I found WODprep. At the time they were cheap and they offered an online community too. They still offer a community and the programming is great. It is a CrossFit style workout program. Don’t want that? Search the interwebz for an option that suits you.
4. I love my online community. Does it replace an “in person” community? Maybe not but I do have friends that help me and bolster me. I also love posting about my journey on Instagram. I’ll be your friend on Instagram @maryaquinocooper is my handle. Hit me up.
5. I’ve seen my cholesterol numbers improve. I also know that my body is “changing” because while my jeans are tighter, they’re tighter around the thighs, where my quads are getting stronger/bigger. I can lift things I couldn’t lift 2-3 years ago. I see improvements in my strength and my “engine” (cardio). It’s slow going. I’m starting my 5th year doing CrossFit. Just starting to improve exponentially now. But better now than….never.