Overcoming the Bear Mentality

I think that there needs to be a shift in the calendar so that New Year's Day falls somewhere around the 21st of March. That way, if I were to have made a New Year's Resolution to get fit in 2009 (but I don't make resolutions, remember?), I would not have to wait three months before starting.

Because although I have been planning to get exercise since the beginning of the year, I have not been able to get past the fact that it's freaking freezing outside. Not only has that kept me from exercising outside, it has seriously hampered my motivation to exercise inside. It was 16 degrees outside yesterday morning, and even though it was a comfortable 68 in my house I could not bring myself to jog in place for five minutes, much less turn on FitTV and groove to Gilad for half an hour.

We are now a little more than halfway through winter, looking at another 6 weeks of it ahead of us (thanks, Phil), and I feel like every ounce of energy I've got is going toward fighting the urge to hibernate. Like a bear, I just want to curl up, close my eyes, and wake up when spring is here.

The only thing this winter that has gotten me off my bum and working out is my weekly basketball game with "the girls" -- if it weren't for the fact that there were others sort of expecting me to show, I might not do it. Even though it's fun. Even though I feel GREAT having gotten an awesome workout. It's not enough to inspire me to exercise at all in the days in between. For the wintertime, at least, I probably need a motivated workout buddy to help me overcome the bear inside.

By the end of this month, nearly half of those who have made a New Year's Resolution will have given up. I can kind of understand why. Winter is cold, depressing and seems to go on forever, and it is very easy to succumb to the desire to hunker down and seek comfort in every way.

If New Year's Day were to be moved to March, perhaps we'll all fare better.