by Kim Wood of Keeping These Things

I have a confession to make (which will come as no surprise to my fellow boot campers):  I am not the best “boot camper.”  My last blog post may have conveyed that I go to boot camp on a daily basis.  I don’t.  It’s a good week if I make it to Boot Camp three times.  It’s a normal week if I go twice.  And not uncommon to have an occasional week where I only go once or miss it all together.

I use to feel guilty about that…until I stumbled upon this quote:

“Remember, with exercise a little goes a long way and something is better than nothing.”  (Mary Byers)

I have no idea who Mary Byers is, but her quote is in a daily calendar I have called “Motherhood:  One Day at a Time…Daily Inspiration for Moms.”  And because of her words of encouragement, I feel forever indebted to her.  Her reminder is the essence of what keeps me committed to boot camp, and to exercise in general.

Before I joined Fit Body Boot Camp, I was an “all or nothing” exerciser.  I would go for weeks or even months, exercising on a regular basis (typically the summer months).  Then, life would get busy (and mornings, my ideal exercise time, would get darker and colder) and exercising would fall to the wayside.  During my dry spells, I would occasionally think, “I have time to work out today” but would choose not to, because it had been so long and I knew it might be a while before I’d work out again.  What was the point?  One sporadic day of exercise seemed futile and worthless.

Finally, last winter, I knew things had to change.  I was feeling yucky, out of shape, and unhappy with myself and my inability to stay committed to consistent exercise.  Hoping that a group setting would help my consistency and sense of commitment, I joined Fit Body Boot Camp.

And, it has helped.  Yes, I still occasionally fall off the bandwagon, but for not nearly as long as I use to.  At most, I miss a week or two at a time.  Even when I slide in my attendance, I still consider myself a part of the class, and find myself eager to jump back in when I can.

“Something is better than nothing” I remind myself when I contemplate getting up for boot camp when I haven’t gone for a while.  And how true that is.  Often it’s that one decision that gets me back on track.  And even if it is the only day of exercise that week, that one day (something) is better than nothing!

And with that mentality, coupled with my long-haul commitment to boot camp, I have now had nearly a full year of consistent exercise.  That’s way better than nothing!

Kim Wood graciously took time out of her schedule as a wife and mom of 3 and wrote two guest posts for Fit4Miracles.   She has her own blog Keeping These Things, in which she shares her lessons and insights about life and motherhood.  Stop by and see her!