EARLIER this year, I spent the holidays in a lovely South African coastal town. I didn’t do any exercise. Despite my refusal to do so, I think I burnt an impressive amount of kilojoules anyway.
That’s because most of my balmy days started with a long walk in the mountain with my dogs. I was able to observe the dew on the fynbos, see fresh morning sunlight touch the ocean and the lagoon, listen to and watch birds welcome the day in their unique joyful way, and see the dogs smiling their doggie smiles with unmistakable pleasure.
After breakfast, we would head down to the beach where I would challenge my husband to play a game of beach bats. There is nothing quite like the feeling of hitting the ball in exactly the right spot with the precise amount of power required — running and reaching for that shot that seems impossible, just making it, only to have to sprint back to the start position as fast as you can to receive the next delivery. Hot and sweaty after the game, we would then run into the water for a cooling swim, enjoy catching a few waves, crash on our towels to warm up, then head indoors to get out of the scorching sun.
Mid-morning to late afternoon would involve a lot of lying on the couch reading, sleeping, eating and maybe some more sleeping.
When the harshness of the sun had passed, we would head out again for a beach walk with the dogs running into the waves, or a stroll along a scenic route with strategically placed benches where one can sit and chat, and solve the problems of the world while watching the extravagance of the waves crashing on to the rocks. Otherwise, we would get on to our bikes and cruise through the streets, laughing at the names of some of the houses, admiring well-kept gardens, counting the cars parked outside family houses, wondering if they get along, and taking in the festive atmosphere.
Most evenings we would stay home, but on one occasion, we went out dancing. Play the right music, and I get enthused by the Dancing Queen. She has to move to the beat. She tirelessly jumps around, wiggles her hips, taps her feet, waves her arms in the air and feels the rhythm. If you have never been an exerciser, if you hate it, like I do, maybe you should shift your focus. Spend time doing the things that excite you. Play, chase, be in awe, jump, marvel, fool around, dance, have fun.
Over an extended period of time, the days, weeks, months and years that make up our lives, a continued devotion to exercise requires more enthusiasm than discipline (some discipline also comes in handy, of course).
The word enthusiasm comes from the Greek, and literally means “filled with God”. To be enthused is like being connected to an ongoing energy supply, getting charged up by the flow of life itself. Enthusiasm makes something feel like play, not work. It is enjoyment, not duty that enables us to make a lifelong commitment to exercise, and lifelong commitments are what we’re after.
If you cannot remember when last you moved your body for fun, consider trying out all sorts of different physical activities to see what you like.
Try a yoga class, rollerblading, gardening, tandem biking, Nia or Tai Chi. Try horseback riding, kayaking, belly dancing, skipping. Try a walk at dawn and a hike at sunset. Get together, get outside, get in water, get sweaty, turn on music. Tennis, badminton, croquet, volleyball. Why not?
Take a good friend and try a new movement adventure every week. You will not like everything you do, but you will learn what you like and want more of it.
n Maya Naumann is a registered dietician and co- founder of Soundbites Nutrition, an organisation dedicated to preventing and treating eating problems.
Life is to be lived. If you have to support yourself, you had bloody well better find some way that is going to be interesting.” — Katharine Hepburn
Life’s blows cannot break a person whose spirit is warmed at the fire of enthusiasm.” — Norman Vincent Peale
Love what you do. Do what you love.” — Wayne Dyer
A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go further than a great idea that inspires no one.” — Mary Kay Ash