you see something that you purchased many months or maybe years ago. It now stands with hats on it, maybe even clothing hanging over it. It sits in a corner of an unused room, possibly, collecting dust. Out of sight, out of mind, you think. You turn away from it, with the exception of maybe a day or two when you first bought it and you just KNEW you would use it 4-5 times a week.
But as time went on, you had a flare and you lost your interest in trying to deal with that "monster" again, so you try to ignore it.
Then, there are some of you, who are possibly considering selling it, on Craigslist.org, to make some extra money. But how much should you charge for it? After all, you only used it twice. It's technically brand new. But now, newer and better models have probably come out and this might not be as "attractive" to a buyer.
So, maybe you could recoup half of what you had spent.
However, you forget about it again, once you close the door, or throw yet another pair of pants on it. It's become a clothes hanger, or a drying place for your sweaters perhaps, or maybe your husband hangs his baseball caps on the handles.
IT'S THE TREADMILL/ELLIPTICAL TRAINER/BOWFLEX/NORDICTRAK/ or other piece of exercise equipment that you spent hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars on, swearing that you would make a commitment to yourself and your Fibro to "move" more.
There's a commercial out right now for some medication that says, "A body in motion, tends to stay in motion." That commercial happens to be for "arthritis". So, obviously we're talking...PAIN.
The less you move, the less you'll want to move.
HOWEVER, if you just start slowly, say 5 minutes at a slow speed on your treadmill, it may not seem so daunting.
Also, take your MP3 player, or IPod and get the music you love going and let that motivate you. Walk to the beat of the music as long as it's not THAT fast. If that isn't your "thing", maybe place your exercise "machine" in front of a television or computer screen so that you can watch something. This can make those 5 minutes fly and you may just keep going to 10 or maybe 20 minutes!
The point is, that IF you have such a piece of equipment in your house, why not try it out? Why not do something that will perhaps help you feel better not only physically but mentally as well. The evidence on exercise helping depression is ALL over the place.It's better than medication in my book. After all, I've been on the same medication for over 7 years now and I'm wondering if the medication works anymore or if it's simply adding in exercise that's helping my depression.
So, for those of you with that dusty "monster" taking up space or acting as a clothes hanger, why not use it for the reason you purchased it in the first place?
You may be surprised how much it can help you. If you live in an area with changeable weather, you may enjoy this practice more during the months when outside activity is impossible, due to weather extremes.
I'm starting to use my elliptical now that fall is on it's way here in the Northeastern portion of the US.
I've taken to using it on rainy days and going outside on better days.
Whatever you do, don't leave the machine where it is under a pile of dust and/or clothing. It's time to act, either make money by selling it OR, better yet, USE the machine!!
Monday is a great day to start our new routines! So, tomorrow is Monday! Get going! You'll thank me....you'll see.
Until tomorrow................
Blessings.............................
Mo M.
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