On April 14, 2014, it was 65 degrees, with winds of up to 50 mph, and rain in the forecast. I didn’t need a weather App to tell either of these things, all I needed was to step out to put my bike on my bike rack to tell all of this. I was headed out for an 8+ mile bike ride at the local park, but guess how much all that mattered? None much.
You’re probably thinking, “Uh. Rain, and super gusty wind? Really? Why bother?”
Trust me, trust me dudes. That was pretty much on repeat over and over in my head. But guess what? I live in Michigan, the Enchanted Mitten, and I knew we were expecting 2-3 inches overnight, so this was my Window of Opportunity. After a brutal winter of being cooped up in my basement or at the gym riding, after it being warmer at the north pole than my house more often than not, after suffering through the dreaded Polar Vortex – I WAS GOING TO RIDE OUTSIDE.
(I was glad I did, because on April 15, it snowed 4 inches at my house. That put us around 100 inches, give or take, since January 1, 2014.)
As I was riding on the bike path, as expected, it started raining – pouring, really – and I had this giant, silly grin on my face. I was the only person out there in the middle of the woods, and Eddie Rabbit’s “I Love a Rainy Night” came on my old iPod Nano (the screen doesn’t work, so unless I get it fixed, it’s perpetually on shuffle), and I started doing that thing that I do while I’m on my bike – just thinking.
I was thinking about how much I loved that song. Thinking about how it reminded me of my mom snapping her fingers to it and of her banana yellow Ford Fairlane when it first came out. Thinking about how much I loved riding my bike in the rain. Thinking about WHY I loved riding my bike, and why I NEEDED to ride my bike (that’s another article entirely). Thinking how even though it was so windy that I had to push to get down the hills, and that it was chilly enough that I needed two layers and probably should have worn my gloves with the full fingers. And thinking about how hard it was to find the time to ride, to exercise, to get in my daily workout – as a business owner and parent.
It’s one of those things I struggle with – carving out the time to make sure a bike ride (or anything that gets me moving) happens, and not because of how important it is to not just my physical and mental health, but also how important it is to the health of the relationships I have with my kids, my husband, and how I run my business. I thought: I think I’ll write about this for Intuitive Accountant!
That day I rode in the rain, before I even left the park, I called Carrie Kahn, another QuickBooks ProAdvisor that I know, because I’d recently seen her posting on Facebook about her efforts to get healthier. I asked her if she’d be willing to share some of her experiences on the subject.
She explained: “In the past each time I attempted to start an exercise program I always started off strong and over did it.” That she might hurt her knee or overdo it somehow and fall off the schedule, but due to some health issues and some tragedies that close friends went through, she realized that she needed to make a change. So early in 2013, she started simple: taking 30 minutes every day and walking on her treadmill.
I also reached out to my friend MB Raimondi. MB has been working out since college – she has almost a lifetime of making this a habit, of making sure sure she has that time, and says that she does a variety of things – she’s active 5-6 days a week and takes and teaches classes at her local YMCA. MB says: “I like a combination of cardio and body sculpting. I need it all! The cardio classes I take are typically spinning, Insanity or boot camp type classes though I teach kickboxing as well as the good old fashioned hi-lo impact aerobics”
And what I thought was going to be an article about how we all struggle to find the time to get in regular exercise – turned into something totally different. It turned into finding out what all 3 of us did to keep ourselves physically healthy – well duh, right Stacy? – in that we made sure we found the time every day to exercise because it proved to be more about our mentally health.
When I asked MB how she stays motivated, her answer? “Exercise is my sanity. I can tell if I skip a few days. My mind, as well as my body, slows down.”
On the phone, I mentioned to Carrie that I loved that time on my bike – all I had to do was think about pushing the pedals not falling off, that it almost always put a smile on my face; Carrie told me: “When I started to exercise I noticed a direct correlation to my mood.”
And there it is. I find that it’s what many of us struggle with, as business owners, parents, etc –finding the time to do anything that’s purely to make us healthier. Whether it’s riding a bike, reading a book or taking a short walk; these are things, each in their own way, that help to keep us healthy and balanced. They put us in a good mood and clear our minds.
My “finding time to exercise” article really is more about asking everyone to make finding time to do things that make them healthier in any way, both physically or mentally, a priority. Make it a priority so that you’re happier, more relaxed, and more productive. Although it would be pretty nice if its getting in a workout so that you can “add” time to your day like Carrie feels it’s done for her, right?
And please don’t think I’m preaching at you to exercise – I’m not. There are certainly still days that we ALL look at those incoming rain clouds and think: “Eh. I can always go for a ride later.”
Stacy
A Note from the Editor: Articles in our 'people and business' or 'practice management' sections don't always have to be about the 'who's who' or 'nuts and bolts' of an 'advisor' practice....we believe the 'human aspects' are just as important, if not more so, and that is why we will include 'lifestyle' articles, like this one, from time to time.