I have been making it a point to go to the gym 4 days a week as well as walking my dog for 30min in the am 5 days a week. I've been doing really good for a month or so. This week I didn't do my morning walk with the dog on Monday because I was dogsitting two other dogs and couldn't walk them all, or leave any of them behind. I have walked all 4 other days though. I went to the gym Mon-Wed but didn't go last night because I was hanging cabinet doors in my kitchen. Today I was planning on going to the gym but it's the last day with no rain for awhile and I HAVE to mow my lawn and clean up my yard. Should I feel guilty about not going to the gym 4 days/week if I am doing something that makes up for it? I don't count housework, because I do it every day almost. I just won't have time after work to go grocery shopping to mow my lawn AND do the gym. I feel guilty for not going, but when I mow and clean up the yard it's good exercise. Hmmm...

Actually, you should figure out how not to feel guilty, ever, in my opinion. Guilt is just an excuse to reach for Ben and Jerry's. Make a list of everything you are doing right while you are not going to the gym - do a google and figure out how many cals you burn mowing the lawn. Journal on how successful vs. off track your grocercy shopping was. ect. And write a short note to yourself about what your commitment for gym time will be next week. Make it doable. If you can't get there 4 times next week, and you really need to see on paper when you will back up to four times, make your commitment stretch to where it needs to stretch to - 'I will go to the gym three times next week becuase I can't get there on Friday becuase I have to take mom to get her hair done, so I will take the dog to the park friday night, and I will go to the gym twice week after next becuase I will be out of town with the stupid convention they are sending me to, so I will XYZ, and week after next I will get to the gym four times'. or whatever. Write a commitment to yourself and journal on this weeks success. One day at a time (one week at a time, in this case) and move forward. Never any guilt. Okay?

Thanks for that advice. I decided not too stress about it... and I usually don't go to the gym on weekends but I am going to try and go tomorrow morning.

I've definitely learned that chores take the place of some exercise time. I do 45 minutes to an hour on my elliptical most days, but some days I have too many other things to do, and if I try to do elliptical stuff as well, I wind up with that 'too much too fast too tired' feeling.

I really do like my time on the elliptical, but I have a longstanding reputation of slacking off every other time I tried to get my act together. So that I don't fall into the habit of thinking 'I did a serious chore, so I don't need to do the elliptical', I try to arrange all my running around and heavy lifting chores to the same day (note - I try! reality doesn't always allow for that ). Then I'll do my elliptical the rest of the week. If I have several days of running around or heavy housework stuff, I'll still do the elliptical, but do a lot less time. It keeps the habit, but doesn't wear me out.

I don't count regular housework either. That gets done even on long elliptical days.

BP

Why do we do this to ourselves? We set up these arbitrary rules about what is or isn't exercise. The BEST exercise is activity that we can build into our everyday life. Chores should count (assuming that they are physical in nature). Can they totally take the place of our workouts? NO. Most are not aerobic and we need aerobic activity. But, life happens - thankfully. Don't sweat it when you don't stick to those artificial goals. Enjoy your life, and incorporate moving as much as you can in as many ways as you can into your daily routine.

I'm being neurotic about it for now because I'm only a couple of months in to getting real exercise. I've been an on again/off again exerciser for years - I'd get out of the habit every time when I started telling myself I can do some exercise 'tomorrow'. So this time I'm not letting myself find excuses. I figure once I've shed a few more pounds and gotten a bit more fit, I won't have to base my running around chores around elliptical time. I'll have the energy to do both

I like the elliptical and this time my desire to get in shape and lose weight does feel different - I seem to have a commitment to do the work. That was lacking the other times - I'd do it as long as I 'had the time' or I 'felt like it'

BP

I am going back to my routine of mon-thurs at the gym this week. last week I never got the chance to get into my 4th workout. Oh well. I live alone, work a full time job, have a dog and 4 cats... so time is an issue for me. I have ALL the housework to do (though I don't have to clean up after any other humans) but things still need to get vacuumed/swept/mopped/scrubbed just as often with all my pets running around. I just need to stick to a routine!