Perseverance through exercise… and moscos?

What do I mean “perseverance through exercise”? Let me tell you a little story.

I set off this morning with the intention to “jog” for 45 minutes. It’s been a while and I’m just starting to get the hang of fitting exercise into my schedule since having a baby almost a year ago. Yes, I know, that’s a long damn time, but it is what it is.

We live in the jungle in Mexico. There are mosquitoes here, lots of them. The Spanish word is the same, but usually you’ll hear them referred to as moscos, and they are relentless! You don’t know me well yet, but let me tell you… They LOVE me, and I’m allergic to them. Not full on anaphylaxis, but I get welts the size of quarters and itch for days. It’s not fun.

I thought I had prepared myself. Sure, I had on shorts and a tank, but I put on bug spray! I know better than to set foot outside in the morning or evening (really anytime of day here) without protection. It’s worked before during walks with hubby, and even a couple weeks ago.

I’m sure you can guess where this is heading… Those Mayan moscos smelled the bug spray I had applied and laughed. Who did I think I was trying to repel them away? The first bite happened about 7 minutes in. I figured it was a fluke, the little bugger found a small kink in my armor. I kept going.

15 minutes later it was clear it was not a fluke. I had a growing number of bites and accepted the fact I needed to head for home. I probably would have been better off if I’d run, but I was committed to keeping my heart rate at the ideal level. Some may find that crazy, but that’s me!

Finally home with 10 minutes left to go of my planned workout length (and 15 bites), I pulled out the rebounder and started bouncing. Mind you, we’ve had this thing for a couple years, it took valuable real estate in our trailer during our move to Mexico, and we haven’t touched it almost the entire time we’ve been here. Today I’m thankful we still have it, and we have space to use it!

There you have it, a prime example of perseverance through exercise!

So, what’s the point? Why am I telling you all this? To share what I learned in the hopes that you’ll find some inspiration or commonality. In sharing our struggles and our triumphs, no matter how small, we can all learn and grow together.

This morning I was reminded that excuses are meaningless. They are stories we tell ourselves to make us feel better when we don’t do something we know we should be doing, or something we want to be doing. They only have power if we let them. And we don’t have to let them. Having a strong “why” is a great way to overcome excuses. Simply taking action is another one.

This morning I also modeled some great behavior for my 1-year-old. Not only did he get to see mommy being active, but he got to participate when I held him while bouncing. We got to experience the joy of physical activity together, and he got to learn about something new. He also got so see me working through adversity and finishing what I started using creativity and whatever I had available to me. These are valuable lessons for all of us, no?

Have you overcome adversity, small or big, lately? Let me know in the comments!