Planking with a Puppy on Your Head

I pushed an ear out of my mouth and attempted to wipe a dripping line of slobber off my neck.

WOOOF!

She was relentless.  I was too.

I stiffened my plank as a paw landed on my shoulder blade.  She nudged, I held on.  15 seconds left.

A headbutt to the face then a literal butt to the face.

The timer hit my goal and I dropped to the ground, much to her excitement.  The barking began and got aggressively louder as I walked to the dumbbell on my living room floor.

 I realized the slobber was not unique to my neck and my hand slipped on the wet piece of metal. 

Seinfeld was on as a hopeful distraction to the bouncing ball of fur.  A load of laundry was in the wash. Sweet potatoes in the oven.  If all went as planned I would finish my workout as the timer went off and would fold laundry while they cooled.

It didn't and the oven began to buzz mid squat.

The smell of taters putting the pawed princess in a spud-induced frenzy.

Sweets out, back to the squat, barking resuming.

This was far, far from the workout I had planned for this particular Tuesday.  I had my gym bag packed the night prior, exercise plan from my coach printed, and pre-workout consumed at perfect timing.

But life is not perfect and I was home bound after the work day, my plan to hit the gym dismantled.

Sigh.

This is an overworked theme and one that’s been exhausted by Health and Fitness magazines, personal trainers, and exercise bloggers.  But…I will venture- sometimes I get asked the question, “how do you find the time?”

My helpful answer is sometimes, I don’t.

Sometimes I literally do not have time in my 24 hours to go to the gym for the workout I have planned.  Sometimes the tricks, tips, and suggestions by aforementioned sources do not work. 

Sometimes your kid gets sick and you need to pick them up early, feed them antibiotics on the hour, and get to the second kid’s school just in time for them to start throwing up in your Volvo.

Sometimes you have meetings until 7pm, a phone call with a crying friend that lasts until 9 and use the last ten minutes before your head hits the pillow to toss something in your piehole before you perish.

Sometimes you have a 12 hour work day, a doctor’s appointment at lunch, and get your car inspected before you get (another) ticket.

In my opinion, these aren't excuses, they’re life.  Other posts and articles may say there are NO excuses.  I say sometimes you don’t have the damn time.

What I have found, is that you may not have the time for your workout.  

But you do have the time to do something.  

Unless you are strapped to a chair with a straightjacket for 24 hours, there is usually time in your day to do something.

What is something?  For the day described above, something was a plank/squat duet while cooking sweet potatoes, doing laundry, watching Seinfeld, and being home for a puppy that was alone all day.

Something may be 10 quick air squats in the bathroom at work.

Something may be lunging down the hall in your office building.

Something may be going up and down the stairs 5 times every other hour.

Something may be parking in the furthest spot in the ginormous mall parking lot while you’re doing last minute holiday shopping.

Maybe it’s 10 pushups while making dinner.  Or tricep dips on your kitchen chair while sending emails.  Or stretching your hamstrings while waiting for your dog to pee.

My point is, there is ALWAYS time to do something to enhance your health. 

It may not be the leg workout you had planned.  It may not be 30 minutes of high intensity intervals.  It may not be the 5k you were planning on crushing. 

I am obviously an advocate for planned exercise regimens.  I think they're great and very effective.  I think everyone should have a "plan" of some sort.

But life often has a change in plans.  Life doesn't always fully understand I need a hack squat machine to build my derriere.

There are excuses, there are reasons to not go to the gym or accomplish your desired exercise.

There are not, however, reasons to fully and completely abandon your body as a vessel that can move.

Implement something in a day full of life's everythings.

Whether it's a sick kid, a doctor's appointment, a crying friend, or a 15 hour work day, comically acknowledge there's always something you can do.

Even if, there's a puppy on your head.