I Can Hear Clearly Now

I recently paid a visit to my doctor that inspired an idea in me. She suggested using something like a favorite TV show or audiobook as incentive for exercising. Hmm...audiobook, eh? That certainly appeals. I like reading but I don't like working out...why not combine the two?

But wait a minute, audiobooks are usually completely against my book morals. Why be lazy and listen when you can make the effort and read? It just doesn't make sense, and since I'm in the business of disciplining myself, I couldn't see much of an option.

And then! A loophole! There are hundreds of books out there that I would love to read but I just don't have the time or money to collect all of them when I'm not even sure I'll be able to get through them. So why not listen to them? It'd be about the same thing, and allow me to multitask as well as encourage myself in my weight-loss goals. Perfect!

And may I just say how well it's worked so far. I've downloaded Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. I'm limiting myself to specifically books that I'm interested in, but would never be able to get through reading on my own. So far, I'm on chapter 3 of Eat Pray Love and I'm dying for more. But by forcing myself to wait for it, I'm actually trying to come up with more ways that I can work out. It's a fantastic incentive, and I can't believe that I've never considered it before. I'm hoping this can only be a good thing for my life.

So when someone says, "Can you hear me now?" my automatic response will be "Only if you're reading to me!"