Mitred Square Crochet Pattern With Gap Free Edges

Do your mitred squares have gaps along the edges effecting the visual appeal?

Mitred squares are worked diagonally from corner to corner, a versatile square with a myriad of uses for some truly inspiring projects. We all want our projects to be fantastic but those holey edges can fall short of that Wow factor.

Learn why edge gaps occur and how to avoid them. You won't find any disagreeable edge gaps in this pattern!

Exercise, for people who don't like exercising.

Work Out????

Are you kidding me?! My idea of a workout is playing ball with Freki, he runs for the ball and I lounge in my outdoor chairs.

Exercise for people who don't like exercising

I resist all forms of exercise and I can come up with any number of legitimate excuses not to be doing them.

But my general fitness levels are awful. I had to figure out how to improve my general fitness in a way that would work for me.

But how?

Keep it fun!

Exercise for exercising's sake doesn't make sense to me. I just can't seem to wrap my head around the concept. People never used to do exercise, but then again people used to lead lives that where a lot more active; and then we invented the automobile and cubicle farms.

But I digress. The point is exercise should not be a chore, it should just be a part of everyday life going about your usual business.

Failing that (see comment above about cars and desk jobs) exercise should be fun!

Now, I'm definitely not what you would call a sporty type unless you count running a 100 yards....of ribbon through the ruffler, I mean it's a form of running right? And then there's the wrestling large bundles of fabric....

Umm, did I get off topic again?  Whoops. Ex-errrr-cise. Focus! This post is about exercise.

Exercise is booooring. Mind numbingly-coma-inducing boring.

In an attempt to keep it interesting and to entice me to actually try to add it to my schedule I decided I should learn a new skill at the same time. Learning = less boring right?

In the end I chose to learn dance. That sounds fun doesn't it? If dance doesn't appeal to you perhaps a marital art would be more your style, everyone should learn to defend themselves after all...hmm, perhaps I should've looked into that?

I found some low-impact beginner dance classes on YouTube that were aimed at fitness and only took 30 minutes.

I could do the classes at home when no one was looking and it didn't matter how silly I looked, how wrong I got the steps or how slowly I picked it up; the dogs were my only audience.

It was fun and I was exercising! But would I keep at it?

Be honest with yourself

I made sure I chose workouts that don't require any equipment because I didn't need to add excuses like 'I can't find it' to my list of 'reasons why I can't exercise today'.

I don't use exercise equipment

I knew I wasn't going to do exercises every time I have it scheduled, I'd be lying to myself if I thought otherwise. So I factored that in and added extra time slots into my schedule. That way I could skip the odd one.

I aim to do exercises every single day. Some weeks I do exercise daily, other weeks I am lucky to get it in twice a week. But by slotting exercise time into my schedule every day helps enormously.

Set Achievable Goals

My aim may be to exercise every day, but my goal is to have actually done exercise 3 times a week. By not having strict days I have to exercise on I am far more likely to achieve my weekly goal.

What I mean by that is that although the experts recommend spreading exercise throughout the week for maximum benefit, if I workout on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and don't do any exercises the rest of the week I've still achieved my goal and my health still benefites from having done exercise.

If the next week I workout on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday I've still achieved my goal. Flexibility in how I achieve my goal makes it easier to actually meet that goal.

Achieving my goal encourages me to keep going.

Making it work 

I was doing well for a while, better then I have ever done before in my whole life. I was mostly getting some exercise into my week. I was pretty proud of myself.

But then things changed and I added another thing to my schedule and I found the time excuses were popping up more and more.

I had to re-evaluate. Fun was no longer my priority. Sticking to my primary goal of improving my general fitness meant I had to find a way to eliminate the 'I don't have time excuse'.

I found an 8 minute workout on YouTube. I can't use the time excuse any more because the truth is I can always find 8 minutes in my day.

The more workout options I have the less excuses I have to not do it.

There's the  'fun' workout, the 'fast' workout, the 'low impact' workout, the 'push myself harder' workout and the 'learn something new' workout.

Lets be honest here, YouTube is full of workout videos so being bored with your workout isn't really a valid excuse. Other excuses that just don't fly when YouTube can provide an alternative are:

  • not liking the teacher, 
  • the workout puts too much strain on my joints, 
  • it's too hard, 
  • it's too complicated, 
  • it's too fast,
  • I'm not co-ordinated enough,
  • the music just isn't my style
  • I don't like working on the ground
  • I can't make it all the way through the workout
  • I don't have the right equipment

Okay, I get it, not everyone has the bandwidth to watch a YouTube video everyday. When I started out with my exercises I didn't either. I had 3 MB of data to use per month and I needed that for other stuff. 

I found a video that appealed to me, yes this took a little while and I waited until the end of the month and used the last of my data to do it. Then I wrote all of the exercises down and I did them as best I could without the video. I worked out with the video when I had the data to do so.

I am so much fitter then I used to be. That's not very fit mind you, but the first time I did the exercises it was hard. Really hard! Now it's a breeze and I'm looking for new ones. That's huge for me.

I guess I better go and do today's exercises. 

What keeps you from doing exercises? What would help you do them?

This post was featured at:
Hump Day Happenings


  1. I totally agree with everything you said. I forgot to go back and watch that video! I'll go do that. The weather has just gotten nice, so my girls have been wanting to bike ride around the neighborhood. They are pretty persuasive, so I usually give in. Once I'm out, I enjoy myself. They are big enough now that I actually have to walk fast to keep up, so I'm actually getting some exercise! It's counting as P.E for homeschool too, so I'm all about adding up those homeschool hours. That is motivation for me! :) Last week we did everyday but one. This week it has been rainy, so I think we've only got out once and would you believe I was even bummed! :)

    1. I wrote this big reply I wonder what happened to it :/ I must not have hit enter. It sounds to me like you and your girls are doing better then I am! It's great that you get to tick off PE too. Fitness Blender do the 8 in workout I've been (supposed to be) doing. I actually did them today! Hubby was home and I nearly flung a hand in his face but I did them! Yay for us Gina! We'll get there. :)

    2. Just saw this response! (LOL!) Still not doing any exercise. Getting up and down off the floor cutting fabric is about as much exercise as I get these days. :)

    3. I'm rather random but random is better then not al all :o)

  2. I've done my share of workout videos and you're so right exercise can be boring. I don't like lots of equipment in the house because it's so darn small, but last year the hubs bought me an elliptical trainer and I love it! I just watch TV. It totally takes my mind off the time and intensity of the workout. Problem solved! Have a good weekend! ;)

    1. That sounds awesome! My hubs and I have laughed about what if the TV was powered by an exercise bike.

  3. This post might as well be called "Exercise for Abby". I hate to workout. But I also hate jeans that won't button, and I hate to give up carbs, so something's got to give. Why oh why did I never think to find workout videos on YouTube? Thanks for all the great ideas! (I found your post at the Bewitchin' Projects Block Party Link-Up)

    1. I hear ya! Since I gave up smoking I've gone from a tiny size 8-10 Aus to 14-16. Something has to give for sure and that had better not be the stitching in my pants! Hopefully Youtube will continue to provide.

  4. I don't enjoy exercise, either--but I do like to dance. Ballroom dance, in particular is one that I like. At one point, we did have a dance game on my husband's Xbox that was really fun--I would willingly stick with doing that for long periods of time, it was good for me. Since then, I've been able to find videos of that game on youtube and I just follow along.

    1. Games you say? I just might have to look into that.

  5. This post is inspiring me. I used to work out every morning 5 days a week for about 45 mins - an hour. That was when I did not have to be to work until 10:00 when I opened my store. Well, now I have to leave home at 7:20 to drive to work and the time excuse has become a great, big thorn in my side. Thanks for the reminder of You tube videos. I have plenty of band with. I will start with short videos on weekdays and longer ones on the weekends.

    1. Even just those few minutes are making such a difference, I can really feel it. and I know just what it's like to be heading out the door too early and getting back too late. Good luck!

  6. Great tips! Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle!

  7. Great tips! Thanks for sharing on Monday Madness link party! Hope to see you next week :)


  9. Good points, all of them! Thank you for sharing. It's hard to stay on track with exercise with everything else going on.

    1. I still don't like doing them, but I do exercise more regularly when I can't find any excuses and I know they'll be done in just a few minutes.

  10. I've been really bad with exercise. I get really motivated one month and then it's down hill the other.

    1. That's exactly what happens with me! I've decided that some is better then none and so doing it sometimes is a good thing.

  11. Not moving makes me sad, I used to be so active (danced 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week) Then that dreaded desk job and weight gaining meds found their way into my life. sigh. But I signed up for Beach Body on demand workouts through a friend and started chugging through that. But I totally get it =)

    1. You were a dancer? 4-5 hours a day is a lot! This year we will get more active! Cheer each other on. And by active - I don't mean crafting ;0)


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