While I have been sitting here this morning, up to my eyeballs in mailing out orders for both my own shop and cup&saucer, my mind keeps veering over to my exercise hour. For me, that time spent on the treadmill is a much needed break from keeping schedules and running errands. I don't have to discipline anyone. No laundry. No worrying about all the things I haven't accomplished today. Just me, my ipod, and some TV on a treadmill for 50 minutes. Heaven.
Once upon a time, I was a fitness junkie. David and I would go on dates to the gym, spending two or three hours running and lifting weights. It's one of the first things we ever found we could do together and have fun. We would get on all kinds of crazy regiments with circuits and supersets. Then, I had two babies within two and a half years, and everything went downhill. I suffered from post-partum depression which led to severe clinical depression. We moved to different states twice. Life just seemed to take over, and i forgot to make fitness a priority. I quickly went from a size 4 to a size 14.
The following advice is what works for me. This is what gets me excited to work out instead of thinking of it as a chore. You may have another method that is successful for you, but this is mainly for all you moms who need to find that rhythm again.
I exercise every day, Monday thru Friday. Although you could do the 3-day a week thing, I find it is easier for me to stick with something if it just becomes part of my schedule for the day. Also, this is better for me to ensure success in case I am unable to work out one day that week. I know I still did three or four days.
I start simple. Just because I used to bench 85 pounds doesn't mean I am going to assume I can just pick up where I left off. Remember, I am trying for success here. That means keeping the routine simple at first and slowly adding to it. Right now I do a 3 minute warmup on the treadmill, walking slowly to loosen up the legs. Then I walk for 45 minutes around 3.5 mph. That is about a 17 minute mile. I start at a 2% incline to get my heart rate up and can adjust the incline if I need to cool it down a bit. I then do a five minute cooldown at the end as well. Later I will start breaking up this time with 30 minutes of weights in between, but for now it's just treadmill.
Happy go lucky music does not work for me. As much as I like Eric Hutchinson, I just can't spend an hour walking to stuff like that if I want to keep my heart rate and momentum up. My music of choice is something like Reggaeton. Sometimes I will throw in some House music or Lady GaGa, but Pitbull is my workout music of choice. It helps keep me moving and pushing myself to go more. This playlist is along the lines of what I would listen to.
I remember being younger and just thinking how my legs were hurting or I was tired. Now, when I feel my legs getting tired I just think how those legs get me where I want to go. When I am breathing heavy I just think about how that breath gives me life. I use those feelings of slight discomfort to remind me that I am vital and alive and powerful. It is amazing what a difference this can make in your mind to keep going.
One last thing, I don't weigh myself. For me, exercising is about feeling better, not being smaller. I know that eventually I will begin to see a difference in my size. But I don't like linking my workouts directly to weight loss. It sometimes can lead to discouragement. Personally, I'll know when I am losing weight when my clothes start feeling loose. Don't make your fitness only about weight or you will have a harder time succeeding. Making fitness just a part of your life because it feels good is a win-win situation.
My entire day runs smoother now that I am exercising. I am calmer and more cheerful. My back has fewer aches and pains. Overall, I just physically feel better all around. Hopefully, if you are someone who has fallen out of the routine of working out, or maybe haven't really exercised before, you will take some of what I said and use it to get moving again. You won't regret it.
