I have made no secrets about the fact that the one thing I'm struggling with most post surgery is exercise. After week 1 of the 'Couch to 5K' program, I think I may have found the answer. :)
In 5th grade, I was one of the fastest girl runners in my class. I really liked exercise when I was younger--took gymnastics in elementary school, enjoyed PE, took walks to my friends' houses, ran around in the backyard, etc. In high school at Saint Mary's I was even on the swim team, and didn't dread exercise like I do now. I guess adding on the extra weight through the end of high school and college, really made exercise more difficult, and therefore I just didn't want to do it. If you haven't noticed, I really don't like doing things I'm not good at. :)
This week, although not really being "excited" to exercise, I definitely didn't dread it, make excuses...etc. We went on Sunday, Tuesday, and Saturday night. I even took Spencer for a walk on Monday too, so I exercised 4 times last week. I like the format of the program--the first week we went out for 35 minutes- 5 min warm up, 90 sec. walking/60 sec. jogging for 25 minutes then a 5 min. cool down. With the game on Wednesday, rain on Thursday/getting ready for my party friday, and my staff party on friday, we couldn't go between tuesday and saturday. I was really proud of us that we did in fact go on a saturday night, and we even beat our distance from Tuesday! I am looking forward to going again tonight, which like I said, hasn't been the case with exercise for a long time.
Here are the things I like about the program: we can go in our neighborhood, it is strenuous enough that I feel like I'm working hard, but I'm not dying the whole time, it's easy to follow--Chris has the app on his Iphone, and it tells us when to walk/run, and the time passes quickly, since you're alternating between walking and jogging. It's amazing to think that I'll be able to jog/run for 30 minutes when we're done with the 9 weeks. When Chris was training before for 5ks and his triathalon, he said running made him feel the most energized and he got addicted to it. That is something I never thought I'd achieve--getting addicted to exercise. Here's hoping... ;)
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This is such exciting news! You know, in all that time I spent running last year, I could not do a 5k in less than 40 minutes! LOL.. I do plan to beat that time though, once I start running again. Im back to working out & doing low/no impact cardio, my dr. wont let me run just yet, but I really hope to get back into it as soon as I have the all clear for that. What it did for me physically & mentally was so rewarding. I am thrilled you have reconnected with those feelings from when you were little & the fastest one! Thats just awesome. I cannot even say how inspiring you are! Love you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jackie, so much for your support! I know it must be frustrating for you to feel motivated to run again, but you can't until the doctor okays it. You are definitely an inspiration to me in this area...I think about my friends who run when I'm out there, and it helps me get through! :)
ReplyDeleteChristina,
ReplyDeleteTwo years ago when I began running again, I couldn't do more than 1/10 of a mile at a time before walking. Today I did 6 miles in 53 minutes without stopping. Stick with it!
WOW Matt--That's awesome! You are an inspiration to me too. :)
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