Day 23

I can’t believe I have been doing this blog for 23 days now! It doesn’t seem like it has been that long. When I started this blog I said that I was not going to set any kind of weight loss goals. My mission is to leave a healthier life, not to get down to a size I can’t maintain. With that said, due to my lack of healthy living, it is only natural that I will lose some weight and become more fit. I have lost two pounds from when I weight myself (just over a week ago) and that is pretty good in my eyes.

I have been making a big effort to eat better and make good choices when I am “fueling” my body. I am still lacking in the exercise department. Typically, I go through a cycle of loving to work out and absolutely hating to work out. Right now, I am somewhere in the middle. A few weeks ago I hated working out. I had to force myself out the door and even then, just going through the motions. Once I get over this hump, I believe I will be able to get back into the spirit of working out.

The truth is, I love the feeling of working out. Regardless if I lose weight, I still feel so much better after a good week of working out. I have more energy, I am in a better mood, and I make better eating decisions. The main problem is, I just lose motivation. I have mentioned falling off the wagon several times and that is exactly what happens here. I get to a place I am happy with then I start telling myself, “Well, missing one workout won’t hurt.” Well that one workout turns into two, then three, then a week, then a month and before you know it I am back to hating working out and see it as the enemy.

The one thing I hate about the Midwest is the fact that the summers are just jam packed with things that need to get done. We have a pretty long winter and once the weather is nice, everything gets planned and before you know it September is here with warmer weather. I am not going to make an excuse, but the reality is, sometimes, there really isn’t time for a workout. There is always an extra 15 minutes to go for a run, sure, but for women especially, a workout consists of more than just the physical activity. I have the ability to get rather pretty quickly, but even so, it takes 20-30 minutes to look presentable to do anything out in public. So, even with a 15 minutes run, the entire workout routine comes to about 45-60 minutes.

I am finding new ways to work out that can be quick and maybe not so sweaty, so a simply wash off in the shower will do. This isn’t always the easiest thing to do, because at least for me, I think what is 10 minute strength training exercise going to do? A lot!

This week I am going to talk about running. I have always enjoyed running and would consider myself a casual runner. I have always wanted to try for a marathon, but I just lack the commitment it would take to get me there. Regardless of a marathon dream, I would at least like to become an avid runner. I think my goal would be to hit the road (or treadmill in the winter) for a good run at least 3-4 times a week. I don’t know a lot about good form for runner, how to increase your pace, how to increase you distance, or even how to build up your endurance, but I will learn.

This is a pretty short week, but my goal is to get my 3 runs in by Sunday. I am going for a run tonight and will report back on how that goes. I plan on keeping it pretty slow and getting one mile in so I can ease into my goal.