On Exercise

So, what do YOU do for exercise?

So far, I haven’t. I’m serious. I will openly admit to being LAZY. I would get winded going up the stairs to my house (we have about 18 total from street to porch). Although after losing those 20 pounds, I’ve noticed that doesn’t happen as much anymore. And GODDESS FORBID I have to go right upstairs for something! So I haven’t intentionally exercised in a long while.

I wasn’t always lazy, but it is a pattern for me. In high school, I was definitely lazy. But once college came, I exercised three times a week, minimum. It felt great. I got lazy again when I moved and got into the crappy retail job. I preferred drinking and partying and smoking Marlboros to exercise. Then I moved again and got cancer and obviously couldn’t do much more than walk around the block. But I did it. I had motivation and knew I needed to try to keep my strength up. Once I was done with the chemo, I slowly walked more…I did more DVDs…I started running, even. I never thought I would be a runner! But as my muscles started getting stronger, I kept working them. I got a gym membership, and actually USED IT. I could run for 30 minutes or more on a treadmill (20 minutes in the hilly neighborhood where I live—I wasn’t THAT good a runner, lol). For a former fat girl, I felt pretty accomplished. Hiking was fun, since I didn’t have to stop eleventy times during the excursion. Walking (and running and biking) my dogs was great.  But once I got fat again, I fell into my same patterns. I made excuses, just like with the food. And guess what: not only is it harder for us fat folks to exercise because we are out of shape, but it is just plain harder to move 250 pounds than 155!

So I made a choice. At 245 pounds, I couldn’t imagine exercising. Thinking about exercising made me tired. So for my sanity, and to help keep me from being discouraged, I chose to diet only. But only for the first 20 pounds. I figured that after 20 pounds of weight loss, I knew I would feel better and have more energy. So this week I will be doing exercise DVDs in the evenings after my daughter goes to bed. Nothing crazy here, I’m just starting! But 20-30 minutes (maybe a bit more for stretching or whatnot) of a DVD at least 4 times per week. I have yoga, tae bo, leslie sansone “walk away the pounds” and probably a dance/zumba one. Variety is good, but I will probably pick an aerobic one for 3x per week, and the yoga 1-3x per week. Stick with the same one for a week, then move on.

In another month (6/1) I will start walking in the mornings as well…if I can get my butt out of bed before the 2.5 year old alarm clock starts yelling “mooooooooommmmyyyy!”

When I start getting into a walking routine, I will give myself probably 2 weeks before starting a running routine. I loved the program “couch to 5k”. It can be downloaded as a podcast (and perhaps something more advanced now, since I haven't done it in 5 years) and helps you walk/run in timed intervals. Starting with mostly walking, and ending with jogging/running approximately a 5k in 35 or so minutes. I plan on using that to get me up to running a 5k by 9/6, raising money for the ARC of Onondaga. I’ve also heard rumors of a 5k color run happening in October. Depending on the course, I could probably even bring Aine to that one (needing a stroller, of course…hence the “depending on the course”).

So no, I don’t exercise. But I have a plan. And now that I’ve announced the plan to the world, I kind of have to do it, don’t I?

For those of you out there who think you’re too big to exercise, or it’s embarrassing to go to the gym, or try to run a 5k (or run in the street in general), I say this: just do it. If you feel like you need to lose some weight before beginning an exercise program, that’s fine. Do what is comfortable for you, and set your goals. Choose something that sounds reasonable, and stick to it. What will make you feel like you’ve REALLY lost weight? 10 pounds? 20? 30? What will inspire you and help you FEEL better? But keep in mind, your diet will be slower after the first month or so without the exercise. So make it realistic. Then get your butt out there! It sounds crazy, but the more you exercise, the more energy you will have. Maybe not at first, but it accumulates. I know, because I did it. I was a lazy person who learned to like exercise! Now I’m lazy again, and having to convince myself to start again. Because I know I will see the benefits.

PS: I know I need to do weight-bearing exercises and toning and such, but joining a gym is fairly impossible for me at this time. So…I will try to incorporate some into my workouts at home. We have an exercise machine and weight bench packed away in storage, so maybe I can find a place to put it in a few months as I get more energy.