Here's a photo of the Saturday morning track session with my sisters and my Love:
I love those people!!
Well, after those grueling workouts my Love was like "I don't know how you do it." It felt really good to be encouraged and to have someone take note of all the effort I'm putting into my fitness right now, but it also made me think back to the different phases I've gone through with exercise.
I remember talking to my doctor about 2 years ago when I was first diagnosed with my thyroid disorder and we covered both diet and exercise for weight maintenance/weight loss. He knew that I was attending boot camp three times a week and still gaining weight and he told me I'd probably have to do cardio (running) 2 or 3 times a week on top of the boot camp - and in addition to a complete makeover of my diet - if I was really determined to maintain or lose weight. I was horrified. Prior to the thyroid issues, 3 intense boot camp workouts per week would have been more than enough for my weight to stabilize! How in the world was I going to fit in two cardio sessions too? Why did I need to change my diet? I've never been a fast-food or junk-food junkie. I literally cried. Ugh.
Y'all. I listened to my doctor. I eliminated the foods he told me to eliminate. I did NOT starve myself (more on that in a later post). I ate different foods - not no food. I didn't fall for any quick fixes or gimmicks. I added the hard work of doing extra cardio sessions like my doctor told me to. I did everything that he told me to do and after two years of nothing but weight gain, my weight finally leveled off!
Guess what though? Putting in 4+ hours of exercise per week was So Hard in the beginning. It is difficult to change. We regularly spend time in the same ways. If you're used to spending an hour a day reading, 8 hours a day at work, 8 hours a night sleeping, 3 hours a day sitting in front of the TV, 2 hours a day with your family, etc. you will naturally and easily keep the same routine. You have a flow. Your time is divided up without even having to think about it. It's not even intentional anymore. I just happens. But, guess what? We all get the same 24 hours a day every day. In order to step up the amount of time you spend exercising, you have to reduce the time you spend doing other things that you've always done. Less TV? Less reading? Less lazy time with family replaced by active time? You decide where you can afford to make the cuts so that you can reach your fitness goals. Are there areas of your life where you feel time is wasted or not well-spent? Be honest with yourself.
The beginning is always the hardest. Getting four hours of exercise per week is no longer a challenge, but I had such a hard time with it when I started out. Once you develop new routines and new habits, you get used to it - the changes just become part of life. I shower every day, I brush my teeth every day, I drive to work every weekday, I eat 5 meals a day, I exercise all but one day a week. If I skip ANY of those things, whether its the sleep or the exercise or a meal, I feel like I've missed something and I want to go back and get it done. Regular exercise is a part of life now. It's a part of the routine. Stick with it. It gets easier. It might never be easy for you to regularly exercise, but it will definitely become easier & a more natural part of your day if you keep at it. Your goal might not be 4 hours a week, it might be 1 hour a week. Just start. Start small & work your way up. Don't quit. Remember why you started. Keep your goal in mind. Make attainable goals that you can reach in relatively short periods of time so you can stay motivated. There is no quick fix or healthy and easy way to progress. You have to put in the work. So just do it!
No comments:
Post a Comment