:: HEALTH :: The Real Work Begins

In addition to starting my blog, and in the honor of making transitions, I have gotten serious about getting myself into shape.  And for me it's not about what size I am, but about feeling awesome and being healthy.  I always have those moments when I see moms (or sometimes grandmas) that are crazy fit and I think to myself "god, I hope I'm in that good of shape when I'm that age."  But who am I kidding?!  I'm not even in that good of shape now!  Not that I'm totally out of shape either, but let's just say I'm not where I want to be -- where I know I can be.  I grew up dancing so being fit was just par for the course.  But when I stopped...  heh heh, hello!  Nice to meet you metabolism.  So I've been there, done that, and I don't want to do that again.

In the past I'd workout sporadically, but I never really stuck to a regimen.  Well last week I started a serious workout routine and, to my delight AND surprise, I stuck to it everyday (except Sunday: free day)!  I also started this week out with full force.  And for the first time I feel like this routine is something I'll actually be able to stick to because I've been feeling so AMAZING after each workout.  Not to mention that by telling you I'll now feel like a total ass if I fail to stick with it.  So now you have to hold me accountable, got it?  And I have to give a big shout out to my mom, because it's been her dedication to getting up for a walk at 6:30 every morning that's kept me getting up with her and continuing to workout after.

Exactly what have I been doing, you ask?  Let me break it down for you:

Every Monday/Wednesday/Friday I get up with my mom at 6:30 am and we walk 2.5 miles, sometimes stopping for double espressos mid route.  Next I hop on the treadmill and run for 1-2 miles, then walk a little more to bring my heart rate back down.  I finish up with about 30 mins. of strength training -- from weights to pilates, calisthenics to yoga -- and then stretching.  All in all I travel about 5.5 miles and my workout totals about 2 hrs.  Then Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday I do just the cardio portion, to give my muscles a break, and I'm at it for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  And everyday before I start I have either FRS or some espresso, which makes a WORLD of difference.  It really helps prolong your endurance, and after working out I'm totally still energized!  The first day I tried this I was on fire ALL day -- I imagine that's what it feels like to be on crack...

Anyway, aside from just sticking to my routine, I've been blown away with the fact that I've been able to get through each workout without carelessly bailing on it at least once or twice.  First of all, running even 1-2 miles is a huge feat for me considering that, in the past, it was a struggle to run for the duration of a single song.  My body and running never got along.  There was always something in extreme pain: knees, hips, back, chest, shin splints, you name it!  Fortunately the joint problems went away over time, and I learned to control my breathing so my chest wouldn't tighten up.  And I can't really explain it, but I somehow managed to "think away" the shin splints.  I found that simply focusing on my upper legs allowed me to use those muscles to push through each step, which put less stress on my lower legs.  So I conquered those problems and now I just have to build my endurance.

I also came up with other tips to help me get through each workout and not just give up when the going got tough.  Stay tuned and later this week I'll follow up with what gets me through my workouts!