Friday, January 27, 2012

Working on my fitness

I've been finding myself in a gym rut lately. I know I should be training for that 5k (in March) but I just ain't feeling it. So I thought I'd tell you a little bit more about my gym-ventures. 

My whole life, I was never the athletic kid. I read books, and drew pictures, and put on spice girl skits...but sports? Not so much. I did the bare minimum in PE class and that was it. When I got to college, people around me were so...active. The gym was always full, people played sports for fun. It was so not me. I walked to class, but that was about it. Once I moved off campus (and started driving to class), all that pizza and beer pong caught up with me. I graduated with the freshman 15 (plus a little extra) - I was no longer comfortable in my own skin. My parents could see I was unhappy, and offered to pay for a gym membership. I initially refused - the closest I came to breaking a sweat was going to get the mail. And that was the problem. Something had to change. I agreed to go. Luckily, I had a friend who belonged to that same gym. She helped make me feel more comfortable going to the gym - I was intimidated! And knowing I had a date set up with someone held me accountable. Soon, I started seeing results and going became a habit. It's been 2 1/2 years since I first started going to the gym, and I can't imagine quitting. I feel so much happier, calmer and self-confident. If I skip exercising for a few days, I can really feel the difference, mentally and physically. Now I'm no expert, but here are a few things that have helped me get healthy and stick with it:

1. Create a gym schedule. I used to just wing it and go whenever I felt like it. Turns out, I feel like sitting down more often that I feel like going to the gym. Now I have a schedule, and I stick to it. It's so much easier this way.
2. Pack my lunch the night before. I used to always pack my lunch in the morning, and I barely had enough time to throw together a sandwich before I ran out the door. Now, I pack the night before and make much healthier choices. I usually pack a salad, fruit, yogurt, veggies, and a treat. I still seem to be racing against the clock every morning though...
3. Don't weigh myself. I know that people have differing opinions on this - some people say that regular weigh-ins help keep them on track. For me, hopping on the scale would keep me too focused on that number, rather than how I feel. 

So even though I get in a rut every now and then, I'm still on a pretty good path and I'm proud of myself :)

3 comments:

  1. If you're in a gym rut, try running outside. For me, at least, it makes the time go by faster and actually GO faster! You can use mapmyrun.com to map out a run (duh) for the distance of your liking. Good luck on your training!

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    1. Yeah, I've been wanting to try running outdoors, but it's been super windy lately (you know the sv) and I fear the wind. Haha. Hopefully it'll be better this weekend!

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  2. haha spic girls skit... fun times!

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