May 25, 2011 Ahh...HERE is the sun!

Gloomy weather has not helped me in my Couch to 5K challenge.  In fact, it has not helped me in any area of life.  It is hard to stay motivated when the sun is hiding away, taking any bit of warmth with it.  I've already told you about my issues with the treadmill, it is no substitute for jogging in the sun along the lake. 

Although, 1 plus about exercising within the privacy of your own home is that nobody sees you.  This means you can be as silly as you want to be, which can be very helpful.  I stepped it up a notch to try the Week 4 excercise (technically I have been doing this for 6 weeks).  This consists of 3 minutes of jogging, 2 minutes of walking, 5 minutes of jogging, 3 minutes of walking...and repeat!  When I first printed out this routine, oh so many weeks ago, and noticed all the jogging, I began to panic, "I can't do this.  Who can do this?  Only crazy people jog for 16 minutes total!"  And, friends, I will say that this part of the workout did  hurt just a little bit.  In fact, the day after I first tried it I was at school and had to bend down to pick up a pencil, I had a moment I wasn't sure I was going to get back up again.  My hamstrings were screaming at me and asking, "Why on Earth did you do this to us!  Here we were, content to just lounge on the couch watching Oprah's last season!  Why, why, why, why...." 

This is a perfect example of my body, my brain and my heart not exactly being on the same page.  But, I did it anyway, despite the protest of my hammies and managed to get through it.  Now, this was accomplished in the confines of my home on the treadmill, which meant I could talk to myself and say things like, "Go, your almost there, don't give up, booya, woohoo, you rock, yeeha!"  Had I done this outside in public I would have more than likely ended up checked into the local hospital for an evaluation.  But, inside, I found giving myself affirmations a great way to get through that LAST little bit that your just not sure you can do.  So, my advice for you, hoot and holler all you want and celebrate the time you are off the couch!  It can make a big difference in how you feel after!  Oh, and NEVER be afraid to boast a little bit to friends, family and social networking sites, you've worked hard and you've earned it!