Exercise
Welcome to the newest installment of the “Kicking Butt in 2012″ series where we examine adopting simple, everyday habits which together add up to a life filled with more purpose and inspiration rather than just plain chaos. Sick of feeling as if you’re hanging on for dear life? Start kicking butt!
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Did you catch my post the other day about getting dressed? Well, another reason why it’s good practice to get out of your jammies is that you never know quite how chubby you’ve been getting until you venture away from pants with an elastic waistband.
Today’s Kicking Butt in 2012 post is a no brainer. It’s about exercise. Many a January first have I resolved to exercise more, done good for a while and then returned to my old habits by the end of February. New Year’s resolutions don’t work for many people. With this post, I’m not going to try to convince you to exercise more. I’m just going to show you that even when it seems overwhelming, it is possible.
Here I am about 3 years ago. At the time, I was in the first weeks of my pregnancy gearing up for the swimming portion of a triathlon. I was a triathlete. Five months later I found myself in the hospital on bedrest where I remained for the better part of 8 weeks. Then I had a C-section…and then I had twins. I had lost so much muscle mass that 2 weeks after giving birth I was 10 pounds lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight. Sounds awesome, right? Except that I could barely walk to the end of the block without getting tired – and running, even to catch the bus, was out of the question.
If there is one thing that a new mother wishes for, it’s more energy. I knew I needed to work out if I was ever going to survive infant twins. But I just had no idea where to begin. I took a yoga class and then hobbled around on sore muscles for 3 days afterward. I couldn’t decide which was more depressing, actually being so desperately out of shape or just admitting it to myself.
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One day while I was tooling around the internet, I came across the Couch to 5K Program. What intrigued me immediately was the clever name. It kind of made me laugh a little bit and feel less embarrassed to admit that yes, at this point in my life, I was on the couch. I checked it out and it seemed like a great plan to start slow, avoid getting discouraged and avert injury. The first few weeks are about interval training, for example: running for 60 seconds and then walking for 90. Doable. They recommend working out 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes at a time. The plan is 9 weeks in its entirety, but I repeated one week that was particularly tough for me.
The point is, I did it. I followed the plan and actually ran in a 5K race. The training was intense enough to be productive, but mellow enough to still be fun. I felt strong during my race and when I crossed the finish line, I was sprinting. I had never felt so triumphant!
What I learned is that everybody’s got to start somewhere. All you have to do is start.
Here’s a pic of me and my #1 cheerleader after the race.
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Have you done Couch to 5K? What did you think of it? Where did you go from there?
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Want to kick more butt? Start here – and then check out these posts:
So far, we’ve tackled Date Night, Juicing, Meal Planning and most recently, Getting Dressed (a particularly tough one for me). Fun stuff!
Hey, want to go paragliding? Yeah. Me neither. My kind of ‘stunts’ are more centered around the home. I chronicle the ups and downs of my domestic adventures in hopes of offering creative inspiration to folks like me. And failing that, some friendly commiseration at least. Check out my ‘about’ pages for more. Glad you’re here!
YES!! We were all so proud of you when you rocked the Dawg Dash!! Bring on the next 5K… I may need to triple up on the ‘Couch to 5K’ program after my genious idea of signing up for a half marathon (on January 2nd, of course). Eek! Keep kickin’ butt, Bri!
Thanks D! I will be cheering you on at the finish line of your race! Maybe we can do a 5K or a 10K together as a warm-up for your half marathon. ??
Great post, Brianna – your story is indeed inspiring and definitely speaks to me. My life right now is limited to work and the kids, and I need to think of ways to feel reengaged with my own sense of self. Cheap ways. Thanks!
I know Kristine. It’s so hard to balance it all. I have an advantage because I don’t have to work in the traditional sense. When my ‘work day’ is over, I feel absolutely NO guilt leaving the kiddos with Brian and indulging in some ‘me’ time. Working moms like you and Dawn really have to make the tough choices. I don’t know how you do it.
Congrats!!! What an inspiration you are – the Couch to 5K is on my to do list for 2012. I keep meaning to do it – but I always find myself saying “tomorrow”. Perhaps it’s time to follow your example?
Good luck Kate! I’m sure it sounds like BS, but I found the training to be actually pretty fun. It was hard, but definitely do-able. I’d love to know how it goes. You should write about it on your blog!