As you may have noticed from past posts, I have been working on becoming a runner! Woo-to-the-hoo!! I started the Couch-to-5K program almost two months ago and have been pleasantly surprised at how I have been doing. Don't get me wrong, it's still incredibly hard to keep jogging but I've realized that jogging is just a mind-game. It's a cruel one but it's still nice to know that you can overcome the pain (it's all mental anyway) and conquer the 30 minutes. I actually just jogged for 38 minutes last week!
I started the program because I was looking for a way to be active and get into shape without having to think about it too much (which is a bit ironic because all you have time to do when you run is think about how hard it is and how nice it would be to walk).
The program goes from way too easy to way too hard in like, a day. However, I like how it's making me feel mentally. Doing the program three times a week has given me a new challenge and something to look forward to. Life was a bit stale before I took up this jogging deal but now I have this thing that I can only do by myself and for myself. It's pretty empowering and provides a nice escape from the mundane things in life like work.
I think it's important for people to realize that getting into shape and getting healthy and losing weight isn't something that happens overnight. You can't go balls to the wall and expect yourself to be able to keep up. If I tried jogging for 30 minutes straight, I'd give up immediately and feel bad about myself. However, running for 30 minutes started as a goal and I've taken small steps to come closer and closer to it. Now it's a reality for me and I feel good about myself and the work I've put in. Since reaching my goal, I am working on creating new ones to add in!
There are many different types of workouts that I'd love to incorporate and bundle up into a pretty little "ideal-active-lifestyle" package with a big-a$$ bow on it, Lady Gaga-Style:
But like I said, if I go balls to the wall and try to do strength workouts on Tuesday and Friday, yoga on Wednesday and Saturday, and runs on Thursday and Sunday, I won't keep up the habit. It's too much at once for me to take on and I would never "make it work" as Tim Gunn would say. Which leads me to the whole point of my post: adding yoga.
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| Anyone else think this is just weird? |
Now that I have reached my goal of jogging for 30 minute 3 times a week, I am going to incorporate yoga as well. I picked yoga because it's something I used to love a couple of years ago but got away from, and because my flexibility stinks!
Stretching after jogging is getting me nowhere fast and spending so much time in the car has caused my hamstrings, hips, lower back, and shoulders to get really tight. It is my hope that incorporating yoga a couple of times a week, in addition to jogging, will gain me greater flexibility as well as allow me to be more mindful when it comes to making choices like eating the chocolate bar or eating the chocolate bar and the cupcake and the ice cream. I love me some sweets, but at some point in time, I should probably be semi-adult and make smarter choices. Besides, if my mom is going to live forever, she's going to need someone to keep her company.
(Wanna hear something funny? I'm eating tootsie rolls right. this. second.) ((OMG!! Wanna hear something even funnier??? I just wrote the previous sentence and was feeling pretty pleased with my funniness and accidentally put the tootsie roll wrapper in my mouth instead of the tootsie roll I just unwrapped! I die....)
