I also got inspired by a blog I found call 365 Days of Sweat. As most people know, I am a fitness junkie. I started out the first part of my life (through high school) being incredibly lazy. Even in PE, my friends and I would find ways of getting out of working out. One day, my best friend ever and I walked around showing off her shoes in place of playing a real sport. But that's another story for another day. Fast forward to Fall of 2007 when I took a class about exercise to fulfill a general ed requirement. In order to get an A, I had to workout at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week for the entire semester. And I had to keep a journal of it!
I had already started eating correctly (I had cut out candy in the spring of the same year) and had lost about 15 pounds. My heaviest weight ever was 165ish. On my 5'4" frame, that's not super cute.
Especially in Santa Barbara where everyone is super fit and tan and beautiful. So, I started by getting on my dad's treadmill every day and walking for 30 minutes. Before I knew it, I was running at least 20 of those minutes. And then, I bumped it up to 40 minutes a day. And then 45 minutes a day. And suddenly, I was incredibly addicted to running. I loved the endorphins and the feeling of accomplishing something that a lot of people rarely accomplish, let alone set out to do. And before I knew it, I had lost some unwanted pounds.
This then turned into a year of very, very unhealthy behavior that I'd rather not get into because it's not particularly important. I got through that phase of my life, even though it occasionally comes up every once in awhile when I am faced with eating food I previously thought of as "bad."
I began taking a circuit class in August of 2011 and fell in love. I loved the instructor and the people in the class. I loved that I wasn't running for 45-60 minutes every single day. Then, I began to do some research and found that lifting was actually more beneficial than doing tons and tons of cardio every day. So, in October of 2011, I began really focusing on lifting.
February 2012
I am really involved with theater, and I had offered to stage manage Annie, which is basically my favorite musical of all time, simply because it brings back so many good memories of my childhood. I stopped driving all the way to the gym simply to save gas, but I wasn't about to stop exercising, so I did Insanity and random P90X videos nearly every day. Then, for Christmas, I received a barbell with weights, a bench, and a set of dumbbells. I also bought a Kettlebell with a gift card I got.
While reading this blog, I realized that I haven't taken a "rest day" since December 30th. I've done something physically active every single day this year. Which got me thinking that maybe I can do a 365 day challenge too. So, I began this blog to keep me motivated and accountable. It isn't going to focus on all of my fitness routines, because I do a lot of the same stuff, so I am also going to keep this as a regular blog. I enjoy going back and reading them, if not simply to remind myself where I was a month ago, 6 months ago, a year ago, 6 years ago and so on.
Most of the days this year (I know, there has only been 10 of them) have been me focusing on lifting. But then, my beautiful friend/workout partner begged me to do an 8 3/4 mile race with her at the beginning of February (I actually offered to do it with her because it would give me something to work toward). So, I've been trying to get a run in every other day. Sunday we went for a beautiful 5 mile run around her neighborhood. It was fantastic to catch up with her, since I haven't been to the gym in a month and a half.
Monday, work started back up and I was worried that I would come home and want to sit around and do nothing, since I had gotten into such a routine during our two weeks off. But, having those weights stare me in the face the second I walk through the door is really motivating. Plus, I got some new work out clothes for Christmas and my birthday and that's always exciting.
Tuesday I was so tired, but the entire day I kept telling myself that I would come home, lift for an hour, then take Milo (the dog) for at least a short run. I got home and debated for about 20 minutes whether or not I wanted to torture myself. I told myself I would get in my clothes and do my 10 minute warm up and see I how I felt. Well, I completed my lifting and took the dog on a much longer run than I expected.
Today, I told myself all day that I would run for an hour without stopping, just to see if I could do it. I am really good at changing my mind about 200 times a day about what I will do for a workout when I get home. Most of the time it's convincing myself to not workout. Yesterday, I did legs, so I was telling myself running for an hour would make my legs hurt worse. Well, I just started, and 7 miles later, I was done. And I feel fantastic.
I sincerely hope to keep this blog up. I started one in January last year and it lasted until February. Hopefully, I can also do at least 30 minutes of exercise every single day this year.
So far, so good.
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