The Elephant in the Room

It’s time that I talk about the  “elephant in the room”.  This is not the same elephant that we were eating “one bite at a time” in my last post…although I suppose it could be.

No, this is the elephant that makes many of us cringe…cry…run and hide when we start talking about it.  Exercise.

Most of us know we need to exercise.  Our doctors tell us to exercise.  The internet tells us to exercise.  Most diet plans tell us to exercise. But let’s face it.  MOST of the people telling us to exercise are exercise fiends.  They've got ripped Abs and manly biceps.  They’ve been running marathons since the day they were born and they actually ENJOY working out! 

Not me.  I was never athletic growing up.  I played a lot with dolls and read when I was little.  No school sports from elementary through High School except what I had to do in PE class.  In college, I took ROTC to avoid PE classes.  (That should tell you something).  After college, I got married, started working, and then had kids.  Still no regular workouts.  Heck, I thought raising my three kids WAS my workout !   Once in a while during that time I would get with the program and walk, join a gym,  or work out to a tape, but it was all very hit and miss…mainly miss.

Eventually ( as I’ve admitted in my story) I found myself 40 pounds overweight, with a rising blood pressure, some depression, and flaring fibromyalgia. At the same time I decided to modify my eating, I committed myself to start getting some exercise, because I had read that exercise might help with some of these issues.   I started working out very slowly and built up my intensity and endurance to the point that I was doing a pretty decent 40 minute workout on a regular basis.  I found the weight coming off and my muscles toning up.  My blood pressure came down, and my depression and fibromyalgia issues became practically non-existent.  And surprisingly, I had a whole lot more energy than I did before!  I think the exercise played a big part in that.

However, in the last two years, I’ve let myself get very sloppy with my exercise.  I’ve let myself get out of the habit, using excuse after excuse not to work out.  As a consequence, all these issues have reared their ugly heads.

So….with my renewed commitment to eating right, I have also renewed my commitment to exercise.  I re-opened my 24 Hour Fitness membership.  The facility is close to my house and I have no excuse to not exercise because of the weather.  They have a variety of machines, which I like ‘cause I get bored with exercise really fast.  And they have TV’s so I can watch “Law and Order” reruns while I’m on the machine :)
I started out my renewed commitment with a goal of working out four days a week.  Four days was definitely doable.  It would give me three days of grace and still be more exercise than I had been doing.  Later I would increase my goal to going five days a week.  Some weeks, I may go six or seven days, but even if I miss a day or two, I’m still making my goal.

 My first workout was a 30 minute slow walk on the treadmill…no incline.  Through the following workouts,  I increased my time and added incline.  Then I started splitting my workout between the treadmill and the elliptical.  Twenty on the treadmill and ten on the elliptical.  Then I progressed to fifteen on the elliptical.  And eventually, I went to totally on the elliptical. 

Even on the elliptical, I am progressing, taking small steps forward.  At first, I had the “crossramp” set at 6 and the “resistance” set at 4.  I kept it at that as I increased my time on the machine.  Once I settled on a 40 minute workout on the elliptical, I increased the crossramp to 7 and moved the resistance up a bit, and have picked up the pace as well.  Every workout or two, I try to bump up things a little,  so I’m challenging myself more in the workout.  Some days I will go 40 minutes at a pretty steady clip.  Other days I will include short bursts of rapid pace to really get that heart rate up.

And I’m finding the same results as before.  Along with the weight coming down (slowly), I have much much more energy through the day than I did before.  My joints don’t hurt as much, and my depression is held at bay.

So…where are YOU with exercise? 

Maybe you’ve never worked out much in your life.  I know it’s tough.  I can’t say I LIKE to exercise either.  And some of you might not be near a gym and weather is an issue.  But even if you’re not exercising at all now,  I bet you could do something.  Check with your doctor first, then commit to a short walk three-four times a week, or riding an exercise bike, or working out to a dance tape.  Find something that you think you could do.   Increase your distance and your pace step by step.  Or if you’ve got one nearby, join a Y or other gym.  Do not be intimidated by the equipment.  Pick one piece, the treadmill or elliptical maybe, and ask for help to see how it runs.  Start out slowly and work your way up.   You CAN do this!

Now maybe you’re one who made a New Year’s resolution to start a really challenging workout with something you’ve never done before  and tried to take yourself from zero to sixty in a second.  You got really sore from day one and it took too much time and you hated it and you gave up.  I encourage you to try again…but this time to pick something less challenging and more appealing and work your way up…step by step.

We don’t all have to be marathon runners.  We don’t all have to have ripped Abs and manly biceps.  But I truly believe that most all of us can benefit from regular exercise.

 Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor, nurse, or nutritionist.  I am only posting what has worked for me and hope to encourage others on their journey.  Any changes you choose to make to your eating or exercise routine should be make only after consultation with your physician.