Life's good. I'm happy, I love making our nest at home, our Squish is just amazing, Lula by Emma is fun & moving in the direction I'd hoped, we had a fabulous holiday to Thai earlier this years, we have plans...
But the one thing I just can't get my head around is exercise. If I absolutely didn't have to do , I really wouldn't. But I know I need to and that it's supposed to be good for us. I just don't like it - at all.
A few years ago, following my knee op (which can I just mention was caused on my 1st day of yoga, when I had had a similar thought that I really must do some exercise, and yoga had seemed a gentle introduction to it....), I had a sudden concern, that now that my 1 leg was weakened, if someone were to chase me, I wouldn't be able to escape swiftly!
So I set myself a challenge to learn to run, and by the end of it, run the Kysna half marathon.
I trained strictly 4 times a week, following a 10 week running program & at the end of it, completed my 21.5km run. BUT I felt cheated. During the whole training process & the following years after the race when I trained much less vigorously, but maintained a bit of jogging in my weekly routine, the endorphines NEVER kicked in. I never experienced the 'buzz' of running, and every single time, I just did it, just to get it over with & then dreaded the next time.
Runners say that once you start, you just can't stop & that once you've broken your pain barrier, it's easy. Really? Why after 7 years of trying this daft activity, have those words never been uttered by me?!
Even now, every Sunday morning, I get up at the crack of dawn & run 5km on the treadmill. It doesn't make me feel particularly good. I just do it, because I feel I should & I can't wait to get my exercise for the week out of the way.
So this morning, whilst I was pounding away at the gym, I thought that I'd try & change this pattern & mentality...
It takes 30 days to break a habit right?
Maybe I'm just not exercising enough, and if I do more, I'd feel the benefits & start to LOVE it?!
And now that I'm older, maybe things will be different? I'll possibly feel the benefits of feeling good naturally, better?
I must say that recently I've been feeling a lot stiffer. A bit less flexible as I crawl towards 40. And if I spend any time kneeling on the floor cutting fabric or making things, I have to say it takes me a while to straighten up. And despite my 8 hours sleep a night, I'm often tired. Maybe there's just not enough movement in this body of mine to keep it feeling invigorated & alive?
So I know I need to exercise to stay fit & healthy, mobile & younger looking (I threw that last one in hoping that I can get that with the package for free?!)
And the 30 days starts today.
The idea is that I have to do at least 30 minutes of exercise, every day for 30 days.
Hopefully by the end of it I'll be running with the determination of Forrest Gump & have the flexibility of Jane Fonda and energy of one of those cheesy models in hot pants & running vest on the front of a health magazine and will be craving more & more!
Here's the start of the 30/30 Challenge.
I started the day with my usual 6am Sunday trip to the gym:
5km run on treadmill @ 44 mins. (10 min walk - 30 min run @ 7.5km ph - 4 min walk)
5 mins each leg on flexibility machine to stretch out (level 100)
Then it was such a gorgeous day, that after a quick shower & delicious brekkie, we headed up the mountain with Squish to look for bugs, tadpoles, mountain waterfalls and the ultimate destination of our walk, the mountain pond with gold fish. Such a beautiful sunny Cape Town morning. Amazing views. Happiness.
1- 1.5 hr gentle walk
I must say, that as far as today's exercise goes, I can actually say that today I enjoyed it.
Let's see how the next 29 days go!
x
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