Monday, March 21, 2011

Excited about exercise...?! Really excited.

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Remember this post? Well, I'm all done with that. I'm excited about exercise again!!!
I'm pretty sure that it is because I have been switching it up. Rediscovering the Wave has been amazing to me!
Another reason that I'm excited: I finally got that free exercise bike from my cousin yesterday!!! It's just a basic recumbant bike, but it has the ability to increase the resistance, which is a challenge for my leg muscles.
Plus, it's in the front room. Which is the main TV room, so now I can look forward to watching DVD shows as well as DVRed shows, all while exercising! How exciting. :-)
One more reason that I'm excited about exercising: I have some new goals.
1st goal: to become a runner.
Yes, I badly want to be a runner. I have spent years telling myself that I couldn't run for many reasons. Mostly, that I am very prone to shin splints.
Well, I finally figured out that if I do shin strengthening exercises a couple of times a week, and ice my shins after a run, I can pretty much avoid shin problems. :-) :-) :-)
This weekend, I did three days in a row of running intervals. Run one minute, walk one minute, run two minutes, walk one minute. Back to one minute. And so on! It felt amazing! I felt so strong and beautiful while I ran. And I know that it worked my heart and a lot of other muscles, since I was drenched in sweat and sore the next day. I'm almost ready to start calling myself a "runner". Almost. I'll let you know. ;-)
Now I'm dreaming of 5Ks and half marathons in 2012... we'll see.
Another goal of mine: getting bikini ready. And yes, I know that this is a shallow, common goal. But I still want it!
I'm pretty sure that I'll look good in a bikini this summer, since last summer I rocked one at 180 or so, and thought that I looked good.
Why not really challenge myself into working on my thighs, butt, abs, back, and arms by working towards getting bikini ready?
I can't think of any reasons. So, official goal: get bikini ready.
The final reason that I'm getting more excited about exercise: It's a big stress reliever. Seriously. Here's my current week day schedule:
  • Go to work for 8 hours.
  • Go to class for 3 hours.
  • Go to the library and study/do homework for an hour or two.
  • Get home around 10pm.
  • Eat a late dinner/take bath/study more/laundry/etc.
  • Get some sleep...
What better way to start that crazy day than 40 minutes of high-intensity exercise??
What motivates you to exercise?
Do you have any fitness goals right now?


7 comments:

Mariebop said...

If you want to run a 5K, google "Couch to 5K." It's a 9 week program, does intervals like you're doing, and at the end of 9 weeks you should be able to run a 5K. I'm not sure what kind of phone you have, but there is an app for the iPhone that give you the cues of when to start running and stop running. Not sure about the other smartphones.

Leah: Not Otherwise Specified said...

Marie, I have a regular phone, not a smart one! I was pretty ecstatic that it has a camera, that's how old-school cell phone I am. ;-)

I think that C25K may be too structured for me. Does it have a schedule that I would have to stick to? I'll look it up... Thanks for reminding me about it!

Jennifer said...

I want to be a runner, too... doing my best to get into it. Some people make it look so effortless!

Amanda said...

I want to be considered a runner too. I didn't follow any programs. I just get on the treadmill or hit the street and tell myself I have to run this far or else. Some days I run 1 mile, some days 2 miles, and sometimes its 3 miles. I'd like to eventually get past 3 mile but that will come in time.

I'd love to wear a bikini this year but that's not going to happen. I do have a tankini that I plan on wearing and look pretty good in. I don't think I could ever show my stomach in public. Besides the faded stretch marks from being pregnant I've had surgery and I have scars on my stomach from that. Not pretty!

Good for you...I'm so happy you've come this far. You are so inspiring!

Leah: Not Otherwise Specified said...

Jennifer- Just do it! haha, I love Nike's slogan for running.

Amanda- I have LOTS of stretch marks. Seriously, they are huge and gross, and people probably think that they are from pregnancy, but NOPE. Just from gaining and losing the same 50 pounds 5 times since I was 16. :-( If I can rock a bikini, you can, too!

Jennifer said...

hahaha yes! I'm using Nike plus to motivate me. :)

Lindsey said...

Aghh, hectic schedule! How much sleep do you get per night? Lately I seem to need 9+ hours a night... I wish I knew what was causing it!