Sunday, January 13, 2013

One Step at a Time

If you read my last post then you saw that one of my top goals for this year is to start on a healthier path and another is to post more frequently on here. Well here I am posting (Yay!) and I wanted to share a major step I made in my path to being healthier. 

Since about October I've been trying to get in the habit of waking up early and going for a morning walk to at least get myself up and moving. That was a struggle until my dad went in the hospital and his doctors told him he couldn't drive until after his foot is completely healed (which it still isn't, but it's close), and I had to get up every morning to drive my mom to work. Now that I actually have a responsibility, I am much less tempted to hit snooze in the morning. 

Actually choosing to get moving in the morning was my first step to being healthy and even though it was only a small choice, I feel empowered by it. Choosing to get moving in the morning has shown me that I can make better choices for myself if I really want to. I always feel better about my day after I've been up and moving about. Another thing I've gained from these walks is personal time. For those 30-40 minutes every morning I get to be lost in my music and not worry about the stuff that brings me down. It's peaceful.

Over the past few months I've expanded my walking route to keep it interesting but also to add more challenge to my walking. For awhile I was trying to figure out how I could change up my workout without just adding more distance and one option that kept coming back to me was start running but I do not like running at all. I'm sure I would if I was skinnier but I'm definitely not so I'm not a fan. I know though that running is a better workout than just walking and eventually I would get to that point I just didn't know when. I think part of me was scared, although I'm not sure why, but I finally broke out of that fear. About a week ago I started adding portions of running to my routine; not running the whole thing but two small sections for now. 

Eventually I would like to get to the point where I can run the whole distance but for now it's a small victory to be able to run at all. Yes I have to push myself to finish and when I finish them I feel like my lungs are going to die but I know that I'm achieving a small victory. Just the fact that I'm running at all is getting me one step closer to my goal and I couldn't be happier. It may be uncomfortable for a while but I know if I keep it up I will be happy with the result. 

One more thing I want to share before I wrap this up is an app I really love to use while I'm walking/running. The app is called Charity Miles and it allows you to use the time you are running, walking, or biking to raise money for charity. Once you download the app to your smart phone all you have to do is select your activity and the charity you would like to donate for and tap start. The best part of it is you pay nothing! All the money comes from corporations. I love this app because I feel like while I'm trying to do better for myself, I can also help others and that adds to the esteem boost I get from working out. When you're done all you do is hit stop and it tells you what your workout is worth to the organization you chose. You can even post to Facebook and Twitter to share what an awesome person you are for working out and helping others. Who ever came up with this app is amazing and I thank them for sharing it with us. I think everyone who workout with a smart phone or iPod touch should use this app.  

I just want to end this by saying to anyone who might be struggling mentally or physically with getting up the to nerve to start working out that it's totally worth it. No matter how much it hurts it is completely worth it. You know your body's limits and how far it can be pushed but don't be afraid to push outside of your own comfort zone because you'll never get where you want to be without taking that step out of the familiar. Only you can make the choice to get up and move. You don't have to start out running a marathon because even the smallest step can be the beginning of the greatest change of your life. So from one big girl to another I just want to say you can do it and I'm cheering for you just like I hope you're cheering for me. 

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