Muddy Bike Ride

So, today Holly wanted to take a bike ride with me.  Can I say no to a teen daughter who wants to hang out with me???  ABSOLUTELY not!

So, we hitched up our bikes and headed to the trail.  Little did we know it would be so muddy!  We came home with mud everywhere.  But we both agree we got an extra tough workout because we had mud resistance...AND we had a good time!! 😀

Treadmill Desk

Above you see my good friend Trudy Treadmill.  Last year I asked my husband to help turn Trudy into a walking desk.  It was SUPER CHEAP and EASY!!!  He found this 4 foot by 1 foot piece of laminate at Menards for $2.88 (including tax).  I put a little duct tape on the back side so it wouldn't scratch up the arms of Trudy.  Installation:  just setting the shelf on the arms.  That was it!  Easy on and off.

Running with the shelf on is NOT recommended.  :)

I can walk at a 3 mile/hour speed and work pretty easily on my laptop.  Now, when I grade papers, I have to slow it down a little.

If you find yourself hooked up to your computer and sitting a lot, this is a great idea.

I will be honest.  Since I have been training for a 5k, the shelf has been off for a loooong time.  This is our 4th snow day in a row.  I decided I needed some movement so I put Trudy's shelf back on and decided to conquer my emails and create a powerpoint while walking.  I have been working for 68 minutes and have gone 3.4 miles.  Not athletic training awesome, but doing something on my computer does help me pass the time.

Anyone else want to try the treadmill desk?

Week 4

Today I started week 4 of Couch 2 5K.  I am glad I didn't look ahead to see what I would be doing.  I went from week 3 which includes two 3 minute runs, a 1.5 minute run and maybe two 1 minute runs to TODAY.  Why the caps for TODAY?  Because it was a BIG step!  Today's runs included two 4 minute runs and a SIX MINUTE RUN!  When I saw that, I nearly jumped off Trudy Treadmill!

How was I ready for this?  Really?  What is this app thinking?

Well as it turns out, the app was pretty smart!

I did it!  I completed my training session, running for both four and six minutes!  Wow!  What a feeling of accomplishment!  :)

What have you done that gave you that sense of accomplishment?

Damaging thoughts

What does working out look like for you?

I started this blog because I found 29 workout DVDs in my possession, many which had NEVER been opened!  I wanted to try each one out, in the time frame of one year.

What I have found out about myself is that I don't finish things.  I get very excited about a new workout DVD, spend the money, purchase it, and then never even use it.  OR...I start a new diet/exercise plan and give up before I really see results.

I want to see BIG results in a short period of time.  Totally unrealistic.  I know.

So, I have set the DVDs aside for a while and I am concentrating on sticking to an exercise plan.  I really kicked this in and then I could feel myself slacking.  Telling myself I will exercise more tomorrow.  I have heard myself say this over and over again.  So, to combat that, I exercised this morning!  Trudy Treadmill and I completed the third week of Couch Potato to 5k!  Yes, the third week!  What this tells me is that I wasn't slacking off as hard as I felt I was.  Today is February 1st.  The last time I exercised was January 28th.  Four days of no exercise.  Not ideal, but as long as I got back at it, not something to be ashamed of.

I set a goal for myself of running an entire 5k by March 15th.  It will be done on my treadmill, by myself, but I do plan to complete that!  And guess what?  Having completed the 3rd week of Couch 2 5K, I am right on track!

So, what does this prove?  That my thoughts and perceptions can damage my efforts to succeed.

Thank goodness for my little log book that logs all my visits to the exercise room since January!  That little book tells the true story.  I have devoted this year to exercising and getting in shape.  I am 1/12 finished!  Wow!  That is pretty amazing!  What do you think?