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August 23, 2007
Don't Let Your Endorphins Dress You
Today I accomplished the impossible. I woke up early and went to the gym. This is my third week now of doing this whole gym thing, and so far, while I don't see any results, it's OK. I don't love it, I'd be more than happy to not go, but if I have any intentions of being a hot mom, I should probably keep this up, and get knocked up, or something.
Anyhoo, I set my alarm 45 minutes earlier than usual, and when it went off I was exhausted. I considered: "Self, am i really any more exhausted then when I usually wake up?" Turns out I am just as sleepy at 7:00am as when I wake up at 7:45am, so, off to the gym I went.
My instructions from my personal trainer were to do 30 minutes of intense cardio 3x this week. I needed some clarification on intense, for me, climbing the stairs can be an intense experience. He said I need to seriously sweat. Finally, a goal I can accomplish.
I hopped on the treadmill and got ready for a grueling 10 minutes. 10 minutes on that thing is enough to make me seriously sweat. I set it for 4.5 and was on my way. While I was predictably bored out of my mind at the 10 minute mark, I wasn't all that sweaty, and I decided to go 5 more minutes at 5.0. By that point the clock display 7:38 and I knew I had to do 2 minutes more. I spent 17 minutes on that thing and went a whopping 1.35 miles.
I know, that's what most people call pathetic, but for me, it's a serious accomplishment. I've never run a mile straight, and I think I figured out why I was able to do it this morning. Here is what I did differently, it may help.
1. Stop looking at those damn red/orange/green dots that signify the distance you've been running. For me, the goals come too quickly that way. Once the dots go around the circle once, I've hit a goal, and then I want to stop. Assuming I make it past 1/4 mile, when it gets to a half mile, I really feel accomplished, and I start walking. Once i slow down, I'm not getting revved up again.
2. Jog for minutes, not miles. My goal has always been to jog x number of mile(s). It worked out significantly better when I ditched that and jogged for 5 minutes at a time. I checked in with myself.... Was I out of breath? Was I in pain? The only question I answered yes to was, Am I bored and lazy? Yes. But I think even I could handle 5 more minutes.
3. Start out with a speed that's .5 lower than what you think you can do. When you reach your halfway point, kick it up some. My body was starting to want to jog faster, and it was happy at the opportunity to move a little.
Those were my lessons for the day.
After I got out of the shower and went to get dressed, I was feeling pretty honking good about my accomplishments. I put on a bright red shirt, and a new black mini.
Now that my endorphins have eased up a little bit, I feel like I could be mistaken for a prostitute.
Let this be a warning to you all.
* Photo borrowed from istockphoto.com
Posted by lysa at August 23, 2007 9:07 AM
Comments
Hottest..sysadmin ever! 17 minutes is an AWESOME accomplishment for you.
S'funny though, when i listen to my body when it wants to go faster, I go faster and then not too soon afterwards i hear my body go "i was just kidding! KIDDING! STOP THIS CRAZY THING!"
Posted by: booboo at August 23, 2007 10:20 AM
She's got legs...she knows how to use them!! :)
Posted by: Scottie at August 23, 2007 1:52 PM
What? You've never heard of Estrogen Thursdays? It's all the rage! You are totally hip and didn't even know it!
Posted by: Kbee at August 24, 2007 5:26 PM