The last two days have been exceptionally hard on the exercise front. I feel tired and out of breath and close to giving up almost the whole time but especially during the running part.
One would think that after 110 consecutive days of exercise, it would all come easier at this point. Especially since I haven’t increased the distance or speed significantly. But here we are. I am tired and worn out. But I will still continue as I do each day. I will just sleep more and drink more water and eat more veggies and protein.
I want to be clear that this is still quite hard for me. Each day. I have to force myself to get off the couch, put my clothes on and just do it. Walking and running does not come naturally to me. It’s not something I crave or enjoy or look forward to. I am doing it because it’s good for me and not any other reason.
So much for all those sayings about 21 days to a new habit or whatever. 110 days in and I can still stop easily. But I won’t. I will get up and I will do it. For however long it takes. Every single day.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
Happy new year! I have a new phone and lost your digits! Message me when u have a chance, 314.795.4426. Exercise never gets better, but u cam wear smaller clothes? 🙂
true that!! Happy HAPPY HAPPY birthday my friend. miss you and love you!
Oh karen dearest I FEEL YOUR PAIN! I have made similar goals for the New Year and have already failed miserably. I am tired all the time, and like you, don’t get enough sleep, veggies or protein. I really think diet has a lot to do with how we feel. Keep it up! I know you’re going to be thankful when the summer season starts!
thank you for the encouragement Chris!! I really am trying to keep it up. I try to take it all one day at a time. This exercise is number 1 priority this year so if all else falls apart, i will still hang on to this one 🙂
I am 70 and I walk 10,000 steps a day. It is not easy and I appreciate your feelings. I don’t have little boys to care for, but my 83 year old husband is not well and we live in the mountains on 23 acres. I am always busy, feeding horses, fixing fence and trying to do my exercise and art every day. One thing that helps with my exercise is a good book on tape or a movie. I only allow myself to listen or watch while I am exercising. It really helps the time go by – also right after I sit and close my eyes and enjoy a cup of coffee for about 20 minutes and I really feel refreshed. I was raised a city girl and we retired to this slice of heaven. It is peaceful and quiet.
keep it up!!!!!
Ellen
oh this is such a dream of mine. i, too, am a city girl but love nature. I think peaceful and quiet woud be truly wonderful. enjoy it all for me, too, please!
You can do it! I know how it is to hit an “exercise rut”, when I started running last time it got really hard-going after the first two weeks, but you’re tough and I’m sure you’ll pull through! Hang in there! 🙂
thank you! I am trying. you’d be amazed how many people told me to just take a day off. lol. the point for me is that if i take one day off, it will be the end of the whole thing. so i just keep going. the only way out is through as they say 🙂
I love that you let us know not everything is roses with the excersise, I also feel tired and just plain done but I keep on going!
oh nothing is ever all roses here. every day has ups and down. even every hour. but i am trying to embrace the joy of it and keep the bigger purpose in mind. it’s all about shifting mentally i’ve come to realize.
Ahhh Karen, I’m struggling too. I hear the frustration in your “voice”. I’d honestly like to know what it FEELS like to be 100%. I’m loving the comments of others here too. It’s nice to know I’m not alone on this journey but it’s up to me to decide to keep going. Thinking of you and sending you some energy!
thank you so much!! that’s how life is i suppose, always shifting and in cycles. you just try to balance along as much as possible 🙂 hang in there. some great energy back your way!!
Exercising isn’t always easy. If you feel tired rest a lot and veggies and protein are good but when doing physical ewercise don’t forget to eat carbohydrates (the good ones: whole wheat bread or pasta). They will give you the energy to get through the day and they WON’T contribute to weight gain as so many people think. Keep going.
yes you’re totally right. i do eat carbs. well….i eat graham crackers 🙂 i need to work on the food. adjusting things so the overall intake is more healthy and energy-inducing. i am not worried about carbs and weight gain. the only reason i want to eat more protein and veggies is because I don’t eat enough of those almost ever 🙂
Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not trying to be pessimistic, but I’m afraid that after years of exercising, it might still be an effort to get up and do it. I have wrangled with this for many years. I think I started back in my mid-twenties to work out regularly. At some point I took up running and did it for a long time. Then Riley came along but I put him in the stroller and walked miles. I broke my knee when he turned two and that was the end of running. I bought an elliptical trainer and I work out Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The last two summers I have given myself the summer off – but did yoga instead (I was doing yoga Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) so it ended up being yoga 6 times a week. In September I went back to the elliptical but it took all my mental self discipline. I occasionally take a day off but not too often because I actually like how I feel the days I do work out – obviously not during the work out but after. I feel brighter mentally and I think that translates into holding myself more straight and confidently. Ack! I didn’t mean to write so much. All this to say that if you keep in mind that you are feeling good as a result of the exercise, the time and discomfort of the exercise itself is a great trade off.
this isn’t pessimistic. it’s actually comforting to me. it sort of shows me that i am not missing anything or messing up. I don’t feel good on the days i do it vs not because i do it every day so i can’t tell the difference at the moment. my only hope is that by 2012 i will be in a place where i can just get on and walk/run and do it without as much pain as it takes now. i will hopefully be in maintenance mode by then so it’s all about keeping the energy level up. so if “feeling good” happens, i’ll consider it a success.
Oh and P.S. I am mean to Riley sometimes too. I think it’s part of parenting and learning about ourselves. I think it’s recognizing that we are that makes the difference. Many parents hurt their kids emotionally without that self reflection.
Hi Karen,
I’m no expert, but I do want to share this thought with you: rest and recovery are important to building fitness. Maybe you need to take a day off. Just one, every couple of weeks. Your body needs rest and muscles need time to repair.
Just some food for thought!
110 days is nothing to scoff at! I’ve been running about 2x a week on average since last April. And then I have days like today where I ran only 2 miles in the awful, awful strong, cold wind (was supposed to run 3) and was incredibly frustrated and it didn’t feel good at all. But I stick with it. Why? Because I’ve been doing it long enough now to know that the next great run is just around the corner. Ebb and flow. Hang in there!
Lauren
I totally understand and respect that. I know muscles tear and need to build back up. But I am being realistic. I know that if I stop for one day, I will just stop. I know myself. So I just keep it low. I don’t push myself hard. I walk most of the time and when I run, it’s slow. I increase by 0.1 miles a month which is tiny. So I try to slowly build my body and make sure it’s not getting a lot of damage each day. I also am quite sedentary the rest of the day and i make sure to sleep a minimum of 6.5 -7 hours. So I think considering all that, I am trying to be as responsible as possible. I am doing everything I can to make up for the fact that I won’t take a day off. and you’re completely right about ebb and flow. just like everything else in life 🙂