Why Working Out Matters & A Pledge Part Two

Part of my pledge was fulfilled.   Not only did I accomplish working out for 15 minutes a day for 30 days, I did it for 60!  There was definitely visible results.  The weather warmed up and I took my exercise habit outside.  That has been even more successful. 

I've had a rough year.  You see my step father passed away this spring.  He was suffering from a variety of conditions for years but was diagnosed with cancer in March.  The cancer was aggressive and he died only three weeks later.  I traveled to my mother's home and spent a good deal of time with her. My saving grace was running.  I had added a couch25K app on my phone in October of 2012 but was having a difficult time using it mostly because of feelings of being overwhelmed with two children to care for and feeling like there was no time for myself.  It was more like I was not giving any time to myself.  But when the pressure of death or at least dealing with it came knocking in March and April, I opened the Couch25K app again and set to work.  During the three weeks I stayed with my mom I was very consistent. But . . .

I. was. so. slow. . .
At first.
 
I did what the app said.  I ran when it told me to.  And I gladly walked when I was told.
It was hard.  Thank God I had kept the app on my phone.  There I was in April stressing and with a commitment to work out as well as a good memory reminding me that working out feels good. My mother was glad to watch the boys.

In the end, running as well as my desire to free myself of stress, sadness, and fatigue took me all the way through the spring into early summer and a second tragic family loss of a dear uncle who also lost his life to cancer in July.  It was sad friends.  Just sad.

I didn't even notice when I finished up the 12 week program until after a run one day in July.  It was a run 28 minutes long and over 3 miles.  Since then I stopped using Couch25K and switched over to the runkeeper app. Now I run for about 30-40 min.  And it feels AWESOME.

My pledge now is to stick with the running.  More importantly my pledge to myself is to remember how pushing hard during the run will pay off in ease of stress when I finish and even last for a day or two.  I can't run every day.  My two boys, husband and house and food prep and laundry and errands etc. . . . take so much time.  I am very okay with that.

I also I learned that I know that I don't want to run with my kids!  I REALLY don't want that.  I would still love some adult lady friends to run with and I am still working those details out.  {More on both of those points in the future.}

Right now running is just for me.  That That's what it has to be.  That is how I like it.  And that is how it is special and personal and a gift for me.

Why Working Out Matters and A Pledge to Find Other Moms to Enjoy the Workout With

source: Skinnymom.com

We have had an Xbox for a number of years.  We bought the Kinect in fall of 2010.  My husband played lots of fun games but then I found Yourself Fitness. We did not begin to play with it right away but in the last few months we have really started to USE it. 

Here's the fun part. We started liking it.  The Fitness game I mean.  REALLY liking it.  Well, not so much the game... but the feeling.  The feeling that working out has on us.  For a while when either of us worked out it seemed like a it was something that we made ourselves do because we felt like we should... but then we began to realize that it really did something to our day.  It really started it up each of our day.

I had lamented to a friend months ago that I wanted to be sporty.  Actually I wanted to be more like her family.  She is an old high school cross country running friend of mine.  Her husband is also a runner and they have one child a bit younger than my oldest.  They still participate in Running, Biking, Hiking etc.  Why can't I do this, I thought.  I've done it before!  But now I just couldn't - I thought- not with 2 kids!  Where oh where was the time!!!???  I thought she had a secret. She only kind of did.

In my old life with one child (spring 2010), I had joined a hiking group for moms, Colorado Mountain Mamas, where we would hike with babies on our backs for miles.  It was great.  I met two people that I stayed in contact with.  Our kids were roughly the same age.  Fast forward:  I left the country again to live abroad for almost a year, and then returned to Colorado and resettled in a different area of Denver.  I was pregnant.  After the baby, and during my pregnancy I had a really hard time keeping up with my old hiking pals but I never lost sight of them on Facebook.  Here were some other friends who were staying fit and gaining/building a friendship doing it.  How?  

OK full circle now... Remember when I revealed to you that I discovered that working out felt so good?  Well coincidentally my prior Colorado hiking pal had started a blog about that same thing.  The feeling of being active- the addiction to the feeling... AND SHE WAS WORKING OUT WITH -wait for it- 2 KIDS in tow!  That's right! Both of my hiking pals each had a second child too!  Their second babies are both older than my second guy.  Except they were still getting together to work out...

Another coincidence was that I had just said to my husband a few weeks ago how I wish there was a MOPs group that didn't meet inside and have speakers and do crafts (For the record I really enjoy my MOPs group that has speakers and crafts!)... I wanted another MOPs group who worked out and played together.  My Colorado blogging hiking buddy who was working out with girlfriends started a blog that revealed the workouts she was doing with her moms workout group....  So strange that this all happened.  So, it's possible.  I AM motivated to have that.  We live in different areas of the city and it is unlikely that I will be a part of their group but I love that this is doable.  I love that she is blogging about it.  I love that moms with kids at home DO THIS.  They do!  Really.  I love that it can be done.  So I am doing it.

source: Shape.com

To start, I decided to do a workout I saw on Shape.  If you ever want to print a work out or just look at all the parts of their routine just click the print button and you will be given a page with all the photos and directions right on it... no more clicking through each piece.  I printed up this routine to help with my abdominal diastasis.

Here is the routine: Sculpt Bikini-Ready Abs Under Your Sweater

I do have "before" pictures.
I am not going to post them now.  It's just a little embarrassing to be honest.  But maybe after I complete my pledge I will be so proud I'll post...

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I am about to make a pledge. 
15 minutes a day for 30 days. 

I will work out for (at least) 15 minutes a day for 30 days. (I already have 5 down.)

In 60 days I will have a group of 3 ladies in my area of Denver to join my team!

Word.