Prior to November 11, 2011, I spent the better part of twenty-four years justifying why it was okay to be a smoker; prior to January 2012, I spent the better part of my life justifying why it was okay to eat poorly and put on weight; and prior to last Summer, I spent the better part of the last couple of decades justifying why it was okay to live an exercise-free life.
Here's what I know now: I was wrong on all counts. Smoking kills more people every year than alcohol and drugs (legal and illegal) combined; obesity was the #2 cause of preventable death (behind smoking) in the United States in 2012; and an exercise-free life was, for me, both a cause-and-effect of obesity. In other words, I avoided exercise because I was obese, and I was obese because I avoided exercise.
The conversations I had with myself for years and years were so excuse-filled that, to be honest, it is surprising to find myself on the path of health and fitness on which I am journeying today. Most of my past excuses started with either "I can't" or "I can't today" and would be followed up with some intellectual justification that perhaps after such-and-such or thus-and-so (you fill in your own blanks), I'll be able to "quit smoking, lose the weight, and get in shape"...but the common vein that ran through all my excuses was that all the stars had to align in order for the journey to start.
But here's the deal. No stars needed alignment, and I didn't need thus-and-so to happen before I quit smoking. Nor did I need such-and-such to occur before eating healthier foods. Now, there might be an iota of validity in my decision to wait to run for a little while following quitting smoking and losing some weight...but I certainly could have started walking right away rather than waiting seven-plus months before "my weight got to where it needed to be for me to start running." I guess, in retrospect, it took that amount of time for me to get rid of my habit to make excuses...well, with a nice push from Michelle to "just go out there and start running!"
So why am I thinking about this today? Well, to be honest, I almost excused myself out of my "easy" family run yesterday. Michelle had taken her run early in the morning (while I was doing yard work), and Mary had given it her all in her swim meet, so she was spent; as such, when we got home from a nice family dinner last night at 7:00, it was my inclination to just bag out on the easy run. In fact, I even said to myself, "well, I did work in the yard for a few hours this morning, so that's just like taking a nice, easy-paced run/walk...right?"
But then I caught myself in this lie (to myself), and immediately I went and put my running clothes on, put the ear buds in, said "See you in a little bit!" to Mary and Michelle, and headed out to the pavement for a nice little two-and-a-half mile, easy-paced run/walk. In other words, my excuses were not valid, and I had to get right out there and literally stomp them out of myself. Fortunately, it worked!
Speaking of stomping, here are the workout results from last week, and the plan for this week:
June 3 - June 9 - All Completed (Thank Goodness)!
Monday - 3.13 Mile Run (10:03 Pace)
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 7), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Wednesday - 5.22 Mile Run (10:27 Pace)
Thursday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 7), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Friday - 3.12 Mile Run (9:34 Pace)...Fastest Training Pace to Date!
Saturday - OFF
Sunday - Interval Run/Walk of 2.51 Miles
Total Distance on the Pavement - 15.69 Miles (Includes Warm Up and Cool Down Walks)
June 3 - June 9
Monday - 4.21 Mile Run (10:49 Pace) - COMPLETE
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 7), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Wednesday - 3 Mile Run
Thursday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 7), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Friday - 6 Mile Run
Saturday - OFF
Sunday - "Family" Run
Now, before I sound like a holier than thou person who lives a perfect existence and expects the same from all of you, know that there are indeed valid reasons to forego one's exercise from time to time. Primarily, I'm talking about injuries and illnesses, but I know that there are unforeseen circumstances that lend validity to missing a workout. That said, before bagging your exercise, just do me a favor and do what I did yesterday. Just take a close look at that reflection in the mirror and make sure that you are being up front with the person staring back at you...if you just listen hard enough, he or she will let you know what to do.
Until next time, enjoy your journey...
No comments:
Post a Comment