Subscribe
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
-
Tuesday, February 5th, 2008
It recently occurred to me that I miss exercising. No, I don’t just miss being significantly skinnier (though that was nice) – I actually miss physically exerting myself.
I miss the way exercise makes me feel tired and energized at the same time, instead of just tired and completely wiped out, like I feel just about all the time these days. One 30-minute ballroom dancing lesson each week can no longer suffice as my only exercise.
So I announced to Darwin that I wanted to buy a treadmill. Sure, I could go for walks. Sure, I could play tennis across the street. But will I ever do those things? Apparently not if I haven’t started by now. We’ve lived in our house three years, and it’s been about three years since I had any kind of regular exercise routine. It’s tough when I get home from work to motivate myself to get all dressed and go prance around the neighborhood waving to people.
Turns out Darwin, too, would like to exercise more. He planned to train for a half-marathon this fall but never got around to it.
So, snap decision made, on Sunday we went to Sears and bought a treadmill. Though I was tempted by the stationary bikes and the elliptical machines, Darwin thought we should keep it simple for now.
Turns out he was probably right. When I got on the treadmill for the first time this morning, it became quickly obvious just how out of shape I am – that my never-impressive muscles are now reduced to complete mush.
I hooked up my iPod (set to my “Dance” playlist) and started the easiest “performance workout” program, which peaked at 3.5 mph. What I failed to notice is that it would peak at 3.5 mph while on a steep incline. What I also failed to realize was that 3.5 mph would have me sweating like Tracy Gold in For the Love of Nancy.
I only made it through 13 minutes of the 30-minute program before I felt nauseated and had to stop.
As painful as it was to find out I’m a total loser and can’t make it through even the easiest program, I’m not giving up. I just have to take it a little slower – maybe soon I’ll be treading more lightly.
You can do it! And kudos to you for even starting exercising. I got on a treadmill last night for the first time in ages. It was at a gym and I walked at a ridiculously slow pace and was soooo winded. I tried my best to ignore the folks on either side of me who were RUNNING really fast while I did my granny pace. I made it for 39 minutes but only managed to walk around 2 miles total. Gotta start somewhere…..
Good for you. I caved and bought a Tony Little Gazelle just a few days ago. It seems like a silly machine but I needed something fun to get me back into exercising again. I decided to start slow this time and not go balls out like I usually do, which ends up in me getting hurt and quitting.
Starting slow is the way to go. Just stick with it.
Good for you! Don’t get discouraged, it gets better fast. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your body adapts. I was training for a 15k last spring and went from barely making it 1-2 miles to running 8-9 without ever stopping to walk! Now I’m back to sucking wind after about 3 miles though. Endurance is a “use it or lose it” thing unfortunately.