
I always wish that I was one of those people who have a form of exercise that they love. I have friends who are passionate about baseball and softball. I know someone who trained for months to do a cross country bicycle trip. Some people love hiking, swimming, Zumba or even just walking. I am not one of those people. I don’t know if it is because I am too self conscious about my wiggles and jiggles to enjoy playing team sports or if it’s the restrictive times when things like Zumba and other aerobic classes are offered, but exercise has never been something that I have found to be fun or something to look forward to. It’s always been a chore.
But there is ONE thing that I can actually see myself enjoying once I am physically capable of doing it.
Running.
OK. I will pause to let you laugh for a few minutes.
Ready to continue? OK. Stay with me. In my current state, running would rank somewhere between miserable and impossible. Right now, getting these legs to move that fast might require some sort of motorized device. But let’s just say that I could work my way up to it, I think I would really enjoy it. It is less boring than walking and I feel like it could be a very cleansing exercise. Not to mention it just sounds cool. “I need to clear my head…I’m going for a run.”
I’ve looked at several Couch to 5K programs online and have gotten the basic idea of how it works. Intervals of running and walking where you gradually increase the amount of time you run while decreasing the amount of time you walk. Seems simple enough but most of them say start by walking for 90 seconds and running for 60 seconds. You may think it’s sad, but I am pretty sure I couldn’t run for 60 seconds right now. Not without having a stroke or something first. I may have to tweak my program and call it Bed to 5k. My starting point is a little slower than most.
Obviously it will be hard work to get to the point where running a 5k would be possible, but at least that gives me a concrete goal to work towards. People on The Biggest Loser are my size and are running full marathons. I know the human body is capable of it, I just need to get the mind and the lungs on the same page. And I’m also going to need a sports bra, some new shoes, and a few extra inhalers.
If you see me lying down in the middle of the street somewhere, pay no mind. I'll get up eventually.