My Warmup-Treadmill Relationship

I was going to start this second entry with food but achieving a fitness goal of mine today inspired me to switch it up!

In the beginning, the exercise I was doing consisted of mostly cardio. We had a dusty treadmill sitting in the garage, unused for quite a long time. I started out slow; warm up was at roughly 2.7 mph and the highest I could handle was about 3.3 mph. Just about every week, I would increase the speed between .3-.5 mph. If I felt my "top speed" was on the verge of being too much, I would stay at that speed for a couple of weeks to gain strength and stamina. As a warm up, I would usually stretch and ...dance. I actually continue to do that only there are added jumping jacks/jump rope. "Dancing" was a great way for me to get pumped up for the workout ahead. It got my heart pumping and my body ready for the treadmill. I would generally warm down with it as well and finish off with stretching. There's nothing like going out in the garage, putting on some awesome music and just going crazy. It's exhilarating, freeing and just a great way to get your mind (and body) excited for the next step! I highly recommend it.

 Eventually, my jogging speed got up to a level I'm still kind of awe-struck about. It's the moment when your original top speed becomes your warm down speed that struck a chord. I am by no means a runner/jogger but I have surprised myself with what I've been able to accomplish by starting slow and pushing myself a little more each week. I got the brilliant idea to sign up for a 5k this year (and drag a friend along with me!). I tested out how fast and far I could run by venturing away from the treadmill and out onto the street. I nearly passed out and then almost started crying when I saw that my time on the street was a good 30 seconds faster than my treadmill time. Savor moments like that; they really do show you how far you've come!

I would like to mention that I did not have a gym pass when I started this weight loss journey and still do not have one. I know gym's are important, especially for those that don't have access to fitness equipment, but my point is you can find a way to exercise anywhere; don't use the lack-of-a-gym as an excuse. If you live in an area with a lot of inclines, use that to your advantage. Even if you walk/jog up and down the same incline, you're going to see a difference. Exploit the resources around you. Persevere and don't get discouraged. Make realistic goals and take realistic steps towards achieving them; whether it takes a week, a month, whatever! We all hit "the wall" but pushing past that makes you stronger and proves to yourself that you can honestly achieve anything.