What is your favorite fitness day/activity?
I’m not that organized about my runs, but I think I like the
long run day best–it’s cool to see progress going farther than I have before
either without walk breaks or overall distance.
What is your favorite fitness routine?
I have a 5k route in my neighborhood that includes a gentle
uphill, a fairly steep downhill, some flat, then a decent uphill that’s broken
up by some side roads that are flatter. Each section of the route offers is own
challenge in fairly bite size pieces, so I get a taste of everything, and it
leaves me feeling like I’ve put good effort into things.
Why do you choose to stay fit?
Well, as I approach 40, my metabolism (and weight) just
aren’t what they used to be. I needed to incorporate more physical activity to
improve my fitness for the longer term goal of staying healthy. I also wanted
to model healthy choices for my children.
Aside from physical exercise, what other ways
do you incorporate healthy choices into your life?
I’ve given up artificial sweeteners for the most part, as
well as sodas. I try to eat reasonable portion sizes and stay away from white
and/or processed starches like pasta, white bread and rice, and potatoes. If I
eat grains, I try to incorporate whole grain options, and I save sugary
desserts for very very occasional treats.
How have you dealt with any setbacks that have prevented you from working out, staying in
shape, or eating healthily?
I’ll not lie, I’ve fallen off the wagon a couple of times, and
the last time I fell hard with no running for months and eating the worst junk
I could eat. Some of it was an injury, some of it was not keeping a race
scheduled to work toward, and some of it was falling into old patterns of
laziness. I just had to push myself to get past that initial hurdle of inertia,
but it took a long time (and many pounds) to get to the point where I could
force myself to get moving again even if I didn’t particularly feel like it. In
my case it was kind of a “fake it till you make it” period where I
had to consistently follow through until I reached a point where my motivation
finally kicked back in.
What advice do you have for someone just
beginning their journey into healthy living and/or exercising?
1) Break things down into small steps you can take to improve
your health so you don’t get overwhelmed by making a lot of changes all at one
time. Maybe this is your week to give up second helpings or to walk one time
around the block on the weekend. Maybe in a couple weeks you can cut back on
sweets or jog around the block. But if you make the changes too big or try to
make them all at once, you’ll almost certainly set yourself up for failure.
2) Find things to motivate you along the way.
Maybe a new pair of running or walking shoes, or a “cheat day”
(within reason!) once a month can help you feel rewarded. Maybe scheduling a
fun run or walk will give you a goal to work toward and keep you focused.
Whatever it is, make it happen!
3) “Fake it till you make it” if you
have to. You may not feel that motivated at first, even if you know in your
mind that you need to make changes. You might be due to take a short walk or
run and feel like it’s the last thing you want to do, but do it anyway.
Sometimes we have to change our behavior before our mindset changes, and it can
take a few weeks for the mindset to catch up and new habits to begin to take
hold.
4) Focus more on your fitness and healthful
choices and less on your weight and measurements. As you become more fit,
you’ll build some muscle which weighs more than fat, so your weight and body
measurements may not initially decrease. They could actually increase, but
don’t let that discourage you! Focus on the healthful choices you’re making
with the food you eat; the fact that you can walk or run farther without a
break than you used to; improvements in your heart rate, etc.
5) Connect with someone who can help you stay
accountable on your journey. Maybe it’s a running or walking group (local to
you or online), or maybe it’s a spouse or friend, but no matter who it is, your
chance of success is higher than if you try to completely go it alone. If
you’re really struggling one week, maybe they can help you figure out why and
help you work past it. If you’re really rocking it out, they can celebrate with
you. If you’re falling back into old habits, hopefully they can point that out
and help you get back on track.
6) Be gentle with yourself…but not TOO gentle.
If you have a bad day, pick yourself up and remember that tomorrow you can start
fresh. But don’t let yourself have too many bad days, because those old habits
will begin to take hold again. It will take effort to keep pushing yourself
forward, but it will be worth it.
7) Ease into your exercise regimen, especially
if you’ve been sedentary for an extended time. Try not to ramp up your mileage,
pace, weight, etc too much/too fast, as that’s a recipe for injury. Expect some
soreness in the day or two after you exercise, but if you build yourself up
slowly, this will be lessened as your muscles strengthen to the task.
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| Rhiannon, Rachel, Kate, and Karen at the Papa John’s 10-Miler in 2014. |
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