The How and Why of It All...

After several years of sporadic activity and the "freshman 15" that seemed to come, go, and come again, this past February I decided I was not happy with this arrangement...and more importantly, that it was time to do something about it.

In May of 2007 my parents had bought me an exercise bike as a graduation present (per my request) which, after getting married in June and starting my graduate degree that August, became more often than not a close hanger or decorative fixture than a piece of exercise equipment. It wasn't necessarily that I found excuses not to use it-I just never made it a priority. I always had something else that I could be doing instead.

Then this January Husby and I decided to move to a different apartment in the same apartment complex. I used the move to spur myself into action. I set up the new apartment so that my bike was easily accessible in the office, and I could watch tv shows or movies on my computer as well as read while I biked. I told myself I was going to bike 10 miles a day everyday...and I did. The few days I missed I made up for by doing more the other days. Granted, this probably wasn't the smartest way to start off with so much so soon, but it got me off the couch and doing some activity. I started with the easier programs and worked my way up so as not to strain myself too much. I knew that if I had to get out of my apartment and to the gym, I wouldn't do it.

Not too long after, in February, I finally decided to start Weight Watchers and added that into my routine along with the exercise. I had several friends who had successfully lost weight with this program and who had been telling me about it since the fall. I could see that it worked, but I just wasn't ready then to commit to it. By the time I started WW I had already lost about 4 pounds, but I wanted to lose more.

I stuck with the biking for a while, and then started to branch out. I tried the ellipticals, the other cardio machines at the gym, swimming, and even participated in two triathlons (I did the 10-mile bike ride as part of a relay both times). Then I found the Couch to 5K running plan on www.coolrunning.com. I have always been more a sprinter than a long distance runner when I was a runner at all. I used to hate to run any sort of distance in athletics and viewed running as punishment. I did not mind it when I was playing softball or intramural football...but running just to run? Why?

Since then I have changed my tune, so to speak. While I am still fighting mental battles with myself about whether this is something I can really do, I find, when I just let myself go, I can. My goal is to be able to run a 5K comfortably at least once, even if I never do it again after that.

I guess all of this is as good an explanation as any as to how and why I find myself where I am today. I don't want to live my life on the couch, or making buttprints in the sands of time...what fun is that? I want to push myself and see who I can be-and what I can do.

I am currently working on finishing the Couch to 5K program (I am on week 7) and participating in pilates and yoga at the gym.