120 Minutes

To some people, 120 minutes spent walking is nothing.  I see them walking around the mall the entire day, around the zoo, for their job (mailmen!), and in other places.  They go about their walk with quiet, nonchalant looks on their faces as if it's nothing.  To them, I'm sure that's exactly how it feels...like nothing.

To me, 120 minutes spent walking is everything!  My better half and I went on a walking tour of Arrowhead Stadium (pro-football) and we walked for over 120 minutes without sitting down very often.  From time to time, we had a minute break but it wasn't really needed.  We just walked and walked and listened and enjoyed the time.  About an hour through, I leaned over and told him, "I'm thrilled to be able to say that my feet aren't hurting and I'm having a fantastic time!"  So there I was going about my walk with this goofy, yet thrilled grin on my face as if it's everything. Because to me, I'm sure that's exactly how it felt, like everything.

Dumbfounded!!!

I know I planned to blog once a week, but I failed.  Eh.

So today, just had to share that we went for a walk on a local walking trail and I made it through 2 miles.  In an  hour.  Blew me away.  Totally surprised me.  Kinda sucked through the rest of the evening, but two miles... I walked two miles.  Whoda thunk it?

Working Out: A Confession.

I have so many issues and I'm seriously trying to get past them, but it really is hard. One of the biggest fears I have is people taking my picture secretly.  I just hate cell phones and the ability for people to take pictures without being obvious.

The People of Wal-Mart site seriously disgusts me because sure some of those people on that site like attention obviously.  But when you see the obese person splayed out on a bench near the pharmacy, that person is probably sick and waiting for their medicine to be filled.  Why would that be worth a laugh to anyone?

My fear thrived and multiplied when we walked at the Y for the first time.  It was crazy busy down below the walking track and I just hated it.  I know that I wouldn't be working out so much if that was the way it would be.  And this isn't a generalization, but most of the pictures of other people, are usually taken by teenagers trying to outdo their friends.  Our Y seems to have a lot of young unsupervised teens running around or playing a game of basketball in the gym...that resides below the walking track.  And lots of windows are set up where the exercise equipment is situated.  

Am I over-thinking it?  Definitely.
Paranoid?  Without a doubt.
Is it likely to happen?  Probably not.

But it is on my mind and it was a huge roadblock on the path to success.  So how do you get around the roadblock?  For me, it was to look elsewhere this time.  When we tried out the Annex (a secondary location across town), I fell in love with it from the start.  Seriously.   The best thing for me was the fact that no one under 18 allowed.  Then it just got better from there... there's only one window for visitors to see in.  The place has plenty of room to work out and several types of equipment (it's not the newest, but it works great).  It's open 24  hours and it's quiet!  Seriously, we pretty much have it to ourselves when we go work out at 5:30pm.  I don't know what it's like for the rest of the day, but for that hour, it's just bliss to me.

For what it's worth, I know I shouldn't care what others think and do, but I do.  I don't like that about myself, but I am self-conscious to a fault.  Maybe one day I'll get past that, but for now I am so thrilled that I'm doing what I'm doing at the Annex.  I'm so blessed.

Hello! I just realized something!

I've been reading up on adding strength training to our exercise routines and came across a webpage titled "where to start if I've never exercised."  There was a tip shared on the page that said, "if you’re unable to exercise continuously for 15 minutes, start with 5 minutes and gradually increase your time."

Swear to you with my hand on the Bible, a light bulb came on above my head and I realized, that yesterday, I made it through 20 minutes on the treadmill without stopping once.  I DID IT.   I.Did.It.  ME!  I had not realized that after all this time of working out, this was the first time I've made it 20 minutes full on without stopping.  Now I admit, I was moving at a slow 2.0 pace, but I was adding inclines & declines to the mix and just having fun while going on about it.  But I did it!  Who knew!!

I guess that tip is a great one because when we started walking in June, I could only go 3-5 minutes without taking a break.  I'm just dumbfounded and overjoyed and I'm so happy that I (me?) could do that!

Perseverance!

Intimidated Much? Why yes I am.

So yeah, we joined the YMCA this week.  Even though it's not convenient, we're in town at least 3 times a week and can put it to some use.  Plus we split the cost with our kids and it knocked the fee way down.  But that's not what this post is about, oh no.  This post is about our first visit as members.

It's been ridiculously hot here, to hot to walk outside even at 5am or 8pm.  The heat is one thing, but the humidity just swallows a person up.  Last Friday, I signed us up at the Y and we decided to go walk the track last night.   I'm the kind of person who hates to eat at a crowded restaurant and just the thought of shopping at the mall during the Christmas season sends me into panic mode.

When we pulled into the Y parking lot last night, I froze.  And Mr. Fearless (the duo betterhalf) was in the same frame of mind.  One look at the parking lot (near capacity) was enough to make us almost rethink our decision to exercise.  I looked at him, he looked at me, we looked at the lot (which looked almost identical to the one above) and neither of us wanted to be the one to say "let's go home" even though we were both thinking it.  That was intimidating because we had no clue if it was that busy with people getting their move on or what. Then for some stupid reason, I said (ME? Me!  Hello something is wrong here) "let's just go on in, it's the reason we came to town."  I think Carl about fell over in the seat from shock because he knows I run at the first crowd sighting. 

We went in and found mass pandemonium.  Apparently they were signing kids up for JV football and they were holding a parents meeting that evening.  WHEW... that's all it was.  So we climbed the stairs and walked the track (1mile +2laps for me & 2 miles for Carl) as the noise in the gym down below was thunderous.  I felt very strange walking above those people because for 3/4 of a lap, they could watch me.  But eh, who cares, I'm not there to impress anyone I just want to live longer.  But you know, we did it.

~Kathie

Rural Exercise Option #3

I've posted about walking here and walking there, but today I changed it up a little.  I dug through the video cabinet and pulled out one of the oldest videos (yep, VCR Tape) I had.  It was "Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the Oldies #3." 

Let me just say, that man makes me hot and that's kind of in a good way, but not in that way.  I worked my butt off working out with him and the gang.  In fairness, I couldn't keep up very well.  The moves were fast and he didn't do a great job of letting me know what was coming next or even doing that move long enough for me to get used to it.  But, I moved.  I moved fast and it went by quickly and it was fun.  I even loved the fact that he had people change out positions so you didn't have to watch the same people dance by his side the whole time. For the most part, I made it through.  Okay... I made it through 21 out of 35 minutes, which for the first time doing it was pretty good, at least in my book. 

Rural Exercise Option #2

When I first saw this picture, I thought it read "Exercise 'til your body believes."  I couldn't quite figure that saying out, but I liked it and went with the though. Then today I read "behaves" and it put a whole new spin on the word.

Although we're only 10 days into this, my body is behaving so much better already.  When we started, I was acting like a belligerent, whining adult complaining over and over about every little thing (it's too hot, too many bugs, too hard, my feet hurt, etc).  With only a few days of exercise, it's amazing how bad things already aren't.  Do my feet still hurt after a mile walk?  You bet.  Is it still too hot?  Oh holy heck yes.  Is it still hard?  Only sometimes.  It's not easy, but I can do it.  I.Can.Do.It.

Like I've said before, we live in a rural area and try to take advantage of our surroundings.  But going up and down over the overpass or hitting a gravel road can get monotonous.  So this morning, we had some things to take care of in a town about 30 minutes away.  Knowing we were going there, I decided to check their Parks & Recreation page and see what kind of trails that were available.  What I found was a really nice one that was 1 mile long and had outdoor exercise stations similar to those in a gym.  How awesome was that!

Carl & I headed over early while the weather was still cool and went through it.  He had no problem walking whatsoever, but that's my challenge since it lightly sloped and dipped.  However, the exercise stations gave his butt a little kicking and worked muscles he hasn't used in a long time.  Now we didn't over exert ourselves  but it was fun to see the resistance they offered us. By the time we finished we had both enjoyed (seriously, I just used that word to relate to exercise) the area.

So check out your city's park & rec department online or even look into one in a nearby town.  You may find a hidden little gem like we did.

Rural Exercise Option #1

We live in a rural area.  Not exactly the country, but definitely not the city.  We don't live on a farm, but we are surrounded by woods on three sides and a cornfield across the road.  We live on a blacktop road, but gravel roads are just around the corner.  Walmart, the grocery store and the YMCA are only15 minutes away, but traveling to any other fitness center or larger store it's 30 miles or more.  So to work our exercise in, we head out the door and walk.



The Negatives of Rural Walking
-There are no sidewalks so you have to pay attention to your step otherwise a conveniently placed pothole will suck your body to the ground.
-You have to stay alert and watch for cars, the smell from the livestock sale barn is overwhelming at times, and with having a nearby livestock barn comes the semi's to haul away their purchases away.
-No air conditioning.
-Bugs, snakes, animal carcasses and the occasional nearby coyote.
-Since we don't have a lot of neighbors, people tend to let their dogs run loose.  They run after us sometimes...definite motive to move faster.

The Positives of Rural Walking:
-You usually get a wave and smile from those driving by.
-Sometimes you'll run into a neighbor and talk to them about what you're doing.  It's a great way to meet those you don't know.
-Lots of pretty scenery when you search for it.
-Dogs that come out wagging their tail happy to see you.
-We live near an overpass (with no ramps) and it's great for resistance walking.
-I can walk wherever I choose to go and I'm not confined to a machine, but only my body limitations.
-Fresh air.

So... it's not the best of conditions but it's not the worst of conditions and it's open 24 hours.  I just have to put it to use.