Fitness Beginnings

The challenge of maintaining good health and fitness, for me at least, lies with consistency. I can start a fitness plan and be successful at it for a while and then something happens -- illness, injury -- and I get off track. Because I tend to be an "all or nothing" sort of soul, if I'm not giving it my "all" I then give it "nothing."

I've taken a break from exercise for the last five months because I was injured, and ill. A rotator cuff injury took away the option to exercise my upper body, then a fall took away the option to exercise my lower body, and everything was exacerbated by tendonitis in my IT band. I thought if I couldn't exercise like I had been -- 70 minutes on the eliptical trainer or 70 minutes nordic walking 5-6 days per week, with weights thrown in on top of that three days a week, then nothing else would be effective. Silly, for sure. And not accurate.

While my reason for stopping might have been "real" and "valid" it was my mindset that kept me from maintaining the space in my schedule that I had reserved for exercise. Plus, let's face it -- it's all too easy to sit in a chair and read a book instead of getting out the door and doing something good for one's self. At first it felt cozy and like a great treat; then it started to wear on me. I sorely missed the feeling of power and confidence that I got from regular exercise. I also missed my time alone to sort out daily challenges. So on my birthday, May 24, I decided to give myself the best present and have another fitness beginning.

I know that I am not the only person in the world to have to return to a lifestyle that I had abandoned. The purpose of this article is to welcome back those who might be returning after a long (or even short) absence, and to share with you some helpful things that I've learned from my time off.

1. Accept your current fitness level without judgment. I was previously nordic walking for 70 minutes a day, or doing the same amount of time on the elliptical trainer (the "ET) doing the interval program at a resistance rate of 4 and 10. Currently, I can do 35 minutes of nordic walking or 35 minutes on the ET, resistance levels 1 and 8. I'm simply grateful that I still can do this much, and plan to increase my workouts by 10 minutes per week until I am back to my previous levels. It does no one any good to fret about where they "could have been" if only they had kept at it. A friend of mine wrote something pretty profound to me: "It's not what might have been that matters, only what is." Live in the land of today, not a fantasy future.

2. Make a space in your schedule for your exercise, and guard it like you would your most precious posession. We're all busy people. Personally I have a chronically ill husband, two teenage children, a full-time job, a six-hour-a-week second job, plus the FootePath business. And I really need to go back to school to get my degree. I have to look at my schedule and make the time to exercise -- and for me, it works best if I have time every day -- that's right, every single day -- to go do something active. When you decide what time you'll be working out, don't schedule anything else at that time unless someone is bleeding, or dying. It's all too easy to put everyone and everything else in front of what we need to do for ourselves. But really, an hour or 90 minutes is not going to make much difference in the scheme of your day in terms of getting things done. And think of it this way -- there's not one thing more important you can do with this time.

3. Be where you are supposed to be during the time you will be exercising. For example, if today is the day I am going to go walking at the Jordan River Parkway at 6 p.m. for however long today's walk is, I have to show up there even if I don't do anything at all. So if I'm feeling sick, or don't want to go do something, guess where I still need to be? Jordan River Parkway, 6:00, with my poles. It's more likely for that if I'm where I need to be, I'll do what I am supposed to.

4. Set a very reasonable minimum goal every day. When Elizabeth and I were at the Diabetes Expo in February, there was a woman there who had lost 100 pounds. Her key was making one small change -- setting small fitness goals -- that she achieved every day. For example, she told herself she only needed to walk one mile a day to be successful. She often did more than that -- I think her average was about three miles per day -- but the point is, she set herself up for success, not failure, by committing to a simple daily goal.

5. Keep a positive attitude. Remember that making changes for one's health is a good thing. And may I suggest focusing on how you feel physically, and what changes come health-wise, rather than focusing on losing weight? The numbers on the scale will drive you mad if you let them. And what you have to do for weight loss is vastly different than what it takes to improve one's health. (I'll have a blog entry on that very subject soon.) Thirty minutes of activity a day is all it takes to improve your heart health, and it doesn't have to be thirty consecutive minutes. Think about taking ten minutes for yourself three times a day. It's a simple way to start.

I'm grateful that I haven't gained back any of the weight I lost last year. I am already sleeping better, feeling better, and have the confidence again that comes with knowing that I am loving myself enough to take good care of myself. I appreciate being able to meet all the people we do as we share nordic walking. The best thing is helping people find an exercise they love, that makes them healthier.

Happy Walking!

Donna