Getting Started!

This morning I started my day with a 45-minute Yoga session. I used my cable's On Demand Exercise TV episode of Angie Stewart's Yoga Fitness Fusion. I really like that workout. It's got all the benefits of Yoga plus some cardio work as well. Between my 21-miler and last half marathon, I ran a total of 3 miles but I did this yoga workout almost daily. Even without running more than 3 miles, I was able to make it thanks to the improvement in breathing and the muscle strength that yoga provided me. I've become a very big fan of the practice.

I work a 9-5 kind of a job so had to rise with the sun to fit it in. It isn't easy to convince myself to first, wake up and then second, get my body into exercise mode. But, if anything comes up during the rest of the day that doesn't allow me to get a workout in, I'll already have it finished. I used to get up and run 1 mile at the start of the day to get the blood pumping. But, I live in an area where it is cold in the morning even during the summer and allergies are out of control this season so indoor activity has proven to be something easier for me to commit to.

Listening to my body and making compromises with myself that benefit me are really a couple of the best lessons I've learned. If I push my body too hard, it pushes back - and HARD! But, if I listen to my body and do things that always make me feel good at the end, my body rewards me - and BIG!

I spent most of November to February injured because of overuse. I ran injured, danced injured, wore platform 4-5in heels injured... you get the idea... and all it did was delay my progress. So now I'm taking my time - and I feel better for it! I get impatient but know that it's all worth it!

I work in an office so at lunch I try and escape a little by packing my lunch each day and driving somewhere like a park or view spot. Today I went up to Sawyer Camp Trail and listened to a bag-piper play while I ate my food. It allows me to enjoy the day away from the stressful environment of my office but, more importantly than that, it also allowed me to remove myself from the temptations in the lunchroom. My associates at work love bringing food to share. It's very generous... but very dangerous! It's all too easy to convince myself that the delicious and fresh doughnuts sitting there are too good to pass up.