Roni's Exercise Question

Roni's question of the day (http://ronisweigh.com/2008/11/where-are-you-on-your-exercise-journey.html#comment-12152) really got me thinking. And even though I responded in the comments, I thought I would tackle my thoughts a little more in depth over here.

My relationship with exercise has been a love-hate one for a long time. I have been a dancer since the age of 4 and it used to be that the only exercise I even remotely enjoyed was a dance class. I would do other types of exercise but I never really liked it. In fact, my motto used to be that I'd only run if I'm being chased by a madman. But the times they sure do change.

I joined Curves a few years ago and it was the first "gym" I ever joined where I actually went on a regular basis for more than just that initial "I am totally going to become an exercise fiend" feeling that you get when you start a new exercise program. For over a year, I went to Curves 3x a week pretty much every week. I would go straight after work, do my workout and head home. It worked perfectly. And I may not have been in GREAT shape but I was in better shape than I'd been in years.

Then I moved. And Curves didn't have a location that was convenient to my new home. I transferred my membership to the closest location but I knew that my love affair with Curves was coming to an end. Within 2 months, I cancelled my membership. Prior to that, I did some real soul searching about what I wanted to do in place of Curves. I could join another gym, try jazzercise or...or could I possibly find it within myself to do this on my own? I thought maybe I could.

I started slow. I added a 15 minute walk to my lunch hour. I decided I would always walk up the stairs to my 3rd floor office. Park as far from the store as I could when doing errands. Take walks on the many trails near my house. Just incorporate more activity into my everyday life (like Roni!). I also purchased a number of exercise videos. Walk Away the Pounds has been a lifesaver. I am addicted to those workouts. In addition, I use the Biggest Loser Cardio Max and The 30 Day Shred on alternating days. I also purchased some 3 pound weights (which still kill me after a few minutes) to use while doing the videos.

Recently, I signed up for my first Pilates class. I am in love. This class is amazing and in only 3 weeks I can already tell that my body is changing because of it. I am also planning to sign up for a Zumba class in January as well. I think it will be right up my alley since it incorporates dance. And I love to dance.

My next challenge is to do the Couch-to-5K program. I really want to start it now but it's dark when I get home from work and I am a little nervous about running outside when it's dark especially when I am just getting used to it. As for mornings, well, I've tried. I really have but I am just not a morning exerciser. I really feel like I don't get as a good a workout because my brain isn't firing on all cylinders. So C25K may have to wait until spring. In the meantime, I am using the WATP's Walk & Jog video to get me started with a little bit of jogging. I love it. I have done it 3 times in the past week it's so good.

Exercise has finally become something I WANT to do not something I HAVE to do. I am still figuring out how this shift in my mindset happened. And I just hope I can continue to be motivated so that I can keep myself in the best possible shape I can be. Who knows, maybe a year from now I'll be running my first 5K! Stranger things have happened...