On Being Fit and Looking Back a Year #iHeartOmron Fitness Challenge

Week Three: Weight Loss: 3 lbs. (Total loss during program: 9lbs.)

This week found me having a hard time wanting to eat the right way. Exercising wasn’t really a problem, nor was being motivated to exercise. In fact, I’ve reentered the world of early-morning exercising, and it feels great! There are some tough parts of exercising first thing in the morning, but overall, the benefit of having it done for the day outweighs the difficulty of peeling myself out of my warm bed at 5:am. The most trying part of getting up at 5, honestly, is getting to bed early enough the night before to make sure I’ve gotten enough rest. When I’m not well rested I really struggle with wanting to do anything other than take a nap. This, along with eating right, illustrates for me how Being Fit is an ongoing process – it’s about so much more than just working out, it’s something that encompasses so many more aspects of life. It’s a balancing act of movement and non-movement (sleep), of eating and not eating (too much, and/or things that aren’t good for me). And it’s something I have to focus on around the clock.

One morning this week when I was at the gym, after I finished my upper body workout, I ran on a treadmill for 30 minutes. And when I say I ran for thirty minutes, I mean that I ran for thirty minutes without stopping. It wasn’t fast, but it was running. There were quite a few times during that run when I wanted to take a break or walk instead of run, but my mind kept taking me back to a year ago – just ONE year ago – when I could not run for five minutes without stopping. I’m not exaggerating, I couldn’t run for five minutes straight just one year ago. Yet, this week, I not only ran for thirty minutes, I wanted to, and could have, run longer (but had to leave to get the kids off to school and whatnot). A year ago, when I would run I’d get nervous about not being able to run, which would make me more anxious and make my heart pound. It was brutal. I was embarrassed because I was running with friends who were so kind and encouraging in helping me see that I could do it (even though I couldn’t then, but I can now). I remember feeling out of breath, my heart rate soaring and not being able to slow it down, whereas now I just take a deep breath, relax my shoulders and keep going. (This is one reason I look forward to getting my strapless heart rate monitor so I can see the numbers associated with my experiences while running.)

As I was getting ready to leave the gym that day, I saw Amy, one of my friends who helped me, essentially, learn to run last year. I asked her, “Remember a year ago when I couldn’t run for five minutes?”

She replied, “Yes. I do remember that, actually.”

And I said, “Yeah. It’s been a good year.”*   

This week brings new workouts. Hardcore burning fat and building muscle. Wish me luck!


*After I wrote this post and kept thinking about that time a year ago, when I couldn't run for five minutes without stopping, I went outside and ran five miles - not because I was in a race, but just because I can. What do you want to be doing in a year that you aren't doing now?

This post is sponsored by Omron Fitness as a collaboration with Bookieboo Blogging Network and Mamavation - a community dedicated to weight loss for women and obesity prevention for families. I was provided with product and compensation for my time and honest opinions.