Exercising

Well, it's been a while since I posted on my newfound interest in running, so I thought I'd give you a quick update. I'm hanging onto my routine for the most part. I send Laura my updates almost daily, which helps with accountability (and for celebrating accomplishments). I've been doing a good job of staying in the workout routine even with the busy summer. The nice thing about running is that you can do it anywhere. I've gone on a couple outdoor runs around the park in our area but for the most part I've been sticking to the gym. My regimen has typically consisted of 25-30 minutes on the treadmill, and I always go at least two miles. Even days like today when I didn't feel well, and I told myself I was only going to do one mile, I stayed on for the second. Some days I push myself to run more for endurance at a steady pace and other days I push myself in intervals. I've also added a bit of incline for interest. In addition to the time on the treadmill, I've also jumped back on the elliptical regularly. I find this to be easier on my body (I don't feel totally exhausted the next day) but still a good workout. Plus, it breaks up the monotony. So, I've been doing at least an additional 2 miles on the elliptical. I also like increasing the resistance and the incline on the elliptical to get a different workout from running. Since last Thursday, I've gone to the gym 5 times and logged about 25 miles total. I took two days off (one for a wedding and one for a haircut) and still got that in. I've also added back some weight lifting every other day or so. It feels good to be sore in my upper body again, too.

So, what's the goal? I'm not really sure. I know I've probably lost about 7 pounds from where I was before I started running (and I was not happy with my body at that time), and I'd like to lose about that much more. After that I think I'll be happy to maintain and keep toning. I can really tell my body is re-shaping itself, and that is keeping me that much more motivated to keep working out. Not to mention my hubby. He's been doing great and has lost about 20 lbs.

In addition to my physical motivation, I got new running shoes at the nike outlet store and it makes the biggest difference. So, if you are exercising, make sure you have running shoes that are less than 6 months worn or you're doing yourself extra harm and enduring undue hardship.

A quick shout-out to Laura who is back to the gym after some time in Florida. I'm proud of her and know she will meet her new short-term goal. ;-)