During the last year of Uni, I found myself slacking in the fitness department, what with so much going on at one time. It was hard to go the gym as often as I wanted to. I put on a lot of stress weight, and now I'm trying to take some off. Since coming home from Uni, I've been in a bit of a slump waiting for my next big move, and not really doing much. I've had a few too many 'duvet days', which hasn't helped with the whole overweight, unfit girl trying to get her life together thing. Last week, I said to myself, enough is enough. I need to get into a regular fitness routine if I'm going to be of any use when I begin rehearsals for tour in September. I began with an app called '7 minutes' which is just an intense 7 minute workout, and it doesn't sound like much... but my goodness, you work up a sweat. Especially for someone who isn't very fit. Doing it every day though has made things a lot easier, and it even gave me the confidence to get running... outdoors... where there are people!
I downloaded a running app for beginners which helps with getting into the swing of things - building up your stamina and it's working really well so far. I've improved my pace per minute after just one run, and ran another 0.22km in the next one. The app shows your route and the line is coloured differently depending on whether you walk, jog, run, sprint etc. so it gives me a visual goal of what I've achieved and what I can do to improve. I want to make my line more blue (run) and purple (fast run), then eventually red when I can pull myself together enough to sprint. I think that's a bit further down the line though...
I've always sort of avoided running outdoors because not only is there a chance that I might see people I know and I'm really sweaty and disgusting, but also because it bothered my chest a bit for some reason. However, I wanted to give it a go anyway, with some motivation that came out of nowhere. When I went on my first run, I was about half way through and I felt like rubbish and wanted to go home. That was when this guy came running past and shouted 'Don't stop! Keep going', just as I was slowing down into a fast walk. That really made me smile, and it showed me that there are still good people out there who want to build people up, not just tear them down. Even though running and exercising is painful and I hate being sweaty, I'm starting to really enjoy getting out and doing something about things I'm not happy about, like my weight and fitness level. It's also a great way to just clear your head and just focus on smashing goals. Even though I ache when I get home, I've also got this new found energy because I'm happy with what I've achieved. With every run that I have done, I have beat a goal. Whether it's in distance, pace or calories burnt, seeing these achievements is what makes me keep going, and pushing myself even further.
Even though I haven't really lost any weight yet, I am finding myself getting fitter after every workout, finding that I can push myself further each time. To be honest though, even if I just achieve a higher fitness level, I'll feel a lot better about myself. To help myself with motivation, I also bought a Fitbit which is helpful with setting goals and sticking to them, and also beating them. It's a great feeling to actually have some motivation. Next step is to try and eat healthier or in my case, not over eat every day!
I CAN DO THIS.
Also, through getting into my fitness, I have been taking my dog Valerie with me, and we've been discovering really nice dog friendly walks, and she's enjoying them too. She makes a really good running buddy, she runs along side me, even off the lead and will only stop occasionally if nature calls or if there's a tennis ball trapped in a bush. If she stops off for a dip in a stream, she's also great with cooling you down when she shakes off all the water from her fur.
Thanks for that, Val.
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