My Exercise Log

While on my first backpacking trip ever, in the fall of 2001, I had an epiphany about my personal fitness. Two girl friends and I had left our overnight camp and were attempting to hike to a nearby waterfall. We lost the trail and ended up scrambling on our hands and knees up a steep embankment. My heart pounding in my ears, I thought to myself, I am so out of shape.

Then a lightbulb went on. I was not a sedentary person. I did aerobics several times a week and lifted weights regularly. I carried a heavy backpack all over my college campus, more often than not walking across campus from one class to another, rather than driving as most students did. A few weeks before, I’d run/walked the running portion of a triathlon. These are not things that out-of-shape people do. Just because my heart was pounding didn’t mean I was out of shape. If I were so out of shape, I wouldn’t be out there scrambling up a steep hillside.

In that moment I realized that I had always defined myself as an unfit person. Too many memories of hated elementary school PE, in which we had to run a mile once a week and I never was able to make it running the whole mile. Of recesses when I always got picked last for whatever team sport was in season. Of high school PE, in which I once nearly puked when the teacher made us run a mile. I didn’t make it the whole mile that time, either.

From step aerobics in high school to the stationary bike my freshman year of college, I gradually got addicted to a regular exercise program. Now I’ve walked pretty religiously for almost ten years now. And in fact, right after I graduated from college in 2003, I “walked” 1200 miles on the Appalachian Trail (carrying between 25-40 pounds). Not the 2100 that I hoped to walk–the entire Trail–but no small physical (or mental) feat, nonetheless. The image of my adolescent couch potato self, sitting all afternoon in front of the television and snacking, propelled me up many of those mountains!

There are physical fitness stories far more impressive than mine, but I hope you are inspired to believe that you can do it too!

I still enjoy a long, brisk walk, but for the last couple of years I have been working on building up my running endurance. I’ve had a hard time being consistent with this, though. Nevertheless, last month, after not having run very consistently since March, I surprised myself by running for 30 minutes straight! This really excites me, considering that up until about seven years ago I did not think of myself as a fit person. I’m extremely proud of the fact that, coming up on my 15-year reunion, I’m in better shape now than I was in high school. (And I wear a smaller size too!)

I like walking and running because aside from shoes and some cute workout clothes, it’s free. It doesn’t require any special equipment. I can walk out my front door and get a great workout, and I can always do it when I’m traveling. I always work out with a heart rate monitor, which I was introduced to while working at the Lifestyle Center of America in Oklahoma. My husband (a software engineer) calls me a fitness nerd, but I just call him a computer nerd back! (And anyway, now he’s uses a heart rate monitor too.) I currently use the Suunto t3, though I’ve used Polar heart rate monitors in the past and liked them as well. 

A few years ago a friend and I trained for our first 5k using this Beginner 5k Training program. I’ve found that it really helps to have a written plan to follow, one that causes me to push myself and improve. I’ve actually trained through this program about 3 times now, but somehow I always seem to lose my motivation by the time I’ve gotten to the end of the training program and I wind up slacking off to walking and losing some endurance, so I have yet to push past the 5k/3-mile barrier.

Beginning July 26, I’m committing to keeping this exercise log for at least 4 weeks alongside my food log so that you will be able to compare my calorie intake with my activity level. I’ll be keeping track of any changes in my BMI and waist size as well. The t3 gives me the calories burned and average heart rate for a workout, so I’ll also include these in my log. (It’s unlikely the calorie count is 100% accurate, but it’s fun to get a general idea.)

My current fitness goals are: 

1. Run/walk or some other cardio workout 4x/wk
2. Strength train 2x/wk
3. Stretch after every aerobic or strength training workout
4. Abs at least 6x/wk
5. Yoga 1x/wk
6. Build up to running 5 miles, then
7. Increase my pace to a 10-minute mile

Like my food log, this post should help me stay on track with my own fitness program while perhaps giving you ideas about your own. That said, we are all at different levels and you should never attempt to do something beyond your ability and comfort level. Additionally, if you have previously been inactive, consult with your physician before beginning an exercise program.

Come along for the ride!