This month we have talked all about getting up and going in your path to optimal wellness and now Urban Moms is actually going to give some lucky lady a prize for doing it!! I can’t think of a better time to start exercising and eating well.
One of the things I hear all the time from clients is with regards to this is that it is hard to get started. My answer. The energy it takes to form a new habit is not unlike the energy required for the space shuttle to take off and leave earth’s gravitational pull. The farther the shuttle is from the earth, the easier it is and the less energy it takes to keep going. The same for creating new habits, the first 21 days or so you feel the ‘pull’ from your old habits reeling you back. The longer you perservere the easier it will be and the less energy you will have to expend to keep going. Don’t wait to get motivated. Start today!
I would love to hear from you now. What are your goals? What are your plans? Long term is great, but I also want to hear some short term goals and plans so that we can also get some progress reports on here!
I feel like I’m on track with my eating – although now that I’m at my preferred weight level, I find my will power is worse and I’m giving in to temptation more. My goal now is to add strength to my exercise routine. I feel like I’m getting lots of cardio, but after 9 months of being active, my strength still feels low. Or maybe ab exercises never get easier?!
My goal is to connect with the trainer at my rec centre to start on a regular strength program to add onto my step and aerobox classes that I’m taking in the week.
I’d also like to figure out a better eating plan to make sure that I’m not sabotaging myself after a good workout by eating the proper combination of food.
Kie
Hi! Yay Team Urban Moms! I just wanted to share how I’ve started back to my goal of running in road races:
It’s taken me 20 years to get back on track (literally!), but I’m starting! Between 3 kids (now 19, 17 and 9); demanding 60-70 hour, sit-down office careers; running-related injuries and the dreaded weight gain associated with all of the above, I began to inch my way towards my goal last summer. I started first with a couple of month-long cardio bootcamps. Once I started watching the inches start to melt away (no weight loss but muscles!! YAY!), I began to include 1, then 2, and then 3 runs per week, mostly while my youngest was at his soccer practices–if I was going to make him do sports (didn’t want to do anything but play video games), I figured I’d better practice what I preach! It’s a full year later, many inches slimmer, about 10-15 pounds lighter (even with the muscle!). To force myself to keep going, I signed up for a race at the end of June. With this race goal paid for, I joined a running athletic club where I’m now able to finish 2 pretty intense workouts per week (varying from 5k to 12k in distance).
Moms: give yourself lots of time to work towards your goal, try not to get discouraged when it doesn’t look like there’s any improvement–there is!! And you’ll see the benefits down the road!! In the meantime, create mini incremental goals to keep moving forward. I now do core body workouts in between computer work (10 ab crunches here, 30 second plank there, 10 pushups just before lunch, etc.). I do deep knee lunge walking towards the fringe and leg stretches while folding laundry. It all sounds ridiculous, but each step is a step towards fitness.
Congratulations to all the moms who’re attempting to change their lifestyle habits!! You can do it!!
Hi Ladies,
Thanks so much for putting yourself out there and letting us know about your goals!
greenbear – it has been four whole days now since you committed to doing something for 30 minutes a day. how is it going?
Lori – love the goal! How many times a week are you going to do the stairs?
Can’t wait to hear how things are going!
Christine
I have a hard time fitting exercise into my schedule. With a demanding full-time job, three little kids and their activities, I needed to find something quick and effective. About 10 minutes from my house I have a flight of 330 stairs that go up an escarpment. My goal is to increase the number of flights I do by one every two weeks. I also try to improve my total time throughout the 2-week period.
You can do it, greenbear! I did. I was overweight too and NEVER thought I would be a runner. I have since run a 10k and a bunch of 5ks and was running 3 times a week because 1) it was easy to fit into my life and 2) I actually really like it. It took a while. I did a 12 week, 10k training program and pushed myself to get through it but by the end…I was a runner.
Question though for Andrea. I have chronic back pain and have been told it is soft tissue. It affects my running (obviously) so I am wondering what you would recommend. Core strength exercises? If so, what? I bought some bands and a Yoga ball but need a bit of direction.
Thanks!
Well, I have started on the path to better eating but exercising has become the biggest hurdle.
When do I have time, better yet, where do I find the energy?
So my short term goals would involve doing something, anything for about 30 minutes a day.
Long term goal, don’t laugh, I am a 37 year old, 60lbs overweight, ex-smoker, but I want to be able to RUN. Lace up the sneakers and run, for the fun of it, not because someone is chasing me 🙂
I’ll keep reading for more hints and tips. Thanks
Janet