I hate going the gym, and here are my excuses. Are you ready?
My lack of knowledge about how to properly exercise, my own privacy issues, and insecurity all contribute. I have weak ankles, and can’t run properly because the impact is painful even if I run from the clinic to my car that’s sitting 10 feet away. I’ve never been involved in sports, or been athletic in any way. I wouldn’t consider myself a disciplined person, and tell myself that I wouldn’t be able to maintain any sort of program. And lastly, to quote Jennifer Lawrence, “the unbreakable bond between woman and couch.”
But let’s think about this for a moment. I’m 21 years old. My body hasn’t been through any significant trauma (i.e. a car accident, childbirth, etc.), and this is most likely the healthiest I’m ever going to be. When I started working here almost a year ago, Dr. Brent told me that I could strengthen my knees and ankles with exercise. Have I done anything about that yet? No, of course not.
Well, now is the time. Last week, we introduced our GOALS. Challenge. Mine is to get over myself and go to the gym 3 times per week for 8 weeks. It takes doing something about 21 times to form a habit, which will be about 7 weeks. At about 8 weeks, you start to feel results from consistent exercise. This is supposed to just be a launching pad – when the 8 weeks are up and I’ve worked it into my regular routine, I’ll adjust and set new goals. I’m going to blog the process and keep you updated – mostly to keep myself accountable. My husband is helping me structure my workouts, and I’m going to learn to practice some discipline.
I would love to lose a bit of weight, and look a certain way – but the real reason I’m doing this is to be strong, and to take care of myself. For the most part, self care for me doesn’t always look like wrapping myself in a blanket burrito and binge watching Stranger Things (which I absolutely did, with my mom). More often it looks like doing the dishes, going for a walk, and putting away laundry, and doing things to make my life feel less chaotic. So while I love a good Netflix binge, it helps me to run away from what’s actually going to make me feel better.
WEEK ONE SO FAR: I’m pretty sore, and I’ve learned a lot. Getting started is hard – using muscles I normally don’t use, putting the ice cream away and going for healthier options instead, and adjusting my week to make sure I have enough time in the gym. But so far, so good. I will be going home to ice/deep blue.
Lauren
