working out

Whew! Did it! 20 minutes on the Eliptical Machine from hell!

On Tuesday it began, 25 minutes of stairs in the park across from my work, with two other co-workers. I promised myself, after actually keeping up with them, (they have worked out before) that I wouldn't stop.  I would work at this to get myself into shape.

Hard to believe that I used to be in super good shape, working out at a gym 5 days a week, and training to compete.  That was only 8 yrs ago. Wow. How did I allow myself to fall into this horrible frumpiness?

First let me make it perfectly clear, I do NOT cave into the pressure of the all-too-often-failed New Year's Resolution. Nope. Not me. Don't like to sign up for something that will be a sure-fire failure.

No, this isn't for me. It's for lovelygirl.

She told me she doesn't want me to lose any weight, that she likes my "chubs" (lovehandles lol) and doesn't want me to change.

I appreciate that, but really, for me now...it isn't about the weight...it's about being healthy...and being able to keep up with an 8 yr old!

I am over 40 now. UGH. Which means I have to work even harder (I thought they said that 40 is the new 20?!) to get that way. My metabolism has slowed to a crawl.

So, I climbed on that mean old machine...and picked the first workout. It's basically one big long hill...of course as you get closer to the top, the resistance kicks up until you are at level 6 going over the hump. I thought that when I reached 10 minutes, that the resistance would change, but it didn't...it went to 3, for maybe one minute then climbed back up to 5!

It's important to me that I can be healthy enough to enjoy times with lovelygirl.  Although medically, I seem fine...even  my blood pressure surprisingly is fairly low; I know that my cardio is horrible. So, I want to make that better. I want to be there for her as long as I am able...and I want to enjoy bike rides, and hikes without having to stop and take rests.

If I happen to shed some unwanted pounds along the way, then hurray! I am sure she will still like me! lol

It's also important for me to set a good example for her.  Show her that it can be fun to keep your body in shape.  Help her cultivate a love for outdoor excercise.

And so, I begin.

working out.