It's a Start

I have struggled to work exercise into my life and have never found something I can stick with. In my pre-teens and early teens, I took ballet which I enjoyed. And I swam on a summer swim team from age 8 to about age 14. In high school, I played volleyball my junior year, but that was it for organized sports. In college I tried running, but I never got into it. I took ballet and tap my senior year and enjoyed getting in shape again. And when I moved to DC, I lived with girls who worked out regularly so I dabbled in the gym a bit. For a while I took a Jazzercise class. And then I joined Curves. I liked them both, but they both lasted about 3 months before I quit. I enjoyed (and still enjoy) walking, but never formed a consistent habit. And now with kids and full time work, it seems impossible to include exercise into my routine.

But I can't stop trying. Up until now, I've been very lucky that my genes and my metabolism have kept me thin. I gained a lot of weight with both pregnancies (35-40 lbs), but lost the weight quickly with no true effort on my part. And while my weight and distrubution have fluctuated over time, it's never really been an issue. But over the last several months, I've put on weight that doesn't seem to want to fluctuate. And more important than my weight is my health, my energy level, and my stress level. Not to mention the fact that I am a role model for my kids.

So I am trying again. I tried joining the gym at work and working out during lunch, but that didn't work for many reasons. Getting up early might be an option later, but right now, I barely get enough sleep as it is, so I figured it would be self-defeating to give up more sleep for exercise. That leaves the nighttime. During the summer, it sometimes worked to take a walk right after the boys' bath--usually with William. But now that it's getting dark at 7:30, the evening walks don't work. It would be great to have a treadmill or elliptical machine in our house that I could use. But I can't spend that kind of money when I've never been able to sustain an exercise routine. So my new effort involves a workout video. Specifically, Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred. It's 20 minutes a day, for 30 days.Start small, right?  I can do it at 9:00 at night, and I can do it just about anywhere that I can carry my laptop. It's a little premature to claim success, considering I'm only on day 2. But it feels good to sweat, to have sore muscles, and to have overcome my inertia.

So wish me luck and cheer me on. Hold me accountable. Maybe this one will stick.