When the alarm sounded at 4:52 this morning the last thing I wanted to do was drag my tired body from my oh so comfy bed to begin my morning routine: throwing on some sweats to walk my two doggies, changing into workout clothes and visiting my new best friend: my treadmill in the basement. All I wanted was to hit the snooze button 20 more times and stay right where I was.
Tommy and Sasha, my little doggies, weren’t having any part of that plan and began their morning routine playing who can mommy pet the best. Tommy normally rolls over on his back and relished the way I rub his belly while Sasha climbs over both of us to get her fair share of petting just before the sun decides to shine a single ray on my house. This is followed by intense whining if I fail to do as they want. I normally follow their calling to avoid any messy residue that tends to accumulate on my closet floor if I take too long.
So today, like every other morning I followed the prescribed game plan to avoid any accidents. We took a brief walk (cue the song “Raindrops keep falling on my head”) because my prissy pooches don’t like walking in the rain. It was during our brief walk that I decided to test my endurance on the treadmill to see if I could run 10 minutes straight. This sounded like a good plan because a few days earlier I ran 7 or 8 minutes.
Fifteen minutes later I was on the treadmill listing to one of my favorite artists who seemed to sing just the right song at just the right time. This was the first magical experience of the morning and I was suddenly grateful I decided to listen to her CD this morning.
After my two minute warmup I started running and 10 minutes later I lowered the speed on the treadmill and walked. To my utter amazement I wasn’t out of breath and only a few drops of moisture gathered around my brow and upper lip. I was pumped and decided to walk for a few minutes before deciding if I would attempting another 10 minute run.
Two minutes and 30 seconds later I decided to do accept the challenge and set the treadmill to my favorite running speed.
Five minutes later I was running as smooth as could be and decided to keep going and reasoned I’d stop if I felt adversly ill. Five minutes seemed to fly by and before I knew it I had my second 10 minute run of the morning - something I’d never done before.
To say I was excited and extremely motivated is an understatement. I beamed with pridet when my iPod told me I had reached a personal best for the mile. It was like I had won Olympic gold for my country and I probably could have run another 10 minutes if I didn’t need to get ready for work.
As I showered I thought about the first time I ran on a local walking trail with a friend over a year ago and how I was winded after running only 30 seconds. I barely made it a whole minute and remembered my ill fated attempt to run while in college. It was then, more than 20 years ago that I decided running wasn’t my cup of tea.
After further encouragement I tried it again and decided it was a great opportunity to start a new fitness routine while challenging myself at the same time. By the end of the summer I was in amazing shape and credited my new physique to the running I had done that summer. I vowed to continue my workouts on the treadmill when winter set in. This never happened and the pounds I so diligently lost slowly found their way back home.
What really made this moment special was that I made a pact with myself two weeks earlier that I would do everything I could to make my new exercise routine a mandatory part of my morning routine and have done just that. Knowing that I’m helping my body successfully navigate through the seas of perimenopause keeps me focused on doing my morning fitness routine and I’m one step closer to running in several 5k races next year.
It’s amazing how wonderful I felt knowing I’m keeping a promise to myself and doing something that will help me live a longer and happier life. Another benefit is that I’ve lost 2 whole pounds the past two weeks and I’m determined to loose more if I keep upping the ante and running more minutes each morning.
I think the biggest payoff to my morning workout routine is the huge dose of happiness that fills every part of my being when I step off the treadmill. It’s then that I know I’ve done an amazing job loving me in a way that no one else ever could. And doing this allows me to attract that same kind of love from everyone I encounter throughout the day. Who knows, one day soon Mr. Just My Type will most likely enter my life because I’m loving me in a way I’ve never done before and that kind of love can only attract the love of my life.
I’m thankful I’m able to exercise my brain and my body everyday. I know I’ll soon see physical evidence of my morning workouts in the mirror and the scale.
Do you want to be happy? Think about where you want to be a year from know. What teeny tiny step can you take towards that goal? If you take one teeny step a day just imagine where you’ll be 365 days from now. I know I’ll be somewhere running a 5k or perhaps a half-marathon.
Let’s make this a place where we can all share our goals and help one another achieve them. Life is too short to spend your time hoping and wishing things were different. Start by deciding where you want to go and get off your rear end and do it. Remember the first step is normally the hardest. Once that’s done it just gets easier. Begin today by taking one small step towards living a happier and healthier life.
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