It's good for me...

I made it to the gym today! I had a great workout and my plan is to go again tomorrow. It is supposed to get quite snowy and ridiculously cold here as the week progresses, so I think I'd better try to get in while I can!
Working out, and exercising in general, has been a work in progress for me over the past thirteen years. I did the usual sports and played hockey through high school and university, but it wasn't until I was doing my Master's that it became more of a health issue than just an interest. When I was about 23, I went through a tough emotional time, and my doctor prescribed a light anti-depressant to help me through. I also met with one of my professors and he suggested that a walk each morning would be a good way to deal with my stress. I found the walking boring, however, and began running. Pretty soon, I was up to about 5km each morning. I lost a lot of weight, however, and since I wasn't eating well, or doing any strength training, I was thin, but didn't look too good.
Amazingly, it was during this time that I met my husband. Over a few months, I was able to come off the anti-depressant, and the more regular company helped me eat better. By the time we got married when I was 25, I was looking and feeling much healthier. After Jonathan was born, I began running again and completed my first half-marathon in two hours. I didn't really get back into exercising again, however, until after Elizabeth had arrived. This time, I was carrying an extra thirty pounds and could not get it off. I joined a gym and began running again. I was able to drop twenty of the pounds and when Elizabeth was 18 months old I ran another half-marathon, only three minutes slower than the first one four years earlier.
We moved the following summer, and everything came to a halt. I no longer had my running partner, and the chaos of settling in threw my routine off completely. By the time we had been in our new house for eight months, ten pounds had crept on. I was frustrated and annoyed with myself. I resolved to turn things around.
The first step was to fix my eating habits. I have a hard time throwing out food, so I would nibble at the kids' leftovers, which could amount to a second meal sometimes. That first year, I dropped fourteen pounds. The next step was to tone up. I met a new girl at church who, after four children, had an amazing body. She showed me around her gym and helped me set up a routine which was completely different than any routine I had ever done before. Instead of continually working to lift or press more and more weight, she taught me to do many more reps with lighter weights. I found that much better, as the heavier weights had been discouraging for me. Doing three sets of 20 reps at 25 pounds was somehow easier than doing 10 reps at 50 pounds.
My weight only went down another six or seven pounds, but I was able to drop two clothing sizes. Now, when I go to the gym, I remind myself that I'm working to be healthy and strong, to look and feel better for me, and my husband, and hopefully to set a good example for my kids. I do find it hard to get out of bed in the morning, especially when it is dark, but having everything ready the night before really helps. I have my i-pod loaded with music I enjoy and I'm always so glad I've gone to the gym once I get there. I can handle the challenges of the day, and often make better food choices when I'm hungry.
So... the alarm will go off again in seven hours. Let's hope I can talk myself into getting out of bed once again. It's good for me, and for my family.

Mommy