*Series in progress* This entry is part of a series I’m writing
leading up to my running (walking…but hopefully mostly running) my first
5K. For more information on this series
check out the introduction here or just continue on reading this
entry. I have also included links at the
end to the other entries and to both the Terry Fox Foundation and my run
fundraising page.
When I think of the things that I have learned that have made the
biggest change in my life it has been the idea of tracking. I have kept a journal in some form or another
since sometimes in elementary school…grade 3 I think, so the idea of recording
at least thoughts was not strange to me.
As I have moved my way through Weight Watchers I had to use tracking as
a way to be accountable for what I was eating.
So when I started working out this time around I decided that I wanted
to keep track of what I was doing and how I was feeling about it. It has proved to be the most rewarding tool
that I have found so far on my journey.
The first thing I did was found a notebook that I loved because I knew
it was going to be something that I would have to keep handy. The practical side of my brain found
something that was small and hard covered so that I could take it to the gym
without worrying it would get wrecked or in the way. The girly side of me made sure it was purple
and flowery. Then I figured out what I
should track. I settled on recording the
date, activity, time, calories burned, heart rate at 15mins, distance travelled
and then of course a spot to record any comments on the activity especially any
aches or pains. I made sure that after
each work out I recorded as many of the details as I could. (As a side note I have evolved this tracking
to record it on my phone and just transfer it to the book so that I can
actually do the recording as I wind down my workouts and make sure I capture
all the important feedback that comes off the machines at the gym especially.) At first this just seemed like an extra task
but after about a month or so I realized the power that came from this task.
I woke up one day in a bad mood.
I was tired and cranky. It took
all my will power to get me out the door and onto the treadmill at work. On the treadmill I did a workout that I had
been doing for the past week but couldn’t find the joy or ease in it. The whole workout was a struggle. My legs were moving but for the first time I
felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. It
was a day where I realized just how long my journey to healthy is going to be
and it felt incredibly daunting. At
lunch time I sat down at my desk and pulled out my book and began to flip
through the earliest entries. My very first entry I recorded I did 30mins on the
treadmill on 2.0miles/hour with a 0% incline.
I wrote about my back being sore and feeling tired. The day that I was struggling I did 35mins on
2.2 miles/hour with a 2% incline. I
wrote about being in a bad mood but there is not a single mention of any aches
or pains (which I always record if there are any). Looking back to the first entry made me
remember back even further to when I got my fitbit, which really was the first
step in tracking. I remembered barely
being able to walk on the spot through the commercial breaks without feeling
like it was the biggest chore in the world.
Suddenly my bad day felt better.
Sure it wasn`t my best workout but at least I wasn`t back where it was a
struggle to get through a few minutes. I
was able to see that I actually was making progress.
This little journal has come in handy over and over on bad days as a
way to remind myself that I am moving forward even if I feel like I’m standing
still. I think sometimes it is easy to
forget where we started or how hard it was when we took the first steps. It becomes easy to take for granted that
where we are now is where we have always been.
I think it is because when you are working towards a goal you push
yourself. You don`t really let yourself
get comfortable. While I have been
learning to run if my workout gets easy I make it harder so that most of the
time I feel like I’m struggling. This
sounds worse than it is because we need to struggle to get better but
constantly being there does make it seem like it will never get any
better. I quickly realized that I needed
to change that mindset and that I had to find a way to negate some of the
negative feelings that were coming my way because I am always having to fight
my way forward. Looking back on
everything has become my solution. Reflecting
through my workout journal allow me to see that I have actually moved from
where I started. It reminds me not only
how hard the journey can be but it also shows me that what was once hard gets
easier if you just hang in there. That
truly is one of the most powerful lessons that I constantly try to remind
myself of. It is the idea that there is
a light at the end of the tunnel and that one day I will reach this goal just
like all the small goals I have already crossed off my list.
To donate and check out my progress please visit my page here.
For more information on the Terry Fox Foundation and the run check out
their page here.
Finding My Running Legs Previous Entries
A journey in accepting myself for who I am now while working on making myself into the person I see in my future.
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