Big Changes Come From Small Choices

I'm learning to celebrate small victories, because they add up to major changes. This week, I made it to the gym four out of five weekdays. Actually, on Tuesday evening I showed up when I ~thought~ the gym would be relatively empty, but there were over a dozen people in there, and virtually every machine was in use. I said "Screw it," and turned around to go back home.

Still, four out of five days isn't shabby. The weekends will be a wild card as far as the gym goes, since it will usually be crowded with people who work a M-F 9-5 schedule. I don't need the gym empty, but prefer not to have it crowded with people.

At present, I'm doing 40 minutes on the eliptical. Next week, I'm going to cut that back to 30 minutes, but also add in a full weight-training circuit. Start with one set of reps, and then in a few weeks, add a second set of reps. Eventually, I'll get back to 30 minutes on the eliptical, 1 hour weight training, and then a finish with 30 additional minutes on the eliptical.

I did this same workout previously, so I know what it feels like. A stop before the second eliptical session, to grab a Clif Bar, is usually what it takes to get me over the hump. (And, as always, good hydration is extremely important. Flushing the lactic acid out of the muscle fibers helps prevent soreness afterward.)

Still, getting to the long workout has to be done in steps. Moving too quickly from one level to another is how injuries happen. Or, at minimum, soreness results, and the sense of motivation wanes. So, I'm taking the long view, and tracking my progress over time. I would imagine that I'll be at that two-hour block by Fall or so, depending on how things go.

I need to get the battery replaced in my Cardio watch. It has a "calorie burn" feature that is a great motivator. (It doesn't adjust for body mass; I do that manually in my tracking.) Still, seeing that I've burned 1500 calories (like I used to do when I was cycling 25 miles per trip) is a good feeling. I want to get back to that place. And I know I can - gradually. Patience is important; I need to stay mindful of the fact I'm in this for the long haul. This isn't a temporary change, it's a permanent change.

Thanks for reading, and may your day be blessed with gentle laughter!