Thoughts and achievements

Current Weight: 179.0
Lost so far: 31.0
Pounds to go: 19.0

This morning I went on a hike.  I've done this hike before and it usually took me about 1.75-2 hours.  I had to stop multiple times (3 or 4 short breaks) to do it, but I'd finish it.  The last time I went was about a month ago since I can only do it every other week but two weeks ago I had family in town and didn't have the time .  Today I did it in 1 hour with NO breaks!  Yay!  Last week I bumped Zumba up from once a week to twice a week and it is really paying off in terms of leg muscles and cardio endurance.

As we were walking back down from the top I was thinking about something I read last week.  A couple of articles were about picking an exercise that you like and doing that rather than just commiting to "exercise just because" even though the type you are doing is BORING.  The thought is that it's easier to do something that you actually like.  But, here's the thing:  If you told me 6 months ago that I would hike for an hour, ride my bike 20 minutes to work, do Zumba at lunch time, ride my bike home, and STILL have energy and the desire to take the dogs for a walk I would have laughed in your face, for multiple reasons.  Here's what my whine list would have looked like 6 months ago and where I am at today:

1.  I. LIKE. MY. SLEEP... PERIOD.  Get up at 6:30 to go hiking before work?  HA!  But I do it now and I like it. 

2.  Ride my bike to work?  That bike seat hurts (and yes it's a gel seat but it still hurts) but it has gotten better and the ride has gotten easier. 

3.  Zumba?  Doesn't that involve dancing?  My no-dancing-talent self didn't even own a sports bra and nobody wants to see my fat ass jiggling around!  Guess what?  Most people there aren't that great and the instructors are very nice girls and they encourage, they don't laugh.  Buying a sports bra to wear a couple hours a week didn't kill me and Zumba won't either.  It's actually kinda fun and the person laughing is me because I'm having fun.  I even signed up to do it twice a week instead of just once starting last week.

So, yes, you should pick an exercise that you like to do so that you will be more likely to keep doing it BUT you don't always know ahead of time that you will like it and just because it sucks now you might like it later.  So start small and try to keep an open mind.  If you hate all forms of exercise then start with walking because it's the easiest.  As you get better, add some uphill or stairs.  But as it gets easier, considering trying out some new things.  You don't have to commit to doing them a lot, just commit to trying it 2 or 3 times.  After that third time you might like it a whole lot more (Zumba became fun the third time for me after I started figuring out what I was doing).  Most important, HAVE FUN!