Thursday, February 28, 2013

Exercise Enjoyment

Well, I think it is official.  And I never, ever, EVER thought that these words would come out of my mouth!  I think I like running.  Like I look forward to it.  And I like to challenge myself.  And I can run farther than I have since high school I am fairly certain.  Whoa!  So weird.  I think it makes me a better momma.  And I have more energy.  I love being able to throw the earbuds in, crank up one of my favorite, fast playlists, clear my head, and hit the pavement.  I've been running on the treadmill some, but I hate that.  I get so bored!  But when I am outside, I feel like I can just keep going!  On days when the weather is milder, I try to run outside to get sunshine and fresh air.  And when I run in my neighborhood, it is quite the challenge...we have got some major hills.  But I know it is good...even though when those hills are on the return trip home and I feel like I  may not make it :)  But it makes for a good challenge!  Not too long ago, I ran in my mom's neighborhood for 30 minutes.  I don't even know the last time that happened!  And this past weekend, I ran for almost that long (which totaled about 2.4 miles).  Sure, I may not have the fastest pace there is, but I am running and moving for that long without stopping!  And I feel such a sense of accomplishment afterwards!
I also think I have found another new love for working out - Tae Bo.  There is a new studio that opened up here and I had thought about trying it out.  A friend of mine was going and posted on Facebook to see if anybody else was interested, so I thought that'd be perfect!  And your first class is free, so that is definitely an added bonus :)  Last week, Billy Blanks (Mr. Tae Bo for those who don't know - feel free to google!) was in town teaching classes at the studio (the studio's owner happens to be his daughter), so my first class was with Billy Blanks as the instructor.  I was a bit nervous to say the least!  The class was a basic class and ended up being a lot of instruction on form and technique and then putting the moves to work.  At the end, he put on some music and we all danced it out together - SO fun! After class, I saw others taking pictures with him, so I jumped at the opportunity!
 I went to another class on Tuesday and have not sweat that much in a LONG time!  While I do love yoga (for getting a good stretch and peaceful exercise), I much prefer sweating big time!  That's why I usually love things like kickboxing and zumba!  Well, Tae Bo definitely fits this list as well...no one else was registered for this class, so it was just me and the instructor.  It, again, was a basic class, so we worked on technique for a while and then would do the normal routine with music.  I was so hot and sweaty at the end!  And I loved it!  I think I'm going to get a package of passes there so I can go at least twice a week.  It is also nice because they have childcare that actually accepts babies, so Jack can hang out for an hour while I am doing a class and while Katie is at school! 

Thank goodness for technology, too.  When I run outside, I use an app called Digifit to track time, pace, distance, calories burned, etc!  It is free and awesome!  I also, like I've mentioned before, use My Fitness Pal to track calories in/out.  Since I started using MFP, I've lost 32 pounds!  Just from counting calories and exercising!  It definitely helps to know what you're consuming and motivates you to exercise!  I'll do another post on that another time, but I am on my way to fitting in all my pre-Katie clothes (!!!!) - except for the fact that my body is just shaped differently after being pregnant twice!  But I feel awesome and can't wait to continue the downward trend!

*Are you on MyFitnessPal?  Leave a comment with your username and I'll find you! :)  Seeing others' progress is always a good motivator to me!

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