Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Update and reminder to myself - Little and Often

This summer I can make positive changes in my life. I took up running earlier this year and can now run 30 minutes non stop.I joined the gym & pool for the summer and have started taking the aqua aerobics class most weeks. I registered for weight watchers online to try and make my weight loss and healthier eating a permanent thing and since I started running have lost 1 stone.

I took up running in May using the Couch to 5k program also known as C25K and the main thing it stressed was to take things one step at a time. So we started with just one minute of running at a time followed by a break where you were allowed to walk and repeated that several times then had a day off and did it again twice more in the week. This allowed me to get used to running slowly and be happy at that level before moving on to longer running and shorter walking intervals. Now 9 weeks later I'm running 30 minutes at a time. I'm not up to 5km yet but I know I can get there.

As I am asthmatic, was over 4 stone over weight and the top side of 40 I appreciated this style of running a little bit at a time but doing it often enough to become a habit.

I also realised that Weight Watchers has the same kind of process. I'm not trying to lose all my 4+ Stone overnight, just as I couldn't go out and run 5km with no training. I'm just trying to lose 1 or 2 lbs a week and when I've done that do it again the next week.

I'm also slowly trying to introduce healthier options into my diet and reduce the unhealthy options. ie more fruit & veg, less burgers and chips :) Just like the running and walking intervals it took a while for my body to change from wanting a bag of chips and burger every other night to being happy with fresh veg stirfry most nights and burger and chips once a month. But I know if I keep at it, like the running, I can change my eating and develop those new habits.

I can do this!

2 comments:

Heather said...

Impressed with how you've stuck with C25k and bit by bit upped your running to 30 mins. Hurrah for you!

Joanne said...

Thanks Heather, I'm amazed at myself!