Exercise - Just Do It!!!

Exercise is just as important as what you eat! There are so many, many different ways to move.  There is something perfect for everyone. I am a food expert because my first profession was that of dietitian at Griffin hospital. I recieved my BS in Food Service and Nutrition at Georgia Southern College. I feel very comfortable talking about food. I am NOT an expert in exercise, though, and I am not pretending to be one. 

This time around, I started out walking for 10 minutes - don't laugh - that is all I could do at first. I was huffing, puffing, coughing and sweating! I was determined to increase it, though. I kept at it and gradually was able to do 40 minutes of walking at an easy pace. I would do it with my kindergarten students at school each week day.  When school let out for the summer, my grandchildren walked with me as well.

My daughter, Denise, wanted us - her husband Lamar, Melissa Oliver and me - to train for a half-marathon walk in Savannah - the Rock and Roll. My friend, Julie Beasley wanted to do this, too! She lives in Pooler, GA. I was very concerned about my "bad knees" and walking such long distances.  I have chondromalacia patella which is a softening of the cartilage under the kneecap. You can hear and feel my knees grind when I bend them because of this. It is crucial to examine running shoes for proper fit in order to avoid  knee pain. Denise's fellow classmate, Blake Fox, is a running expert and works at NewSole Running in McDonough. I went to NewSole and he fitted me for some walking/running shoes. He found the perfect shoe for me - Newtons.   I spent more on a this pair of shoes than I have ever spent in my life but they have been so worth it! I highly recommend NewSole Running if you plan to start a serious walking/running program. Blake also showed Denise a training schedule for the half-marathon walk. Here is link to it: http://halhigdon.com/training/51134/Half-Marathon-Walk-Training-Program. Blake will be running in the Rock and Roll Marathon in Savannah.

Denise, Lamar, Melissa and I  have been following the training schedule for 5 weeks and doing our "big walks" on Sundays together. Julie has been following the same schedule in Pooler. Julie and I use a phone app called MapMyWalk. It will show you your routes via GPS tracking. It tells all your stats. I have mine set on voice reminders every 5 minutes so I know how I am doing. The big walks take hours to do which has caused some of us to question if our schedules will allow us to continue with our training. I really do want to do this, though. I don't think I can do it alone.

Two weeks ago, I started jog/walking. I didn't plan it - I just started running during parts of my walk.  My daughter, Jennifer, has been doing the Couch to 5K program using the phone app by RunDouble so I downloaded it and started using it.  It starts out on Week 1 with a 5 minute warm up walk, 8 intervals of running 60 seconds and brisk walking 90 seconds and ending with a 5 minute cool down walk. It really was a workout! I was drenched in sweat but I also experience a wonderful runners high afterward. I am on Week 2 now which is 5 minute warm up walk, 6 intervals of 90 second running and 2 minute brisk walking and ending with a 5 minute cool down walk. Oh my goodness, running for 90 seconds is challenging for me! I do like challenges, though. I find myself trying to beat my times and digging deeper for a little extra "umph" to put into my intervals. I continue to do the training schedule for the half-marathon along with the Couch to 5K program. I have two rest days a week and that helps my knees. It's a lot to do but I have lost 6.2 pounds since adding in the running two weeks ago!

So that is where I am with my exercise. I  love swimming, biking, walking and Zumba. I would love to add in water aerobics but I don't have access to a pool. I would love to cross-train by biking on my off days but I do not have a bike. I hope to get a bike in the near future. I may hit a Zumba class here and there on my off days. I  like to do my exercise first thing in the morning as much as possible. The reason for this being, when I do it first, nothing that comes up throughout the day can keep me from doing it. Exercising is no longer a chore for me....it is beginning to become a pleasure!