Tomorrow I finish Week 5 of 12 of my Nike+ Walk to Run program. I’m almost halfway done with the program, and that feels amazing. Even more amazing? Going for a run with my mom and sister Shannon for the first time during their stay in Des Moines last weekend. It felt INCREDIBLE to do something with them I’ve never been able to do before, to show them just how much progress I’ve made. My sister runs for 90 minutes straight in her soccer practices and games several times a week, so I have a feeling she’ll always be a model of something to work towards. She’s an inspiration, my fitness role model, and she perseveres in ways that give me strength when I’m ready to give up.

The boyfriend (AKA running partner) told me the other day that I’m not the same girl he met less than a year ago, and I’m certainly not the same runner. One of the things I love about fitness and exercise is visible, quantifiable growth. I could say I’m not the same girl I was a year ago because I’ve become comfortable in a new city, because I’ve realized how to be a good friend (and more often, how not to be a good friend) to the people I care about, but those can’t be measured. I can look back upon the person I once was, but hindsight is never accurate, and it’s certainly not objective. But I can easily look back and say, five weeks ago I could not run half of what I’m running every day now, and five weeks ago I had never put on a pair of ballet slippers and done a rond de jambe à terre at the barre.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a pretty intense person. I live a “go big or go home” lifestyle — I’m either all in, or not in at all. That’s why when I wanted to start running, I committed to a twelve week program. It’s why I chose ballet instead of lifting dumbbells when I wanted to become stronger. Starting from scratch, blank slate, is how I learn. It’s how I commit. And this isn’t the first time I’ve done it — I put in a year on the swim team during my junior year of high school with no competitive swimming experience, one of the greatest challenges I’ve undergone. I’m not afraid to push myself with things that are brand new to me; if anything, it’s an escape from the perfectionism I’ve struggled with throughout my adolescent and adult life. I can’t be perfect at something if I’ve never done it before, right? I’ll keep pushing myself for the next seven weeks of my running program, and I’ll keep showing up to ballet class each week (forsaking my daily lunchtime Veronica Mars viewings) because I love the feeling of development and progress. What’s next? Probably a rock climbing class. But one step at a time…

Now, I’ve always been someone who enjoys being busy. Typically, it’s because I fall in love with organizations and causes and people and refuse to let them go. Sometimes, it’s because I need activities and meetings and committees to take my mind off the things churning in my head. Perhaps it’s to meet people, to feel like I’m making an impact, or to have people recognize that I’m making an impact. But whatever the reason, I’m no stranger to a full schedule. Something else I’m no stranger to? Selfishness. I’m not sure if the people in my life realize I’m selfish, but I am, and I’ve always known that I am. It might be something that comes with being a first-born female, but I do what I need to do to be happy, or to succeed, or to win, and I often don’t care what I give up in the process. I live alone because I hate when people use my things, when people are in my way, when I can’t do exactly what I want to do, when I want to do it. And so I do love the idea of being selfish because I need to run, and not letting people or commitments or time constraints stand between me and my run.

Selfishness is how I’m able to make running a priority. I’ve taken something I dreaded and made it something I look forward to every day, and I’ve made it become something that feels better and better for me each day I do it. Running is a priority now — it might even be the priority now, under my jobs, family, and the boyfriend — and I have no qualms about taking a longer lunch break or that third shower or arriving late because I was running. And while my life will undoubtedly keep its pace, I feel strong to know that this energy and strength and badassness I feel from running will wedge itself into my busy schedule, because I need to run. My muscles need to feel sore at the end of the day, and I need to feel the sweat of a difficult workout on my skin. It’s intoxicating.

In the past week, I’ve struggled to control my tumblr activity so as not to inundate my tumblr followers with my proud remarks about achieving my fitness goals. Seven days later, it’s just occurred to me that I already have a fitness blog, and that my compulsion to write about my fitness successes and challenges could take place here. It’s been quite a while since I last updated this blog, and even in the past week, I’ve had more success than I did in the weeks and months I maintained this blog as part of a class assignment. I’m not sure if blogging about fitness is something I can stick to, but at least I have an (already existing) area to share when I want to.

I’m in the midst of Week One, Day Seven of a twelve week “Walk to Run” program through Nike+. Their Coach programs range from the basic, like mine, to more advanced plans for half-marathoners and marathoners. By the end of these twelve weeks (mid-August), I will be able to successfully run 1.86 miles (but, of course, I’m rounding up to two full miles) in about 30 minutes. Although I’m only one week in, I’m already loving the program — having an external source tell me what to do each week, paced for my progress, is the motivation I needed to get started. In my mind, I had no idea how long or how far I should try to run each day, and the Coach program solves that problem for me. And Nike+ helps along the way, tracking my distance, time, pace, calories burned, and more. I’m also using the MapMyFITNESS app, similar to Nike+ GPS, to track Rollerblading for the times I head over to Gray’s Lake for a 2-mile lap around the lake.

The Nike+ Coach program I’m using schedules a rest day every Thursday, which is an incredibly useful coincidence, since I’m starting to take weekly ballet classes during the lunch hour on Thursdays. This means that my Thursdays won’t be completely inactive, but because I’m mixing up the endurance training with some strength and flexibility training, I’m hoping that’s enough of a rest to give myself. Ballet is damn hard — the footwork and leg motions are second nature due to my Irish dancing background, but posture is the area where I struggle. I hold my torso slanted a bit, so ballet will force me to be conscious of my posture in front of the mirror and in day-to-day life.

I’ll lift weights every once in a while in the fitness room in my apartment building, but I’m really planning to round out the ballet with a quick yoga video through my Apple TV. Netflix has a video for streaming that allows me to choose from among five 10-minute yoga programs, so my lunch hour on Tuesdays will include a mix of one or two of those programs, just so I can keep up with the “strength and stretch” portion of my fitness training.

Goals? Above and beyond, I just want to feel capable. I want to know that I can run a mile easily (something I’ve never been able to do), and I want to build up the strength I lost when I stopped Irish dancing. There were 5 years in there where my physical activity ceased altogether, and while my physical appearance isn’t a significant motivating factor, my body knows that something was missing, and now I’m trying to add that element into my daily lifestyle. It’s not important to me that I lose weight, or that I am able to lift 10 or 15 pounds or run quickly — this is more about the long haul.

That aside, a few goals I will put on paper: 2 miles by mid-August, and running a 5K in October. I plan to keep training during the winter (maybe adding in swimming?) and run an 8K in conjunction with the Drake Relays in April. Do you think I can do it? Because I know I can. :)

So in the spirit of trying new things, I thought I’d take this opportunity to explore some other fitness options, just to mix it up a bit. Most gyms, clubs and campus fitness centers offer a wide array of classes. From cycling to hip-hop dance, yoga to hiking, these classes give wannabes like me the chance to try out new, more interactive forms of exercise. They also seem more fun and less intimidating than the basic strength-building options. Try one of these standard fitness classes first – then experiment with the more “wild” alternatives!

Cardio Kickboxing: According to my college’s wellness site, cardio kickboxing helps you “work up a sweat by kicking, blocking, and punching your way through class.” Kickboxing has the added benefit of learning basic self-defense techniques, but it also seems like classes would be really intense. It’s probably something to work up to, not necessarily the best choice for beginners.

Step: For fitness traditionalists, step classes offer a no-nonsense approach to building and toning your muscles. You’ll increase your endurance by learning basic choreography to fun, energizing music. And because most gyms and clubs offer multiple levels of step classes, step is a great activity for those of us looking for a specific fitness track to follow.

Water Aerobics: These classes focus on building endurance and toning muscles. Unlike other fitness options, though, the water component creates a no-impact environment (which means anyone can do it). Most water aerobics classes take place in the shallow end of the pool, so you don’t need to be a strong swimmer to get involved. But for those looking for an added challenge, many gyms and pools offer a deep water alternative.

After browsing my list of options, water aerobics seems like it would be a great fit. Feeling sore after exercising gives me another excuse to avoid going to the gym, but water aerobics is a low-impact activity that seems like a lot of fun. I’ll try it out and let you know how it goes.

What types of fitness classes have you attended? Which ones would you recommend?

[Photo courtesy of womansday.com]

I think part of the reason it’s taken me so long to start exercising is that I didn’t know what to expect. It’s always difficult to walk into new situations, and especially when you’re essentially starting from scratch. So if you’re thinking about trying pilates for the first time, there are couple of things you’ll probably want to know first.

Your First Pilates Class

1. Choose a spot near the front of the room. I was nervous about being in the front and center because everyone else could see me attempting these things for the first time. But here’s the thing about pilates – everyone there is focusing on their own movements. Being in the front makes it much easier to watch the instructor and mirror what she’s doing. And by the time the class gets started, everyone else will be concentrating enough on the poses and stretches they’re doing that they’ve probably forgotten there’s anyone else in the room at all.

2. You’re probably going to be shaky. And you might forget to breathe. We did several versions of the plank pose (the basic plank is pictured above) and it was literally one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I have little to no upper body strength, so my arms shook the whole time. At times, I would realize that I had been focusing so much on maintaining the pose that I had forgotten to breathe, but breathing makes every pose so much easier. If you want to give the basic plank pose a try before your class (which I would highly suggest; I’m going to be practicing this weekend), click here for step-by-step instructions.

3. Give yourself a break. Not to freak you out or anything, but there will probably be people in your class who have been doing pilates for a long time. So of course they are going to be a little bit stronger than you. Of course they can hold those poses longer. Of course they aren’t so shaky they look like they’re having a seizure on their purple mat. Be kind to yourself and don’t lose your confidence. A good pilates instructor will give suggestions for people at varying levels of experience, so don’t be scared to take the “easier” alternative at first (for example, rest your knees on the floor during the plank pose). You’ll still feel the stretch.

Have any of you tried pilates? What was the most difficult part for you?

[Photo courtesy of yogajournal.com]

I just got back from pilates, and I didn’t hate it. I actually kind of loved it. (GASP!)

Now, I’ve gone to two pilates classes before (years ago), so I knew what to expect, but I’m kind of overwhelmed by how good I feel right now. I feel like such a cliché (to quote Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.”). I mean, of course I feel good after exercising. Everybody told me I would. And the stubborn part of me wants to have hated pilates, just to prove them wrong. Except I don’t…and I wish I had a chance to go back before next Thursday. (A whole week without pilates? What will I do?)

I am so ridiculous.

So here are the basics, in case you’ve never tried pilates (from pilates.com):

Developed from the rehabilitation techniques of Joseph Pilates, Pilates is a safe, sensible exercise system using a floor mat or equipment, that will help you look and feel your very best. No matter what your age or condition, it will work for you. Pilates improves core strength, flexibility, agility and economy of motion. It can even help alleviate back pain and other chronic ailments.

In short, it’s like yoga on steroids (except not on steroids, because steroids are bad) – you do many of the same poses (Downward Facing Dog, Child’s Pose, Cat Pose, Cobra Pose) and focus just as much on breathing, but pilates also incorporates strength-building in addition to the relaxation and flexibility aspects of yoga.

Thinking of trying pilates? Stay tuned for a few beginners’ tips.

[Photo courtesy of yogajournal.com]

You would think that after my last post, I would have kicked my butt into gear and started doing something, so I’m embarrassed to say that I still haven’t started exercising.

I went to a pilates class two years ago (ahem…the last time I exercised), so I thought that would be a good place to start. I was going to go tonight, but then a meeting ran late, and I didn’t have time to change my clothes, and…insert a series of excuses here. So, in my current defeated state, here’s a (somewhat hypocritical) guide to self-motivation.

Finding the Motivation to Exercise

1. Write down your goals. It’s easy to forget (or avoid) goals if you have no record of them. And in the grand scheme of things, it’s helpful to have a long-term plan so you can see what you’re working towards. As I found out, just saying, “I’m going to go to a fitness class sometime” isn’t enough. So I’m going to go to a pilates class this Thursday, October 15 from 5-5:45. And once I’ve limped my way back to my computer, I’m going to tell you all how it went. If there isn’t a new post by Friday, I give you all permission to call me out on it. And that leads to step two…

2. Find someone to hold you accountable. If someone’s cheering you on – or better yet, exercising with you – you’ll feel like you’re letting them down if you skip a workout or a class. And I’ve heard that it’s just generally more fun to work out with your friends (some websites even let you search for a workout partner in your area). At some point, I hope I’ll enjoy exercising enough to do it alone, but for now, I’m enlisting my friend Martha (an exercise goddess, essentially) to attend Thursday’s pilates class with me.

3. Put it in ink (or on Google Calendar). I’m a slave to my calendar. If something’s on there, I’m going to do it. And because exercising’s not part of my routine yet, treating it like an appointment just might ensure that I’m there. I can just imagine how great it will feel to cross it off my “to do” list – and to tell you all about it afterward. So until next time…wish me luck.

[Photo courtesy of obit-mag.com]

See the photo above? I can’t do that.

I am quite possibly the least athletic person you will ever meet.

When I was 12, my mother asked me not to run in public. “It’s embarrassing,” she said. “There’s something about the way you run that’s just…weird.”

Once I started college, my friends quickly diagnosed my problem: I run like a dinosaur.

Here’s why: When I was 4, I started taking Irish dancing lessons. Yes, like Riverdance. And in Irish dancing, you’re not allowed to move your arms – they have to stay straight at your sides. So when it came time to run, I didn’t know what to do with my arms. With no better ideas, I just pulled them up by my armpits and “took flight.”

Add in some exercise-induced asthma and a fear of flying sports equipment and it’s clear that I was never meant to be an athlete.

But that’s all going to change now. I know I’m not going to become a fitness guru or a triathlete overnight, but I’m on a mission to find fun ways to get fit for those of us who aren’t so athletically inclined. I’m sick of videos like this that were clearly not created with people like me in mind. And while I’m sure I’ll find plenty of awkward, clumsy moments along the way (and share them with you, of course), I’ll keep trying new things until I find something that might help us all.

(If that’s not enough motivation, check out this video. Then imagine a person running like that. Yes, I really do need help.)

[Photo courtesy of linkedbow.com]