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I am an avid and regular exerciser.
Every time I say that I get this little buzz.
My own secret thrill.
Here’s why: I was the most sedentary child, teen and adult you could find.
Slow moving for much of my life, my favourite activites were reading, sitting by a fire, long slow walks, gentle yoga and going out for coffee and meals.
My oldest daughter knew the Starbucks logo before ToysRUs or Gymboree.
I grew up in traditional South Africa, where the only activities for girls were netball and dance.
Problem was – I have yet to catch a ball or throw it anywhere near my target,
And I still go left when the dance instructor (and everyone in the class) goes right.
So…. that left books, long walks and hatha yoga.
Then one day I hired a trainer, who did a sophisticated assessment
(complete with protractors and compasses, I swear)
And she told me that if I told her I was a competitive athlete,
based on my body composition, she’d believe me.
(OK I guess I was paying her a lot of money to sweet talk me)
So I got to thinking….
My brother is an excellent athlete, and my sister an excellent dancer.
I must have some genes that want to move in a somewhat coordinated way?
It wasn’t until I hired a weight loss coach
Which changed my life in so many ways
(And I’d love to help you change yours)
That I decided to become a woman who takes extremely good care of herself,
Which I defined as exercising every day.
I have blogged quite a bit about how much I loved becoming a regular exerciser.
What a thrill it is for me to know that I can take any class,
at any gym, and keep up,
Proving to myself that moving hard, sweating,
panting feels exhilirating in the best possible way.
As you may know, I’m always reading, learning and studying the newest information about nutrition, brain science and exercise.
I learned about High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) a year ago,
and was fascinated by all the benefits I could get from working out in such a short time.
It also appealed to me because I used to jog very slowly to make sure I had enough energy for the last part of the run.
In fact, I was so slow that my kids could power walk next to me.
True fact.
With HIIT I felt free to run as fast as I could,
because I knew a rest was coming so soon
(although sometimes not soon enough, even in a 30 second sprint).
I took up HIIT sprints with no expectation of results,
as I do with all exercise,
becuase I find that visible results are too slow to be a motivation
And I love it so much that the act of exercising is a reward in itself.
I’ve noticed myself becoming much faster –
sometimes I feel like I’m flying,
(even though I’m sure I don’t look like it!!!).
I’m constantly increasing the speed of my sprints – 5.5mph to 7mph,
and I think I can go higher, but I’m a bit scared of how fast the belt is moving!
But today I received a bonus.
I was at the supermarket, and had already put my food on the belt,
When I remembered one last item.
A woman was in front of me, so I ran to get it.
(Yes, I’m that person. Sorry.)
Without thinking, I broke into a full sprint, in the supermarket, wearing a winter jacket and UGGs.
I just took off to find my anchovy paste (to make this – addicted.),
Like a child might do to find their ball.
I wasn’t even vaguely breathless – it was effortless and natural.
Once I stopped, I didn’t need to recover at all.
Then, once I’d completed my purchase,
I realized I had ten minutes to get home for a video conference.
And the store is about 14 minutes from my house.
Again. Same thing.
Effortlessly, I started to sprint to the car, groceries in hand.
I felt light and purposeful.
Got to car, again, no heavy breathing, no pounding heart.
Stopped, loaded food,
And got home just in time.
This is why we exercise.
Sure, the toned arms and defined abs are so much fun
(not that I’ve ever seen my own ab muscles – true confession).
But the improvement in how you perform every activity every day –
Best. Reason. Ever.
Many of my clients have successfully become regular exercisers, and if that’s your goal,
we should definitely talk.