July 14, 2017
My training just got better.
I have been trying to find a workout routine that felt right for me for most of my life. Now, I know better...I know there have been plenty of great sets of exercises in books, online, on Pinterest, YouTube, on DVD and at the gym. I know because I've seen most of them. So I know better than to suggest that finding the workout routine itself was actually what was hard before. It was totally about me not knowing what the hell to do with the routine once I found one.
Some I came across were definitely too hard. None of them seemed too easy. I couldn't tell if the routine I found was going to be right for my goals, if the weights were too heavy, if I was ready for the run, if I should quit if half of them were too difficult for me, or if I was actually hurting myself instead of doing myself any good. So I let all of these questions become an excuse for not doing any of them.
It didn't stop me from buying stuff for exercising, though. I have Bollywood Dance DVD's, an exercise mat, a small trampoline, a tread mill, a stationary bike, resistance bands, a Richard Simmon's Sweating to the Oldies cassette tape, kettle bells, free weights, and a few other gadgets for getting in shape. I could probably open a gym with the things I have...but would not know how to tell anybody how to use any of it effectively. Shoot, I can't even lift the box everything is stuffed in...yet.
Training for the Camino has given me the motivation to push through the BS excuses I'd used for so long. I realized that if I am set to go in just a few months to climb over the Pyrenees and walk 500 miles, I had better find whatever routines I can and just start doing them. Robert Schuller (I guess it's the guy who built the Crystal Cathedral...but I'm not sure) , well, he said that it's "better to doing something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly." He's right...and I needed to take the flawed routine I had put together and try it out.
Today I did "my" workout. I found six free weight routines for my arms and seven exercises that are supposed to give me abs and make my core strong. That's gotta be helpful when you're carrying a backpack for a month. I decided to do ten of each exercise and then repeat that routine three times. I know some of you may think that this is a sissy-la-la workout, but I broke into a sweat doing them and actually felt my muscles getting worked. Most importantly, I started. I did what I set out to do. The routine may evolve over time as I learn more...but for now I'm super proud of myself. I know I will keep it up now too, just like I've kept up with my walking schedule.
I love feeling like I'm getting stronger. I can be as prepared as possible for the trail...and even defend myself if I need to as a solo traveler. I'm going to keep a record of my progress here in the blog because I really want to have an account of how my body changes and what I learn.
Today was a good day,
Peace!
No comments:
Post a Comment