New Favorite Thing

Athletic is not a word I would use to describe myself. Sure, I participated in sports, dance and cheer leading; but I was never considered an athlete. I remember my mom bought me this great shirt that said, "Cheer Leading Is My Sport". It  listed all the reason why cheer was considered a sport. I'd argue with anyone who wanted to say different. Still I never considered myself athletic. In my family (or more to the point in my father's eyes) you were athletic if you played baseball and were good at it. You were athletic if you played football  and you were good at it. I was not great at soft ball. My father called me Missy No-Hit- a nickname that has stuck with me since I was eight. I detested basketball. I gave it my all, but I just did not have the coordination and I did not like the pressure of trying to get the ball from the opposing team. So when my husband muttered that I was athletic while on a walk the other night I almost stopped dead in my tracks. Me? Athletic?

This past month I have been working out about 5-6 days a week trying to follow the Rockin' Body workout plan from Beach Body. It took me some time to figure out that I'd probably like to dance as a form of exercise. After having to take a few days off because of medical concerns I arm just a week away from completing the 30 days. Recently the Baby Monster has wanted to stay by my side no matter what and trying to get a work out in has been hard. In order to make him happy and to still stick to my work out sessions I decided we'd go on walks instead. On Sunday morning I stepped it up a notch by tracking my walks and route to see how fast I walk and how far I walk by using this great app called Map My Walk. I'm hooked!

On Sunday morning the Baby Monster and I were up bright and early because he still does't understand that mommy would like to sleep in past seven on the weekends. The teenage years are going to be blissful! Hopefully he'll enjoy sleeping in. Anyway...  We were both cranky so I decided we needed a morning walk. I was curious and wondered how far we really walked by taking our usual route. That's when I searched for an app and found the awesome Map My Walk. I started the the workout and the music on my phone began playing automatically. Usually the Baby Monster and I take quiet walks, but I thought the change-up would be good. It wasn't good...it was great! Duh! Why did I not play music while walking before? My pace gathered speed and off we were. My stroller was whizzing by while I pushed it with a purpose.

The Baby Monster and me right before our walk. He was one cool dude in his sunglasses. 

It turns out I walked 1 mile in 18:02 minutes and our entire route was 1.46 miles. The amazing thing to me was that I couldn't get enough. I was sad when we made it back to our destination. The morning was beautiful and cool, the sun was shining, the music made me feel like I was on vacation ( I don't get to go many places at this point in my life...boring, I know.). 

There were moments when my feet weren't picking up fast enough to walk my next step and I wanted to burst into a run. Running and I do not get along. We are frenemies. I want to run, but once I do I become frustrated with how hard it is that I stop. Quitting attitude? Yes. Then again I am a person who was never considered athletic and in the past I've constantly failed at every exercise attempt so this feeling of accomplishment through exercise is foreign to me. I had a sheen of sweat all over me yet I was energized instead of gasping for breath. I realized Rockin' Body helped me with that by building up my stamina through constant dancing. Oh yes, I felt very accomplished. 

On Tuesday the hubs asked if I wanted to go a for walk. I gladly said yes and out we went. The idea was to go for a leisurely walk. The slow pace wasn't working for me. I just wanted to take off because I remembered that my last walk was SO. MUCH. FUN. The hubs couldn't keep up! He was huffing and puffing, muttering and complaining. We switched roles! He soon found the humor which kept me going. He encouraged me to keep the fast pace and bust butt. That's when I heard him mutter, "Well she's become athletic." Those words made me feel that all of my actions and small changes have been worth it. My hard work is paying off. 

The Baby Monster and I went for another walk this evening. Instead of thinking of my walk as a chore, I was able to look forward to it as a fun activity. This is HUGE for me. Finding that app was a great thing because I feel challenged now. My goals are to gain feet on my walks and cut down the time it takes to walk a mile. Tonight's walk was awesome! I have heard of runner's high, so I wonder if there is a walker's high. Listening to music, watching the sky fade into dusk and feeling the pavement beneath my feet took me to this place where everything was perfect. Once I was in that place I was able to push myself. 

Tonight I shaved off about a minute and a half from my walk and gained 13 feet since Sunday. I'm proud of myself. A few months ago I dreaded the idea of sweating in the heat of a Florida summer in the name of exercise. Now I am embrace it. I've failed so many times before, however something feels different this time. Dare I call it confidence? Whatever it may be I'm holding on to it.