Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Being Fit

All through my life I would say that I have been "active." Maybe not every single day or the same type of exercise all the time but for the most part--active. I like to run and love to run with my dog. There really is nothing like a beautiful, sunny Washington day whether it be in the spring when the birds are chirping and I can feel summer warmth just around the corner or in the fall when the air is crisp and the leaves are crunching beneath my shoes.

Last year I outlined some goals I had set and of course, leave it to me to not complete the goal. I thought I would be able to complete a sprint triathlon and I never did. I started swimming in the mornings and really liked it. Why did I quit? I don't know. Hub turned my mountain bike into a road bike for my birthday and I rode it...once. Why? I don't know. The one thing I can always manage to stick with is running. However, when my back pain flared up again a few months ago, I let that go a bit too. I am getting back into the groove of things and although it may sound a little weird to some, I enjoy working out at my parents' right now while the weather is crappy. They have a Bowflex, an elliptical, a treadmill, free weights and exercise balls. I know, right?! Oh, yeah, my brother also has a bike trainer because he is training for the Ironman in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Yeah, he's kind of crazy like that. So basically, what I'm saying is that I really enjoy the privacy of the parents' house and the lack of membership fee. I mean, it might cost me a dinner for them here and there...which I think I can handle.

It's nice when I go over there and my brother is there to help with some workouts and make sure I am being efficient at my workouts. It was his idea for my heart rate monitor for a Christmas gift and now that I am getting to know it, I am liking it more each time.
Suunto t3d Sporty Red
Image
The reason he knows about these things is, well, he was an Exercise Science Major, but now he works at an exercise performance testing facility called:
Click on the image to head on over to their website
He really enjoys this job and it's really nice to have someone so knowledgeable about exercise and nutrition around all the time for me to just call up and bother. I ask some really dumb questions, I'm sure, but he doesn't ever seem to mind. It's also really nice when I'm getting bored of certain workouts to just be able to ask him and he rattles them off the top of his head.

Back to my point, I am getting really motivated right now and I want to keep it that way so that maybe, just maybe, there will be some races in my future. Maybe a 10k, maybe a half-marathon or even a triathlon. Maybe I'm just the type of person that just needs to sign up so I stick to it.

What tricks do you have for staying motivated for working out? Are you signed up for any races in 2011? What is your favorite type of race?


**Thank you for all the entries in the giveaway. The winner will be announced tomorrow morning!**

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