Know Thy Exercise Self

This has nothing to do with running.  It's just funny. :)

At the tender age of 41, I believe I've finally settled into an exercise routine that suits me.  At least for the time being. But it's taken me a long time to get here.

I've had to determine the elements that motivate me to exercise and what keeps me going.  I only wish I had realized what I needed earlier. In no particular order, they are:

1.)  Groups - I like to train with groups.  As long as I don't feel too intimidated, I enjoy exercise camaraderie.

2.)  Goals - Give me an attainable goal, and I'm set.  I don't do well when I feel like a hamster in a wheel going nowhere.  (For what it's worth, the goal of a marathon has been a long time in the making.  It didn't happen overnight.)

3.)  Routine - I generally go to CrossFit two times a week at noon and again on Saturday mornings.  I've just started running two mornings a week, with my (not-yet-so) long run early Saturday morning.  Tuesday evenings I've started running hills with my neighbor (hey, Kris!).  Life, kids, dinner, a husband...  all can complicate the routine.  I do my best to ignore work around them. ;-)

4.)  Enjoyment - Step aerobics is the devil's spawn, and I'd rather listen to 1,000 screaming toddlers for a week than use an elliptical machine.  I may get a knot in my stomach when I hear we're doing the Air Force WOD at CrossFit, and I may complain about having to do a long run in freezing weather, but ultimately it's what I enjoy.  I'm a masochist, but it works for me.

5.)  Mood - I can't count the number of times I've entered a workout anxious, troubled or down-right burdened by life.  Without exception, life is better after I've gotten my heart pumping. Not that exercise solves every problem, but I know from experience that it helps.  We're amazing designs. (Psalm 139:14)

I raise my water bottle to all you hard-working people trying to manage life and exercise. In this race called life, may your serotonin levels be high and your exercise routine a perfect fit.

P.S.  Please pray for Sheila (my sister-in-law).  She's having tubes taken out tomorrow and a possible procedure done on her left lung that will be quite painful. Thank you so much.

Whatever you are, be a good one.  ~ Abraham Lincoln