I hate running. That used to be a familiar phrase for me.
I remember being forced to run a mile every year in junior high, and I despised it. Then I got to high school and started cheering. Part of our training every day was cardio. That meant we would run the track around the football stadium and run up and down the stairs in the stands. And guess what: I hated it then.
It wasn’t until this summer that I found myself actually enjoying a daily run. The difference was, first of all, that I wasn’t being forced to do it. And it was easy to find time. I worked the night shift, so I left work as the sun was coming up. My roommate and I worked together, so she’d go to the track with me. I learned that having a workout partner is super helpful because on days when I just didn’t want to go, I’d get a stern look of disapproval–the motivation I needed to get out and exercise. And because I was choosing to exercise, I found it so relaxing. I felt just… great.
Since then, I’ve quit my job, so I’m not awake at 6 am (honestly, I’m not a morning person at all). That means if I want to run, I’m most likely going to have to either make myself get up (not likely) or run in 90 degree weather. Neither of those options is motivating.
Today, I will be running for the first time in weeks (fingers crossed). My boyfriend wants to run at the track where I used to run, so I invited myself to go too.
I really need to get back into a regular exercise routine, and I hope to come up with some ideas for that soon.
I’ve actually gotten out of a lot of good habits. I realized this as I read Rachel Wilkerson’s October Goals. So, although I’m about a week behind, I’ve decided to make a few goals of my own:
1. Start exercising on a regular basis. And, no, my daily run to class does not count. It’s just stressful. And my sporadic (once every couple of weeks) decisions to exercise don’t count either. I need to make myself get active at least a couple times a week.
2. Cook more than once a week. I’ve been eating out far too often. And most of the time, I’m grabbing some good ol’ fast food because it’s quick and cheap. I need to stop. I’m unnecessarily spending money on crap. So I’m going to try to cook (or beg the roommies to cook)at least 4 times a week. The other days can be leftovers day. Because leftovers haven’t gone out of style.
3. Make time for my blog. Since I’m still trying to start this new blog, I’m going to have to dedicate more time to it. It still needs a lot of design work, and I’m still trying to figure out where exactly I want it to go. None of that can happen if I only spend a couple hours a week with it.
4. Create daily and weekly goals. I did this when I was a freshman. I had a calendar with alarm reminders for important events. I’m not at my computer as frequently anymore since I don’t live on campus anymore, so that method won’t be effective. But I need to make to-do lists, since I’m obviously terrible at time management without them.
I’m still working on this list, and I’m sure that by next month I’ll have added to it. But for now, this is a good start.
Amanda's New Life 