Have you ever finished a workout and thought “that was great?” I’m actually sure many of you have. I generally haven’t. Especially not recently. I’m normally left with the mental work of convincing myself that even though my body is threatening me with death, destruction, and dismemberment, it’ll be worth it and I just need to stay the course.
Today was different!
This morning we sit on the cusp of what many Colorado residents are fondly referring to as “Snowmageddon” as we await a storm that is projected to bring one of the top 5 highest snowfall totals we have ever seen. Of course, this is Colorado, so we may get a light dusting. Regardless, knowing that we might have pathways closed down for a bit, I decided to go out and get one final walk this morning. I had a “wait a minute…” moment as I was getting back home. Despite the chilly and drizzly weather, the pains that have hitherto been a burden (aching back, throbbing shins) did not come. I actually was having that confusion the entire time as I was waiting for the onset of the discomfort the entire time. It might have been that I was just too numb to feel much (hurry up delayed Snowmaggedon!), but I think it’s due to something I added to my repertoire earlier this week.
First let me flash back to sometime in late 2008 and early 2009. In one of my earlier attempts at losing weight (and this was at a decently lighter weight than I now hold) something that I was using was a Wii. The Wii Fit game allowed for various different types of exercises and I actually found it engaging (although looking back, I’m not sure I could ever pretend like I’m hula hooping again). I actually lost a decent amount of weight at the time and realize that things that can engage my attention like that make exercising “easier” for me. So earlier this week I decided to spend a little bit and invested in a virtual reality headset. I’ve begun using one of the exercise programs there which causes you to do varied upper body and lower body work. Muscles that haven’t been exerted in some time are now blessedly sore. But more than that, I think that because I had to do greater range of motion, I’ve found a way to sufficiently work out the dust of my old creaky joints so that something as simple as walking does not drastically draw me down anymore. On my last walk I needed to stop and rest and stretch out my back and legs. I had no such issues today even though I went further than previously.
Color me ecstatic! I’m going to do my best to work up to where I’m doing both (walking and virtual reality) exercises consistently each day because I think they are complimentary. I’m then going to look into weight lifting because I know that lean muscles help burn fat faster. But step by step. I’m grateful for the progress that I felt today. Even if some of that pain returns another day, I’m grateful for the pick-me-up that it gave me.
What strategies have you found helpful to avoid the “I hate working out and I’m never putting myself through this again” mindset?
