Fitness Friday: My View

In trying to determine a new direction for my blog this year, an idea popped into my head while I was doing one of my favorite activities, running.  More specifically, running in 3 degree temperatures through snow and on ice.

It occurred to me that I should be posting about my fitness adventure.  I’ve been following my friend Cris at Goodeness Gracious and all the success she is having in her exercise and healthy eating lifestyle. She rocks! And has been transparent with her loss.  She’s even brave enough to post pictures.  I’m not that brave!

But what I think I’d like to do is to provide a snapshot of what it looks like when a crazy busy, overworked, mom of three kids who also have their own sports/school/church activities to manage, who also has a 3 hour commute everyday, a farm to help hubby tend to, dozens of work meetings that often throw a wrench in my healthy eating plan,tries to fit in workouts and healthy eating!  Whew!!  

I want people to realize, especially in this new year time of making goals, that diets suck and don’t work.  I’ve been on all of them.  Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Seattle Sutton, Slimfast, and others are great plans for the short term.  But the mentality of going on a diet indicates you’ll be going off that diet at some point.  And that’s where I have always messed up.  I lose weight, go back to eating junk and not working out, and gain weight.  So this time has been a lifestyle change!!  And I’m going to take every Friday and tell you about it!  I hope you’ll be able to relate to the change I’ve been making.  

For my first post, I want to share where I run.  Living in the rural countryside doesn’t provide an easy way to get to the gym to run on a treadmill.  And I should note I hate running inside!!  I used to own a treadmill and sold it because it bored me. A few years ago a local group took an abandoned railway and turned it into a paved trail.  I opposed the idea at the onset because the group took farmland that wasn’t theirs to take for part of this trail.  It’s a long story that I can’t explain well but the ag community was set against this.  Turns out it was going to happen no matter what the farm community wanted.  

And while I wasn’t happy to have the trail cutting through farm ground, now that it is built it is where I run.  



This was how it looked on my most recent run.  Ice covered in snow with only a few paths of clear pavement every now and then.  


The bridges don’t clear as fast as the path through the woods.  This was tough to run through.  Felt like running on the beach through sand! 


However the view from the bridge is beautiful! The river is partly frozen and huge chunks of ice were flowing.

It’s a much better view than what I have to watch on a treadmill!  So I put on a few layers of clothes, throw on my headwrap and gloves and trudge outside.  This trail is beautiful in all seasons and every step I take down it’s path provide much needed stress relief.  Even if it’s through a few inches of snow and ice!

Comments

  1. You are brave for running on that path alone:) I would be scared of some type of animal chasing me! I am scared enough to run in town at 5:30 in the morning:)

    • The only thing that has chased me has been a dog every now and then. But it just barks 🙂 And since you know where this is, I’m assuming the bad guys aren’t running the trail!! They are in others parts of the county, I hope!!

  2. You are off to a better start running this year than I am…I love running but am not a big fan of the cold air in my lungs:/ and of course the ice throws a curve ball…I find myself doing more Pilates and ab workouts during the winter months because I, too hate treadmills. Keep it up!

    • Do you do Pilates on a machine or as a floor workout?I’ve been wanting to start those, but I sort of get stuck either running or lifting weights. I’m not exceptionally coordinated either!!

  3. I think it will be awesome to see “a snapshot of what it looks like when a crazy busy, overworked, mom of three kids who also have their own sports/school/church activities to manage, who also has a 3 hour commute everyday, a farm to help hubby tend to, dozens of work meetings that often throw a wrench in my healthy eating plan,tries to fit in workouts and healthy eating!”

    And by the way, you so rock for running outdoors… I hate treadmills too, but I think I hate the cold more 😉 Thankfully, my elliptical and I get along 🙂

  4. Awesome post! I keep thinking about walking outside, but it’s so danged windy up here on the ridge that it’s like walking through a wind tunnel either coming or going! LOVE the pics. Keep on running!

  5. What I like about being outside is the fresh air that you get to breath keep up the good work

  6. Hello, new follower here and I’d like to invite you to join me at my weekly Clever Chicks Blog Hop: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/01/clever-chicks-blog-hop-16-hogwash-soaps.html

    I hope you can make it!

    Cheers,

    Kathy Shea Mormino

    The Chicken Chick

Share Your Thoughts

*