You CAN Do It

Let’s face it - working out is HARD. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 23% of Americans are meeting the recommended guidelines for exercise (which is up a couple percentage points from a few years ago). So, almost 80% of people are not meeting the recommendations set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services of moderate aerobic exercise for 150 minutes per week (or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise) and strength training at least twice a week (check out this interesting news article for more information).

The reasons why so many people choose not to participate in regular exercise varies (and it IS a choice, by the way…), but one reason for many is the simple fact that working out is difficult. Challenging. Hard. Your mind always wants to make things easier for you and tries to keep you in your comfort zone. Your mind is the one that tries to encourage you to stay in bed at 5am when your alarm goes off. It tells you that you shouldn’t lift weights because they are heavy and that you should slow down because it’s getting harder to breathe. Go ahead and eat that cookie in the cafeteria at work because you work hard and “deserve” it. You had a long day, sit on the couch and relax with some Netflix. Its Saturday, why bother getting out of bed at all? Isn’t it nice and cozy under the covers - we could just stay here all day!

Don't be a couch potato

But your mind forgets what an amazing machine your body is. Your body can do things your mind will never believe. And for some reason we start to believe our mind rather than trust in our body. My favorite thing about the human body is its ability to adapt. If you challenge your body, it will rise to that challenge and adapt. Then, what was challenging a couple days ago or a week ago is no longer as difficult. Your body will rise to the occasion - you just have to give it the opportunity. I’ll illustrate this with a specific example: running.

I was asked the other day by an ultra marathon runner, are you a runner, too? I proudly answered that yes, I am a runner. Now, I’m no marathon runner or even a half-marathon runner… but I like some 5ks. And a few years ago I never would have imagined I would be able to actually run an entire 5k. Growing up, I played sports and had traditional PE class with the dreaded mile run. We all hated running the mile (except this one girl, who could run it in 7 minutes). I never could find a way to run for distance, and would typically do this awkward pattern of running until I couldn’t breathe anymore, walking to catch my breath, run, walk, and so on. I could sprint and that helped me in sports but that was about it. My dad would take me out with him to run and he wouldn’t let me stop, which typically resulted in lots of huffing and puffing on my end. I didn’t very much like those runs either. As you can see, I struggled with running even as a child. Once I was into my lazy adulthood and gained 40 lbs, I probably couldn’t run if a bear was chasing me. But that all changed after my weight loss, when I made the conscious decision that I was going to learn to run NO MATTER WHAT. I made this my goal, and that’s what I worked on relentlessly until I succeeded.

I am proud to call myself a runner

Nowadays there are apps for everything. Including fitness! There’s apps for stretching, workouts, running, nutrition, you name it. 5 years ago I downloaded an app called Couch to 5k. Just like the name implies, the idea behind the app is that it will take you from couch (potato) to running a 5k. In 3 months. I devoted myself to running 3 days a week (that’s how the app is set up). It's all done with intervals so you run for a short time and then walk for a short time. Each day is a little different and the run times gradually become longer and the walk times in between gradually get shorter. After you’ve completed the program, you’ll be running straight without stopping for 5 km (roughly 3 miles). I believe the very first run on day one was a 1-minute run followed by a 2-minute walk. This was done a number of times. Each run starts with a 5-minute warmup walk and a 5-minute cooldown walk and the intervals are in between. I kid you not, I almost didn’t make that first minute. The same childhood issues of not being able to breathe came right back. But I promised myself I wouldn’t stop; I could run as slowly as needed, but I wouldn’t stop. And I didn’t. I pushed through every single painful minute of that run and looked forward to each and every walking minute in between. But I did it! The best part was the next run (two days later) was the same intervals but it added two more runs, and it wasn’t that hard the next time. My body was challenged, I pushed it, and it rose to that challenge. Every run got a little bit tougher, but my body kept getting stronger and each time I could go a little bit further than the day before. That pattern continued until I could finally run the whole thing at the end without stopping.

Daphne's Tips:

• Find something you enjoy - you'll be more likely to stick with it!

• Ask yourself WHY are you engaging in this activity? When it gets tough (and it will!) constantly remind yourself of this reason.

• Take it slooooow. Rome wasn't built in a day and marathon runners couldn't up and run 26 miles in just one day either.

• Be patient with yourself and celebrate every milestone.

These days, I use running as a regular form of cardio. I run a couple times a week, usually for 30-45 minutes. I wake up early on the weekends to get the runs in before the sun comes up (living in Florida will do that to you), along with my runner friends. Every single time I run, I am amazed at the fact that I CAN RUN. And I actually enjoy it! It’s not “easy” and it will never be “easy” (even my marathon runner friends will tell you that they love it but they are also drenched in sweat and out of breath at the end of it) but I love the challenge and being able to do it. And it’s definitely easier than on that first day.

The body can do incredible things. Powerlifters can deadlift hundreds of pounds. Bicyclists can cycle for hundreds of miles. Runners can run a marathon, a half-marathon, and a 5k in the span of three days. Jean-Claude Van Damme proved that the human body can do the splits while having both feet on chairs. All of these people started somewhere - they didn't just wake up one day and were able to accomplish incredible feats. They worked for it. They repeatedly challenged their bodies and their bodies repeatedly rose up to the challenge as they got stronger, more flexible, and got more endurance. Your body can also do incredible things - whatever that may be for you. What is it you want to accomplish? Where there is a will, there is a way. Find what you want to do. There is a way to do it. It will take time and patience, and it won’t be easy. But I guarantee you’ll be amazed at what your body can do.