Today is September 2nd of 2011, and so far I have been running 3 miles for the past two weeks at Balboa park in the city of Encino. The day before, I gave myself a little push and went for the 6 miles. I'm writing this blog now not to brag, but to share what I've gained through running in this short period of time.
After graduating High School, four years ago, I completely stopped exercising on a daily basis; and although I did not gain as much weight relatively to what my other friends have, I wasn't having an work-out routine. Something had switched my energy button off. Working and going to school didn't leave me much time to go outside and be active, but even if I was on school vacation I wasn't enthusiastic about working out. Honestly, I don't know what had happened to me, I was becoming a life-less human being, gorging myself with coffee and and sweets - I still love sweets, btw! The times when I actually went to a gym only lasted a few days and didn't really commit to working out. And I kept paying my monthly membership like a dumb loser, Ugh!
I can't believe it took me four years to actually commit to taking care of my body! You might be wondering how much I weight, but to be honest I only gained 5 lbs. in four years, now I weight 105 lbs. and i'm 5 ft tall. Yes, you might laugh and say, "You're skinny, you don't need to exercise!" or "Is she crazy? why is she even complaining about her health?". Being skinny does not equal healthy, that is why I have always objected to those misconceptions. Of course, I do get carried away by what society imposes on our images and to be honest, I did feel ashamed or jealous of other people being active and exercising with awesome bodies, while I drove by a park thinking "Okay, next time I'll go to the gym." So I did start running because I wanted my body to look nice and fit, but most importantly because I wanted to be healthy. There's another reason: I wanted for the first time to be good at something and to actually commit to that something, luckily I found it! Running is what I do now.
How I accomplished running 6 miles was nothing beyond common sense. I began by first pushing myself to wake up in the morning, some of us are not early birds but your body gets used to it after a while. From my other failed classes I have taken at the gym, one of the instructors recommended to hydrate yourself with water before you exercise that way you won't be running with a water bottle in your hand. Annoying. Start jogging as much as possible and everyday push yourself a little more.The most important thing, for me, is controlling my breathing and having a rhythm when I jog. Stick with that rhythm, that way you won't slow down. Whenever I feel the burn in my legs, I like to imagine tiny people working on my muscles and shaping them and making them stronger each time. Don't give up. Try harder. Push yourself and feel cocky when you pass others as you run by them, ha ha!
Running has changed me for the better. Emotionally, I feel less stressed, happy more often, my self-esteem has gone up because of the sense of accomplishment. Physically, I am satisfied the way I look now, my legs seem to be toning up (slowly though), my stomach does not look bloated, I have so much energy.
My plan for the next two weeks, before I transfer to my new school, is to run 6 miles at least five times per week. The last day, which is September 16th I set my goal for 9 miles and to accomplish what I thought I was never going to do. And, of course I will keep running while in school too.
Love your legs! They won't let you down.
