The weather is “unseasonably” warm here in Appalachia*, so it is possible to get outside and walk or run or hit a park that has an obstacle course and/or tennis courts, et c. without hypothermia setting in.

If you have never run before, think about it. Without cardio, burning off fat is difficult. Now there are exceptions, sure. But unless you are cutting for a weight competition and you know good and well what you are doing, get in your cardio. Get your heart rate up. Just walking is better than nothing, but a brisk walk is much better than a stroll. Running? Tabata sprints? Better than walking by far.

When I first decided that I was going to run I was thirty-two years old and I had just been cleared by my midwife to workout. I was nursing. I was starving.** I was exhausted, sleep-deprived, and gross. So I began with uphill walks on a treadmill for 25 minutes and I jogged for five minutes after that. After a few weeks (yes, weeks), I moved that to 2-3 minutes of jogging here or there throughout the uphill walk. Granted, all of my jogging was at an incline of 0.0 or 0.5, but it was hard for me. Being able to run a mile without stopping took me closer to three months than I was willing to admit. I felt judged by everyone at that gym. I was afraid to go to the weight section (it was generally entirely men), so I stuck with certain equipment. Worse, I had the Mommy Guilt. I felt so guilty and so uncomfortable going to the gym that I sometimes tried to run while pushing the stroller in my neighborhood. I continued with yoga when I could get a postnatal class, but I had to fight guilt and shame and imagined judgment at my slow progress with every trip to the gym. When I could run two miles without stopping, I finished with a walk for a mile (uphill) just to prove to myself that I was going to make progress.

I will get to the problems with my fear of the non-machine section of the gym in a later blog. The cardio, though? It was pretty tough, too. I began doing bodyweight exercises at home and using a few machines, but I ran on the treadmill. The more I told myself that people were watching me, the worse my progress was. I had to turn on the television on the machine, put in my ear buds, blast the music and let my imagination take me to other places — or force it to take me elsewhere until I could become motivated by my own progress. (Eventually that happens. Sometimes it happens immediately.)

When you think, “hey, I’ve done this much and I’m not dying, but I think I can reach three miles in 40 minutes (having walked a good portion of it), so I’ll crank up the speed and decrease the incline . . .” then you’re well on your way. Happiness ensues. Goals are achieved. Call someone who will understand and be happy for you and brag about it. Journal it. More importantly, notice what your body begins to look like when you add cardiovascular exercise to the strength training that you have been doing — your muscles are revealed (as long as you don’t overdo the cardio. More on that in a later blog, but cardio can destroy your muscle building progress.) and you see the progress that your strength training has developed that were hidden under the fat that was in the way before.

If running is really ill-advised for you per a doctor (not Web MD, but an actual medical physician), then look into cycling or ellipticals or boot camps, et c. Running is not the only way to get fit. Can it be boring for some people? Yes. Is boring a reason to not do something? Not always. I prefer treadmills so that I can let my mind wander and I can zone out without having to pay attention to oncoming traffic. Others prefer the great out-of-doors. Trail running, jogging through pretty parts of town, et c. I’ll run outside during lunch sometimes, but I do not prefer it. I am a treadmill person. I like to pick my own incline. I like to not have to dodge the fecal matter of geese, dogs, et c. I like to not worry about reapplying my sunscreen.

Try to run. Even if it seems boring at first, your growing accomplishments might make it less boring. Or take that cycling course (I just cannot call it “spinning.” Sorry.) or hit that elliptical or rowing machine.  Swim. Swim as many laps as you can. But do your cardio. See your improvements.

Do what you can do. Start where you are and do everything you can for as long as you can, as often as you are physically able. Make the time for this. Just get started. The rest falls into place and your ability increases. Slowly perhaps, but it increases. Just start. Get going. You are capable of starting. Begin today.

*Unseasonable weather in Appalachia is really a misnomer. In every season is a bit of weather that is archetypal weather for another season. I still have not seen snow in summer, but I have seen snow as late as Memorial Day in Morgantown, WV.

** If you are nursing and taking up running, eat more. Seriously, do not be foolish. You can either diminish your milk production before you want to or your own health will suffer as you fail to get enough nutrients to keep your body going and produce milk. You will still lose weight as long as you are not being insane with your eating. Nursing results in weight loss most of the time, anyway. Eat healthy foods and eat enough to keep you going and your baby fed.

Comforting, salty, sweet, cheesy, nutrient-deficient, tasty, filling, beautiful food. The worst part? Too easy. Just open a bag or slice into a pie, be it pizza, Shepherd’s, creamy chicken pot pie, cherry, lemon meringue, apple, pumpkin, peanut butter, or some other sort. Cake? Cookies? Toast with butter and jelly? It smells divine. It improves our moods for a short period of time. It wrecks out blood sugar, self-confidence, and willpower.

I stumble and fall when certain foods are available. As in flat on my face. I regret it immediately. Before I get to the pickup window to get my food after I’ve paid. As I throw away the chip bag and the empty dip container. Before the glorious rush of euphoria from the dark chocolate and creamy caramel have even left my body. Regret. The questioning begins. “Why did I do that?! What is wrong with me? What was I thinking? What do I do now?!!!!!!”

One moment of weakness. Then what? Move on. Yup. Move on. Eat the spinach salad with the bleu cheese anyway. Eat the rest of the menu you had planned anyway. Do not think about it. Do not think that this has ruined your life or your diet. Forget it. Do not dwell on it. You’ll not only want more if you continue to think about it, but you’ll also break your stride and your confidence. I don’t always know why I’m weak. I suspect it is mostly due to the flavor of the foods or sadness or being rushed or frustrated or perhaps I need some nutrient that my brain mis-associates  or misinterprets as being connected to that food.

You cannot really undo it. You cannot un-eat it in a healthy fashion. Do you need to work it off? Yes, but not necessarily at the expense of your workout plan if your have one. Not at the expense of your sanity, happiness, or outlook on food. Not at the expense of failing to eat the nutritive meals you ought to eat even though you just ate all the leftover ice cream.  Just resolve to do better, avoid the temptation, and forget your shortcoming. Forgive yourself. Move on. Do not exercise as punishment because that can cause you to view exercise in an unhealthy manner. Some mistakes we cannot fix. Most likely, that one candy bar or family size bag of chips will not hurt you unless you continue and repeat this behavior. Move on. Plan better, have healthy foods available instead, make a plan, and stick to it. Do not penalize yourself by taking away the rest of your food for today — you need that nutrition to keep going and to keep progressing.

The spiritual side of this is easy: forgive yourself. Shake the dust off your shoes and leave that behind. Pray for strength and wisdom and set yourself up to do better starting right now. You are strong enough to avoid this mistake in the future, so do it. But if you stumble and fall, get up and walk. Or crawl. But do not give up. This is one time that you can just pretend that nothing happened and just keep going. But keep going. Do not stop. Whatever you do, keep climbing toward your goals.