I think this is the last post I have talking about the “year of responsibility.”
(At least, the last post for a while. I did want to get my finances better together… and I did! But I want to wait to see how my taxes shake out before I really say I’ve got things together.)
Anyway, I wanted to work out more consistently and be better about going after improvement, instead of just doing a bunch of half marathons for the fun of it. And I really did that!
I got back into my old mode of training from when I’d really trained (for my first half marathon). I had speed days, long-distance days, and middle-distance days. I tried varying up some workouts. I worked hard. And it’s paying off!
I felt better and more consistent in my last half marathon. (And I finished faster than any race I’d run after having open-heart surgery.)
One of the things I felt I really saw this year was how much your work life impacts your workout life. Some people are “make no excuses – always find a way!” I like to believe I’m one of those people. But when push comes to shove, I wasn’t necessarily one of them…
From the beginning of July to the end of September, I worked out in Burbank! I felt I might as well be working on the moon. To make matters worse, I worked daytime hours (daytime, I tell you!). I was so exhausted everyday from my incredibly long commute and that whole being out when the sun it out thing…
I basically just collapsed on my bed when I got home and more often than not would just zombie out with TV and internet until my eyes closed and I did it all again the next day…
I also worked in the middle of nowhere. There was only one restaurant around us – some little local café place. And then there was our commissary, which had a bunch of super unhealthy fried food and buttery food and all that jazz (which I totally ate all the time).
Now, why I decided it was best to just give up, eat the fattening food that was convenient, and not push myself to work out when I got home… who knows? I kept saying I wanted to change. But change is hard…
In October, I started working at a place close to my apartment. It was also close to a grocery store and tons of restaurants. It also was within walking distance from a gym!
I often went to yoga during my dinner break. I often used the grocery store instead of eating out. (And when I did eat out, I had tons of options and always tried to pick the best one.) And I almost always worked out when I got home!
(Of course, this was much easier, ’cause my body clock was on a schedule that was much more pleasant for me. I worked nights. I came home when the sun was down and no one was in the gym.)
It’s amazing the difference my new job made! Or it’s amazing the difference my happier, more can-do attitude adjustment made?
I think it was probably a bit of both. You can’t argue with super-convenience. But you also can’t argue with results. And giving my body better fuel and more exercise made me feel like such a much happier/energetic person… If I had just done that at the other job, would my exhausted attitude have changed?
The point is, I’ve gotten much better about working out more consistently during these past few months. I, of course hope, I get a convenient job again. But even if I don’t, I will work to be better about keeping up my habits. As I say all the time on this very blog, my life is always better when I consistently work out. How many times do you think I’ll have to learn that lesson ’til it sticks? 😛