WW Monday Link Up : Exercise Tips

So today's link up over at Learning As We Go is about exercise tips. To be honest, I am really new to the exercise game but I am learning a lot. I have never been one to exercise just for the sake of it. Up until my knee injury in college, my exercise was always training for the sports I played. It was working towards a goal of being a better athlete not just moving to move. When I hurt my knee, I couldn't do the same things anymore and now I am in a place where I don't have the necessary teams to play team sports so I have been at a loss for what to do. That was the reason that I signed up for the Princess Half last year but as I said before, my mind wasn't in the right place so it didn't work. Now that things have clicked, I am learning more about what works for me and what doesn't and having that goal is a great motivator.

First of all, don't do too much too soon. Especially, if you are working towards a goal like I am with the half marathons next year. I am keeping my workouts simple. I run with my training plan. That is my main focus. I am also slowly adding in some cross training like swimming first and then I plan on later adding spin classes. Both of these things help you build on your running without the impact on your joints. Other than that, I am doing some strength training for my upper body because it is WEAK. I want to do some higher impact training eventually but I don't want to start it until after the races. If you try too much too soon, you will only end up getting hurt and then you will have to do nothing for a while. I made the mistake of trying out a higher intensity DVD last week and then I could barely run because my legs were burnt out and my joints were killing me. So start with one thing and then add little things that compliment it as you get stronger and have more endurance.

Second, listen to your body. If it doesn't feel right, stop. I'm not talking about soreness or fatigue I'm talking about pain. You should no the difference because one just feels like you are working hard and the other just feels unnatural. You don't want to risk serious injury just because you think it is something you should be doing. There is always something else you can try.

Next, it's ok to not like something. Sometimes certain exercises just aren't for you. If you don't like it, move on to something else until you find something you do. If you really want to run but you hate running on a treadmill, jog a lap around your neighborhood. If you don't like the heat, find an indoor track. If tracks are too small and repetitive, find a running trial in a park or neighborhood nearby. If you try all of that and you still don't like running, try a bike or a pool. Try aerobics classes, free weights, machines, circuit gyms, roller skating, walking, jumping rope, boxing, martial arts, or anything you can think of that gets you moving. You will eventually find something you like and once you do, exercising will be that much easier. hell, you can just go shopping and make sure you park a long way from the mall. Make a few laps around before you go in the first store. Window shop if you don't want to spend money. There have been plenty of times that I have just gone to stores and looked at things that I want in the future just to get myself out of the house and moving. It is a great way to get exercise but not focus on it.

Find a good buddy. My husband has been great(when he's here). He has been running with me or riding his bike since he had a stress fracture and it has made all the difference. It is nice having him there to support me and give me a high five when I finish my workouts. It is great having someone to talk to so I am not quite so bored out there. Running with him has even helped during the times that he is gone. We talk about it after I workout because he always asks how it went. I know that he is going to ask and I don't want to tell him that I just flaked because he is gone so I go out and do my workout so I can honestly tell him how it went. If it sucks, I tell him that and he encourages me to keep going because it will get better later.

Finally don't give up when you have a bad day(week, month, etc.) It will get better. This is the one I am trying to remind myself of right now. For the past 2 months the running has been going really great but two weeks ago it all went south. I got sick and since it is an upper respiratory issue it affects my breathing which seriously puts a strain on my running. It has been very frustrating and has forced me to rework my training plan but that's ok. It is also making me slow down a little and realize I was trying to push a little faster than I should. If you quit every time you have a bad day, by the time you start back you are just going to be more frustrated because you have gone backwards and you have to do all of the same work over again. Just push through and it will all be worth it in the end. If you are sick, see a doc and listen to them. You may need to slow down for a little while or take a break. If it's just a bad day, push through or you will have many more bad days in the future.


I don't know if this is exactly what she had in mind when she gave out this topic but these are my tips. I'm not going to tell you how awesome this and that workout is because that is something you need to figure out for yourself. It is a process to figure out what is right for you. Don't give up, you will figure it out and you will be a better person for it in the end.