Working up a sweat hiking Diamond Head in Hawaii.

Working up a sweat hiking Diamond Head in Hawaii.

Don’t you just love the feeling you get right after you’ve put in a sweaty, heart-pumping exercise session? It may not always be blissful in the midst of a stint on the stairmaster or (heaven forbid) the treadmill (shudder), but the sensation you get from vigorous activity and that resulting “after glow” can’t be beat. Trail running, cycling, hiking, jumping rope—these are my preferred forms of cardiovascular exercise. In a pinch, I’ll hop on the elliptical or stair machines at my gym and attempt to lose myself in an issue of my favorite health or fashion magazine (fall’s fashion trends help take my mind off the monotony and drudgery of the repetitiveness and lackluster scenery), but I prefer working out outside whenever possible. There’s just something about sweating outdoors that seems so much more, well, natural. I love basking in the warm, yellow sunshine during a long bike ride, counting the red and orange leaves on the trees I pass during a hike, hearing the gurgling of water in the creek near my home on my trail run. These are the sights, sounds, and sensations that inspire me to be an active person so that I can live a long and healthy life, climbing steep and winding trails well into old age.

It wasn’t always this way. There was a time when the mere thought of exercise made me break out in a nervous sweat. After graduating from college—having neglected exercise and indulged in daily fast food feasts for four years—I was terribly overweight and horribly unhappy. When I looked in the mirror, I saw an unhealthy, sad person staring back at me. When my grandmother died the year I graduated from college, I vowed that I would regain the level of fitness I had when I was younger and competed on a national level on a jumprope team (yes, jumping rope is a competitive sport). My grandmother had been a healthy, active person, yet she was still stricken with a chronic and debilitating illness. If a vital person like my grandmother could succumb to such a terrible disease, what might my future hold if I continued down the path toward obesity? And so I bravely marched to the store, bought a handful of fitness DVDs and size XL workout gear, and started an exercise routine. At first, I could barely get through ten minutes of moderate cardio without getting winded, but I stuck with it and, over time, managed to complete an entire DVD without stopping for a break. Next, I attempted running. My brother and sister ran regularly, and one day, I decided to give it a try. I joined them for an afternoon jog, but quickly learned that this running thing was a whole other animal. I made it one block before I had to stop, panting and gasping for breath. I told my siblings to go on without me and turned toward home, head hung low, tears pooling in the corners of my eyes. I remember chastising myself, angrily questioning, “Why can’t you do this? How could you let yourself go? Your younger sister and brother can run four miles. Why can’t you even run one block?” But once home, the self-defeating talk gave way to self-motivating speak. I told myself, “Well, so what? You can’t run. Not yet, anyway. But one day you will.” I popped an exercise DVD into the player and selected an advanced routine rather than the intermediate routine I had mastered. And you know what? I didn’t make it all the way through without a break, but I didn’t beat myself up. Like running, I knew this would be yet another goal to accomplish, one that was slightly out of my reach for the time being, but not for good. Fast forward six years, and I’m now a regular runner. I’ve completed two half-marathons, a full marathon, a 12k, and a host of 10ks and 5ks. But I’ll never forget that girl who couldn’t make it down the block. When I have a rough day on the trails, I remember how she felt that afternoon years ago, and I run a little harder and a little faster just for her.

In addition to running, biking, hiking, and jumping, I try to engage in regular weight training to help hone and tone my muscles. I use five- and eight-pound hand weights to do twenty to thirty minutes of moderate weight training in my living room, or use the resistance machines at my gym to work a few specific body parts after my cardio sessions (biceps, triceps, and quadriceps one day, then shoulders, chest, back, and hamstrings a few days later). When I’m traveling, I know that I can keep up my weight training without any equipment at all. All I need is my own body weight! I do push-ups, squats, lunges, wall-sits, tricep dips (using a chair), planks, or just bust out some yoga and/or pilates moves on my hotel floor. And even when I don’t have access to cardio machines, I know I can always go for a run, or simply walk up and down the stairs of my hotel to get my heart rate up and break a sweat. Fitness is a priority in my life and I don’t make excuses. No matter where I am, I know I can create a great workout for myself. As the old saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way. After years of neglecting my body and my health, I certainly have the will to stay in shape.

I will regularly publish exercise-related posts on this blog to help inspire myself and others to make fitness fun. Because that’s what it should be. If you hate running, don’t do it. You might enjoy swimming or tennis instead. If you loved jumping rope as a kid, pick up a rope at your local sporting goods store and get jumping! If you make exercise enjoyable, you will be more likely to stick with it and see the results you can only get my making a long-term commitment to a fitness routine. Look for postings on a host of exercise topics, from efficient weight training moves to exciting cardio concepts. Remember, I’m not a personal trainer, but I do have the personal experience of having lost over fifty pounds all on my own, without the aide of a structured weight loss program or trainer. If I can do it, you can do it. So, come on. It’s a beautiful world out there and there’s so much to see. Let’s get moving!