Two Miles

Since we bought the treadmill in mid-November, my goal has been to walk two miles in 30 minutes. I almost made it this morning, two miles in 30:34. The flat 30:00 was the norm when I walked at the gym 3-4 years ago so I know I can do it. It takes a steady speed of at least 4 miles an hour. Once I'm comfortable with that I will increase the incline, which makes the walk more of a workout.

This afternoon I will add crunches and a short workout with 3-pound weights to my routine.

This is the year to establish the habits that I will need for the rest of my life. Before menopause I could manage my body shape through diet. That is no longer the case, and I refuse to get comfortable with feeling frumpy. I want to feel strong. That's going to take some work at this point in my life.

Like so many other changes in recent years, I have a spent a good amount of time lamenting how my body used to look and feel. That didn't get me anywhere, so I've decided to get serious about what I really want. I have admitted that exercise needs to become part of my daily routine. It's not my first choice, but it's become obvious that it's the only way to get the results I want.

I know there are health benefits from regular exercise. Surprisingly, that did not act as much of an incentive. Jeans feeling a bit tighter did the trick. I know holiday treats contributed to the problem, but I don't want to have to stop eating cookies and other treats. I love homemade cookies! and pies! and muffins! Cutting out all those goodies would be the worst form of denial, which I hope to avoid.

Hmmm...a sugar cookie would taste good, but I think I'll dig out the weights first.