Im not laughing at all!

by

Subtitle: a snippet from my in-box.


I know you may laugh but today I got up at 6ish and did 5 minutes on treadmill.
I thought if I start slow I might get on it again…………wish me luck

starting off right.

First, I love getting these kinds of emails as they serve to motivate ME as well.

34565th (Valerie? that’s for you)? this is precisely what I would tell some of my clients when I was a trainer.

If they were just starting out or just starting back I’d often recommend that they start with five minutes a day of their cardio o’choice.

no more.

no matter how much they wanted to do more once they got going (I know, MADNESS!).

the next week?

I’d up the amount to ten minutes a day following the same drill as above (depending on fitness level. sometimes we’d simply do just six minutes a day. it is all about setting ourselves —the royal ourselves—up for success, People.).

sure, at some point in my crazyplan they’d be doing cardio for a length of time a specific number of days per week—–but in the beginning, well, please to refer back to the email above.

now turn off your computer and get out there.

for 5 minutes or fifty.

sometimes it really doesnt matter which.


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Comments

  1. Tee-hee…love the numerical silliness! 🙂

    And I love the advice. I can’t count how many times I started an exercise program, gung-ho, only to burn out after a couple of weeks (if I even made it that long) because it was just too much, too soon and I hated it. (Yes, I hate exercise. As much as I love it. It’s an odd relationship.) I was trying to go from couch-potato to Exercise Barbie and it just didn’t work. It wasn’t till I started out slow, doing pretty much exactly what you’ve outlined, that I finally managed to work my way into a good, healthy exercise routine, and I have never looked back.

    So much of it is mental – the ability to MAKE yourself step back on the treadmill without wanting to throw up at the idea, for instance – and I think pushing ourselves too far too fast really builds up that dread.

    So once again, go, MizFit! 🙂 You so smawt. I am, as usual, in awe.

    V.

  2. and monday i am doing 10 minutes and i am EXCITED!!

    small.

    baby.

    steps.

    trying something new……

  3. Love, love, love this post! Imposing a strict time or pace restraint also builds DESIRE to do more. When I first started walking for exercise and building both habit and stamina, I would rush home from work to get on the treadmill. For the first time in my life, I was EAGER to exercise. ME!! 🙂

  4. So I’m sitting in my rocking chair in front of my computer right now. I played soccer for 15 years and never had to worry about gaining weight or being outta shape cause I was running after a little ball and trying to be the best, competing with the others on the field to be the best. Now I’m a 26 yr old Mommy (a proud one, too!) with no soccer team to compete with. My butt competes with my rocking chair to see which one will be the softest! Sad at 26, huh?! Two weeks ago I decided to start running 3 days each week, and I mapped out a mile long path to take. The first day I took my dog, which quickly proved that your body can forget how to move! I felt like an uncoordinated pre-teen, for crying out loud. I even took pity on those who had to watch me struggling down the street toward my no more baby belly and booty goal. So the next day I was horribly sore, but I was not giving up. After a one day break, I went again (without the cumbersome dog this time!) and it was a little easier. But again the next day I was so sore I had to stretch to be able to pick up my 1.5yr old son. I am only 26 yrs old!!! I will be taking your advice, starting as slow as I darned well please so that I don’t hate myself for torturing me 🙂 So I thank you for “allowing” me (and all of us) to say that a little IS enough to get back into it!

  5. So true. Whenever I need to take a break from my exercise routine, when I go back to it, I start back really slowly, then build back to my normal routine over a week or so.

  6. I wish I knew slow. I’m kindof an all or nothing kind of girl. I’m glad you all are going slow. Slow is good. Slow will motivate you to want to go fast someday.

    Enjoy the journey.

  7. I read and agree with your excellent advice!

    I then went for a morning run in hot-hot Florida!
    (as you suggested)

    Now I’m back, happy, finished, and giving you the props you deserve!

  8. Good advice! Today I am going for a walk in a forest. I’m very excited. Any amount is better than nothing!

  9. Slow is good. Slow will motivate you to want to go fast someday.

    I really like that, Rachel.

    M.

  10. There is a lot to be said for five minutes! Sometimes just 5 minutes of stillness goes a long way in my life, too. 🙂

  11. Great Advice MizFit!!! For anyone willing to get up at 6 AM, my hat’s off to you! Your 5 minutes is golden and I bet you felt great! Slow and steady!

  12. I so need to do this, MizFit. Even before reading your post today I had realised I need to schedule some regular DAILY exercise, and I intend that to be in the morning (just before the shower / breakfast / dress for work routine).

    Although I do eventually plan to add gym sessions in the evenings, at the moment I’m not really fit enough for that and my evening schedule is always a bit chaotic — life has been busy recently.

    I figured that if I start just walking (or very slow jogging) round the block where I live at 6.30 am in the morning just 5 – 10 minutes, it will become part of my daily routine.

    I am hoping that this plan pans out, because I am naturally an early riser, a morning person.

    Wish me luck!

  13. This really is great advice. In fact, Leo over at ZenHabits actually recommended starting ridiculously small, at just 2 minutes a week. The sole reason being that if you set an initial goal so low that you can’t possibly fail, you can slowly build on your successes. by doubling it each week, building on the success of the previous week, you can get up to an exercise routine with “real” results.

    Such a great idea!

  14. checking in as Im off to run this morning. run LITERALLY one short loop around the block and then back here to sit my arse on the stationary bike for 20 minutes and read some trashy mags (Hello, In Touch Weekly!!).

    baby steps to running.

    M.

  15. slow is the way i got back into running after having each of my boys. i’d go out for a 15 minute walk and put in 1 minute running segment. i’d start with about 5 minutes total time of running and work up from there. it works like a charm. very easy on th body…..mentally and physically!
    still receiving us weekly for FREE here. i’ll be so sad when i don’t have my mindless trash to read!:)

  16. Hey MizFits!!

    Great post. I always start out that way – it will be short workout/run and within in 10 minutes, it turns out to be okay!!!

    At random times, I’ve been doing bleacher runs. A soccer training said it was bad to do, never gave a real reason, what do you think? Do you think it is just BAD for soccer players????

    I like doing them, feel they kick up my workouts a notch, but don’t want to do them if they will put me out of commission!!!

    Talk to you soon,

    Deanna

  18. Too funny! I have a similar post to this on my blog today. It was about Tobey Maguire getting back in shape for Spiderman 3 – bear with me here… basically his trainer started him out slowly until he was ready to ramp up and do more. He went from cardio 20 minutes 3 times a week to running stairs for 45 minutes 5 days a week!

    The point is that it doesn’t matter if you start with 5 minutes, 20 minutes, or 3 minutes, at least you’re starting!

    Great stuff as usual MizFit!!!

  19. This is another one of those posts that hit me at the right time – when I’ve been berating myself for not doing much cardio (read: any?).

    And, if I can’t find 5 minutes in each day I’ll be pretty digusted with myself.

    Thanks for the polite kick in the arse!

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