Exercise Challenge

Alright, so it's now February. There's a better than decent chance that everyone that made "getting in shape" their New Year's Resolution has already failed. Or at least lost track of their goal, and could use some help getting back up on the horse. 

So I challenge you...five minutes. 

Every day for the next week (barring extreme weather/emergency circumstances) to get outside (or inside if you have a treadmill) and walk or run for 5 minutes!!!

Seriously, strap on your shoes. Or tie or duct tape or whatever you need to do. Commit to five minutes. If you aren't a running, commit to walking it. If you are a runner, commit to running it every other day, or 3 x week, and walking the rest. Every little bit helps. Every minute you are up off your butt you are making more endorphin in your brain to help you feel more awesome. Every minute you are up and moving you are burning more calories than sitting around. Every one has 5 minutes to spend for your health and sanity every day. 

Not only are you more likely to stick with it if your goal is relatively easy to achieve. Just 5 minutes. Maybe an after dinner walk with the family - it's good for digestion!

This is the ONE thing my husband and I have managed to do since Halloween. We have missed just a few days. One I was in the ER, and 2 more it rained the entire time we were home together. Every other day we at least walked around the block.

Some of those days, we decided on a much longer walk because we felt good and were enjoying it. 

Keep in mind that if it takes you 10-15 minutes to bundle up to go out in the winter for a walk, it's worth then taking a longer walk. :) This is helping you out in the long run.

Do you have a dog? Commit to walking the dog for 5 minutes at least a day. This is a great strategy if you need more motivation.

This sad, pathetic-looking little pooch has managed at least a mile with us everyday. In fact, we started taking him on some of our shorter runs of the week. 3 mile runs, and this little dude joins us. This is my proof that we are not fast runners. 10 lbs mini dachshunds cannot keep up with fast people, so we're definitely slow. Slow is fine, slow is safe. There is little more to guilt most people to running at least 5 minutes than seeing/hearing about a dog with 4" legs running further than you. Seriously, just go do it. 

Every bit you do makes you more likely to do more later. Once you have a streak of so many days under your belt, it's easy to agree to just go around the block - even if you're nauseous and tired.

Remember that if you think it's too hard, consider that in order to keep running, I had to go buy the UGLIEST BRA EVER. It's literally called The Last Resort Bra and it was my last resort to a sports bra that comes in my size (tiny band HUGE cups) and is less than $80. I got stuck with pink because it was $20 cheaper at the time. 

Yes, this is the ugliest bra I've ever bought, but I think it will last through the pregnancy, might still be useful afterwards, and it does a great job of taming the bounce. 

If you have a problem getting outside to run or walk in the cold, check out these tips from my favorite blog - Shut Up and Run. 

Challenge yourself. Commit to 5 minutes a day. If you feel great at the end of 5 minutes, push it a little further. Keep going. If you feel crappy 5 minutes in, go back inside. You did it!

Coming soon: how to get started with running/working out.