Comfort

Today was a great workout (which I've previously been spelling as "work-out", I don't know why but I'm a little embarrassed!).  I've committed to doing them and have dragged myself kicking and complaining into pushing play, but I've done them.  But doing them and pushing myself are two different things, and I know that in my heart, and when I've settled for a comfortable pace.

One of the things I like the most about Tony, the P90 instructor, is that he stresses, "Go at your own pace, not our pace.  Do the best you can do."  When I first started and was really really out of shape, that pace was correspondingly really really slow.  But I kept doing it and it gradually became easier.  When I started to get comfortable, I switched from the 1-2 sessions to the 3-4 sessions, and had to struggle to finish again.

Now... I'm proud that the 3-4 sessions have gotten a bit easier too, because it shows that change is happening and I'm getting stronger and healthier.  But I still have a long way to go on this journey, so I can't just coast along.  After every brass ring (which can be a ton of things- eating well for a certain amount of time, progressing in C25K, hitting a new weight, etc.), there is another brass ring worth fighting for.

So today I realized I've gotten just a little bit complacent and I pushed myself- to go a little faster and harder, to take a few less pauses, etc.  It felt really good!  I learned/realized for the dozenth time on this journey that hey, I can do this.  I let myself slack, but I can push myself harder.

There's that quote/slogan that I find inspirational and think of a lot: "If it's impossible, stop.  If it's uncomfortable, keep going."

I have a friend who I introduced to C25K recently.  I can't say enough good things about it, and he'd like to get healthier and lose some weight, too.  He wasn't in perfect shape and had never really run either so he was asking me for advice (just as a friend of course, not as a medical professional/expert or something), so I told him, "Do what you can... not what you want to."

It's what I need to tell myself, too.  C25K is up later, and is going to ask for 25 minutes.  I'm apprehensive for sure.  But I will do the best I can.  If that is the whole length of time, great.  If it isn't... as long as it's my best, then still great.  I know that I will get there as long as I keep trying, pushing forward a little bit at a time.

I wrote a few days ago about how I was thinking about trying the Insanity workout program when I "finish" P90 on October 7th.  I wasn't 100% sure though, and it was because of self-doubt, because of how hard it's said to be.

Today, when I pushed myself in cardio to work harder because I can now, I decided 100% in my head that I will get Insanity.  Maybe I will start it the same way I had to start P90- gasping for breath, doing all the alternate moves, needing to pause a lot.

But that's not something to be scared of.  That's just the start, and we all have to start somewhere.  What matters is where I can and will end, if I believe in and never stop pushing myself.  If I just try.

Going to eat a giant healthy salad to fuel the jog!  I'll update later with how it went.  Hope everyone's having a wonderful day.