New Year's Resolutions...One We Might Just Do

 Many make new year's resolutions, myself included. Many have failed to follow through on those resolutions, myself included. There are several things that I do on a regular basis I would describe as positive. I suppose at some point--either consciously or subconsciously--I made a resolution to do these things (I wonder if the same could be said for the negative things I do...). 

In my fifty-five years on this planet, I know that making resolutions in no way guarantees success. In order for me to adopt a positive habit, I need to want to do it, want to make it part of me, want me to be a better person by doing it.

This morning we set up the beginnings of a home gym. We found a house that has a HUGE garage, something we're unaccustomed to having. This thing could house multiple VW beetles, or four normal-sized cars. One section of the garage is deep, more than the width of the house. When my wife first saw it, she envisioned that space to be perfect for a home gym.

I agreed.

We're starting small. We have a not-overly-used treadmill and I have a stationary bike apparatus that allows me to convert and use a normal bike inside. We're looking for an elliptical machine (if you have one that works and you would like it gone from your house, let us know...). We're even going to set up a Nintendo Wii unit and pretend to play tennis and such.

For the past week, we've been de-cluttering and organizing. We have a ways to go until we're finished, but little by little, things are coming together. We've worn ourselves out by all the work we've put in. Interestingly enough, we'll now try and wear ourselves out in other ways. I hope this resolution sticks. After all, we've already done a lot of work to get this far--might as well keep it going.

Hence, one way to make a resolution successful.

Well, #RunChat...Pretty Much Everything

Tonight I was doing a little Twitter browsing (the world's a much better place when I don't...), and I came across a tweet that posed a simple (yet, not...) question.

"What aspect of your running right now needs to the most improvement?"

Oh, #RunChat, if you only knew.

There are so many excuses to not run. The list is almost endless. Time, equipment, an ever-aging and aching body...you name it. Plus, where I live, there's long hill I'd have to climb at the end of my run and that's not something I look forward to. Of course, I could get in my car and got to a park to exercise. But, that requires more work and time.

And during this time of year, I'm sorry but I'm not going outside more than absolutely necessary when it's 100º or warmer--nope.

I could just start by walking. Walking is better than not walking, but the old excuses come into play again. I suppose the biggest excuse and the aspect that needs to the most improvement for me is attitude. Attitude is keeping me from getting off my tail end. Attitude prevents me from getting up early to avoid the heat, it stops me from leaving the house in running gear, it prevents me from running.

Tomorrow begins a new week. We're also in a new month. The days are getting cooler, and other excuses currently in place will change. So, will I begin running again?

Time will tell.

Getting In Shape...Again

There's probably three or four times in the past twenty-plus years I've been in good shape. I remember when we were building our house, my wife and I worked several hours every day but Sunday. We ate fast food almost every night and worked our butts off. I even got my cholesterol checked during that year and they said whatever I was doing, I should keep doing it because my levels were great. I never told them what I was eating because they always say never to eat that food.

A few years later I did a show, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The chirographer worked us nearly to death. During the two-month rehearsal period I lost twenty pounds. It's no wonder--we were doing a continual cardio session for several hours each night. I've done several shows since then and never had results like that.

The most recent time I was in pretty good shape was when I participated in my first and only Ragnar race. My friend asked me if I wanted to join their team about two or three weeks before the race. I ended up running about twenty or thirty miles to prepare.

But after that, I stopped running.

There's always a goal to return, to put on my running shoes and just go for it, but then I get home after a ten-hour shift and I'm just tired. I know it's not a good excuse, but it is an excuse. This past week I've returned to running, not a lot, but some. I ran my first mile and then stopped. And I've run several miles since. So far, so good. I wonder if I'll look back on this time as one of the times I actually got into shape, or if I'll say that this was the end of me not being in shape. Time will tell.

A Very Successful Little Run...With My Daughter

What constitutes a successful fun? There was a time when I looked forward to spring, not for the pollen-filled air that constantly tried to kill me with a thousand sneezes, but because it became a good time to go running. 

You'd not know it by looking at me now, but there was a time when I ran and ran a lot. I loved running and I was pretty good at it--not great, but good. And I had friends who enjoyed the sport as well. And back then, a successful run meant hitting it as hard as I could, pushing my body to run faster than I ever had before. I think if I did that now, in my current condition, I might not ever run again.

It's been a while since I ran. The last time was last Thanksgiving when I joined a couple of neighbors and we jogged around the town. Me and another guy more jogged/walked, while the women (who ran several times a week...) ran circles around us.

That's the thing about running. Even if you go out one day, you mentally think you can and should do it more, like the next day. The the next day comes and you don't. At least, that's been my story. But sometime last week I thought about going out and getting some exercise and I thought about inviting my daughter to go with me. 

Growing up I was skinny, and I mean skinny. I struggled to add weight, even in college. Apparently I no longer suffer from this condition. My kids are pretty thin, too, and I've always wondered if they'd be good, natural runners. I think my daughter might be. She did well in gymnastics back in the day, so I asked her if she wanted to go. I was happy she said, "yes."

Last night we set out. We ended up jogging for 3/4 of a mile and walking another 3/4 of a mile along a trail the city built years ago. It's a good trail; it's shared with bikers and, in some area, horses are allowed. Few were out last night--few humans, that is. The bugs, however, enjoyed much of the trail (maybe that's why there weren't more humans...). 

And, as you often do when you run with a partner, while we jogged and walked, we chatted about this and that, nothing heavy--kind of like the effort we put in. No, neither of us pushed it. We took it slow. Naturally, I want to go again and we will if we make it a priority. The best part of the whole thing is when my daughter said she wants to go again, too.

That, my friends, is a successful run.

Looking Up...

For the past month, or maybe three weeks, I've been taking a couple of breaks each day to walk the stairs at work. There's six floors on the south side of the building and seven floors on the north side. I go up and down each side twice a day. And because I've let myself go a little bit, by the time I reach the top of Floor Seven, I'm a little winded. 

In fact, as I begin the second set of stairs, I methodically take each step, one foot in front of the other, floor after floor. And I noticed something this afternoon.

I never look up.

When I take the stairs I usually look down at each upcoming step. Sure, it's a safety issue, but occasionally it's good to lift your head and take a look around. The point is, I don't look at the destination. I don't look for the goal. I'm not focusing on the prize. 

Today I looked up to where I was going. I know it's a very simple act, but it actually helped me do the stairs. I saw where I was headed. It made the experience a little better. So many things in our lives are done automatically. We go into "robot mode" with the things we do every day. I'm going to try and look at things differently, have a different perspective with the ordinary. Maybe I can try that with my writing. Who knows what can happen?