Baby Steps

I'm on a roll...or what I feel could be the beginning of a roll. 

Last night I did my bike for 20 minutes (5.5 miles, thank you very much)!  It was the first time in a while, shamefully, but I was glad I did it.

Tonight, when I got home, rather than getting into my jammies (which has become my evening ritual), I got into my workout clothes, closed myself in our guest room, and did my 25 minute Biggest Loser workout! 

So...now I just need to keep the momentum going.  That's the challenge - taking baby steps, slowly getting into a routine, and trying to figure out ways to stay on track even when the schedule changes.

Tomorrow will be a challenge.  After work we're meeting friends for dinner at Olive Garden (mmmm...salad and bread sticks - fortunately, I'm more excited about the salad), but I'm sure by the time we get home, I won't feel like working out.  So, I need to decide whether I'd rather get up early and exercise in the morning, give myself an evening off, or try to muster the motivation to get back on the bike after downing (what I expect will be) several helpings of salad, ravioli, and (just maybe) dessert.

Exercise is one of those things that I never regret doing.  Sure, it's a pain in the ass, I hate getting all sweaty, and it's so much more tempting to stay curled up on the couch...but I've never finished a workout and thought to myself "boy, that was a waste of time". 

That's what I need to remember - that sense of accomplishment that I get when I finish a workout!

Again...it's all about the baby steps.  I'm not going to tackle a huge food makeover and try to start a dramatic exercise routine all at the same time. 

At this point I'm so out of shape that during the initial "just step side to side with me" part of the workout video, my hips were starting to burn.

Just another sign that I need to take this slowly and go at my own pace. 

Yes, I was winded by the end.  Yes, the sweat was pouring off of me as if I'd just stepped out of the shower.  Yes, my legs feel like spaghetti.  But next time it will be a little bit easier.  I'll be a little less winded, a little less drenched in sweat, and a little less likely to collapse in the kitchen as I chug water.

Baby steps and little victories - that's what I'm about!