His Presence is New Every Morning

Making the first step

Commitment. The first of the month is always commitment day on the walk support board I go to on the ivillage network for women. It is the time when we choose a goal for the amount of miles we will walk for the month. I joined the support board a few months ago and have really enjoyed the encouragement and the accountability. Along with outdoor walking I use Leslie Sansone's walk dvd's.
Have you made a commitment or a goal for exercise before and had that promise to yourself fall by the wayside? Has that discouraged you from trying again?
Here a few tips to get you started.
1. Don‘t underestimate small beginnings. Maybe a friend of yours is walking 100 miles a month and you want to match that goal. Well, honey success can start in small steps towards a good goal. I'm up to 50 miles a month now, but when I first started I did a mile a day and that 6 mile a week goal was a huge step for me. Truth is you have to start somewhere that Is doable for you. Perhaps your goal might be as simple as a 20 minutes walk five days a week.
2. Inspiration through reading. Leslie Sansone's book Walk Away the Pounds contains the miracle mile dvd and is reasonably priced . Pick up a copy of it or a similar product. Tell you what when I first did the miracle walk it was a challenge for me, but it was doable.I wondered how she did it with seemingly little effort. Now a mile seems like a little stroll to me. Learning about different ways to go about your walk routine will help you be flexible.
3. Inspiration through accountability. I love to post on the ivillage Walk Away the Pounds support board and the ladies quickly become wonderful cyber friends. You may also have a friend right in your home town who can join with you and help keep you on track. I know it is weird but even the ladies on the dvd's become familar inspiration. Even my family has started to help and encourage me. (more on that in another post) Something as simple as a walk chart or journal helps. We can set up a week accountability thread here on the blog if anyone is interested.
4. Inspiration through doing. Everytime you get up and meet your goal for the day you strengthen your inspiration for the next work out. Yes sometimes you want to just forget it, but keeping a schedule helps.

Making exercise doable--My journey

Six months ago I was a middle aged couch potatoe. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't lying around eating bon bons all day, but I couldn't be confused with an active person. It was always my intention to get fit, but never my reality. There were always plenty of excuses to make for this predicament. Work, the children, housework, the bad weather, even the pets got their share of the blame. My weight began to creep up to a number I had never been before and my doctor began to talk of high blood pressure medication if something didn't change. Have you ever been in a place like that? Choices have to be made in times like those and really not making a change is a choice. It was in the middle of winter and so cold that I hardly wanted to run out to the car, but I had made the effort to get out of the house. My husband loves to shop at Sam's Club and I love the book department so that is a good combination. My prayer had been to find something doable for me. I found a book called Walk Away the Pounds which included a dvd called the miracle mile. My excuses where striped away as well as the fear of failure as I read the pages and turned on the dvd player. I'd love to share my journey with you and explore the wonderful world of walking. The program was my inspiration. You may be inspired by something else. The main thing is to realize that it is doable for you. Once you get a taste of success you'll find yourself being more active in all areas of life. Hope to see you on the blog.
Ruth