I finally have the doctor's permission to workout, I finally have my mom's permission to workout, so whats stopping me? I am scared. I am terrified that once I start I wont be able to stop. But hey, you wont know until you try - right? So here goes nothin'. I am going to start out slow and work my way up. I am not going to allow myself to over-do it and get back to that awful place that consumed every bit of me. I am going to be healthy and look great doing it! Afterall, slow and steady wins the race!
So this is it, this is the place where I start over and do it the right way. Here goes nothin! I have a goal of 4 weeks. That gives me just enough time before my best friends wedding to look and feel good, to be fit and in shape. I have a long way to go, seeing as how I haven't done any type of fitness since January! But you know what I say? I say Bring. It. On!
At this point in time, I am pretty out of shape. Back in January I was running about an 8 minute mile. Today, I am lucky if I hit a 14 minute mile! I have lost all the strength in my abs and my thighs and I have a much harder time catching my breath. But hey, at least there is room for improvement! Luckily for me, work has kept my arm strength at a pretty decent level. So this is where we break the schedule down.
So my goal over these next 4 weeks? I want to be at a 9 minute mile. I want to be able to last for 20 minutes on the stair climber and have a fantastic ab workout set in place!
Doctor's Orders
Week 1: May 26-June 1 - I don't really want to over do it the first week back so bear with me as I start off slow.
- Sunday, May 26
- Sunday is my slow day. By this day, work has kind of kicked my butt from the previous week and I don't really have the energy for a whole lot. But, you don't get anywhere by sitting on your butt!
- While in treatment, I started participating in a yoga class. So my Sunday nights will consist of a yoga and Pilates class. This class will help increase my flexibility as well as some abdominal and muscular strength. It is also an excellent habit for me to keep up with as yoga is a great stress reliever for me! I find sunday evening yoga classes to be a perfect way for me to "end" my week.
- Monday, May 27
- In case anyone was wondering, this day is also my BIRTHDAY! But, that doesn't mean it is a day off! Seeing as how this will be the first day truly back in the gym, it might be a little rough.
- I will start off with a quick warm up and then hop on the treadmill. My goal is to walk/jog for three miles. I'll start slow and steady and slowly increase it and decrease it as need be. I am aware that my asthma will get in the way so it will probably be more walking than running but if at all possibly, I would love to have walked/jogged those three miles in 35 minutes! (We shall see how that works out)
- I will spend a quick 10 minutes on some ab workouts and crunches as well as Pilates Ab Series that I have learned.
- After the treadmill I will move on to the ellyptical! This used to be one of my favorite pieces of equipment, lets see if I still have the same love for it. Like I said, I want to start off slow. 20 minutes on here with zero resistance I feel will be a great start for me to work my way up.
- The stair climber will be used next to get my heartrate up. I feel like this will be the biggest struggle for me so we will start off slow, extremely slow, and just set a goal of about 7-8 minutes with a maximum heart rate of 160.
- Slowing it down a little, I will hop back on the treadmill to walk a slow, easy mile to get my heartrate back down.
- I will end with a few laps in the swimming pool to cool down and relax.
- Tuesday, May 28
- Relaxing, off day! But don't forget to stretch out those sore muscles!
- Wednesday, May 29
- After a slow workout Monday, I will attend a class that gets my heartrate going, keep me moving and having fun - Zumba! Zumba class is one of my favorite ways to get exercise, burn calories and have a great time!
- Thursday, May 30
- Today will consist of a nice 45 minute walk around my neighborhood and quite possibly a swim in the pool.
- Weather permitted, I would also love to take a bike ride and enjoy the outdoors.
- Friday, May 31
- Its back to the gym we go! Today, focusing on a few other things.
- Again, I will start with a quick stretch and warm up and then hop back on the treadmill for another 35 minutes. This time, I will push to make it just over 3 miles.
- I will do some ab workouts and incorporate some of the Pilates ab series that I have learned. This won't last too long but it should be a great place to start getting back in shape!
- I will jump on the bicycle next, aiming to bike about 5 miles in 30 minutes.
- Last, I will do the stairclimber again. I will continue on the goal of reaching 7-8 minutes with a heartrate of 160.
- Switching it up a little, I will take a nice, relaxing walk around the gym to get my heartrate down a little.
- Saturday, June 1
- Today is an off day to sleep in and relax before work!
- I will continue to participate in the activities started last week in hopes to improve on them just a little more each time!
- Sunday, June 2
- slow, and relaxing day today ending with a hot yoga class to work on strength and flexibility.
- Monday, June 3
- A quick 5-10 minute warm up just to get my blood flowing and muscles warm.
- I will jump on the treadmill. Today, I will push for about 37 minutes on the treadmill with a bit of an incline, jogging more than walking and hopefully adding an extra half mile into my routine.
- An ab workout will be next, lasting roughly 10-13 minutes. Today, I might incorporate some type of equipment to help me build my indurance up.
- A 26 minute workout on the ellyptical with a resistance of 3-4 will be added in today.
- Ending the workout with 10 minutes on the stairclimber! Today, I will aim to walk up 16 flights of stairs in those ten minutes.
- I will do a 5-10 minute cool down to get my heartrate down.
- Tuesday, June 4
- Day off to stretch out my muscles and work on that flexibility!
- Wednesday, June 5
- Wednesday's are great days for a Zumba class! It adds a little spunk to my workout and gives me the motivation to keep me going! At this point in time, hopefully I will be a little more in shape and have the ability to attend a kickboxing class as well.
- Thursday, June 6
- Another slow day today. My goal for Thursday is to complete 15-20 laps in the pool in about 25 minutes.
- Friday, June 7
- Gym day! I will warm up for roughly 10 minutes.
- Jump on the treadmill for 40 minutes today with an incline of 3.5 and a distance of 3 1/2 miles!
- A quick ab workout focusing on Joseph Pilates ab series workout
- Today, I will aim to bike 6 miles in 30 minutes.
- I will end the day with a 15 minute cool down on the ellyptical ending with a heartrate of 100.
- Saturday, June 8
- Use this day to relax and enjoy the summer! Bike to the pool just to get that blood pumping.
- Can you see my routine yet?! I don't want much muscle growth. That still scares me. For the time being, I just want to get fit and get in shape.
- Sunday, June 9
- Hot yoga time! If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. It is a fantastic way to spend an hour once a week. Its hot, extremely hot. I don't think I have ever sweat more but I love it and I come out feeling fantastic!
- Monday, June 10
- After a quick warmup and stretching, I will get right to work.
- Today, I want to be able to run 3 miles straight through. I won't focus on the time or the speed, my focus will just to be run 3 miles all the way through without stopping. If possible, at a slight incline of 3.
- I will spend 10-15 minutes working on Joseph Pilates Ab Series workout
- After abs, I will go to the stairclimber today. My goal for the stairclimber is a heartrate of 160 and to successfully climb up 20 flights of stairs! I will not focus on the time it takes me to achieve this today.
- I will end the workout with a few slow laps in the swimming pool to cool my body off.
- Tuesday, June 11
- Today, I will attend a pilates and yoga class. A nice, relaxing way to continue on with my week to ensure that my body is staying active and stretched.
- Wednesday, June 12
- I will attend the 60 minute zumba class as well as the Kickboxing class to keep my body active and to get my heartrate going.
- I will spend 30 minutes on the treadmill, reaching a maximum heartrate of 145.
- Thursday, June 13
- Today will consist of a 45 minute walk outside as well as a 45 minute swim in the pool.
- I will take the time to nourish my body today and do something nice for myself. Whether that is getting a massage, my nails done, etc. My body deserves it!
- Friday, June 14
- Today, we spice things up. Not too much, just a little more intense.
- I want to spend 50 minutes on the treadmill with a maximum heart rate of 160. I have a goal to run four 11 minute miles at an elevation of 3.5.
- I will then jump on the ellyptical with a resistance of 5 for 30 minutes.
- The bicycle will be incorporated next, biking a distance of 7 miles with no allotted timeframe.
- Last, I will use the stairclimber to climb up 20 flights of stairs again, only this time hoping to accomplish it in 15 minutes.
- Saturday, June 15
- Relax and enjoy time with good friends and family today!
- Its crunch time! I officially have one week until I leave for my best friends wedding in Colorado! Hopefully by now I am at least near my goals that I have set for myself and I have seen some improvements!
- Sunday, June 15
- Hot yoga time! It may be 100 degrees outside but it sure feels nice to do yoga in a 100 degree room as well!
- Monday, June 16
- Make it or break it time!
- Today, I will check to see how close to my goals I am. I will set a time limit of 30 minutes with an incline of 4. Ideally, I would love to be running just over 3 miles in this workout on the treadmill but we will see!
- Today, I will see how long I can hold a plank. Hopefully by now I have gained more ab muscle and will be able to hold my full plank, half plank and side planks for at least a minute to a minute and a half.
- I will aim to hit my goal of 20 minutes on the stairclimber. I wont focus on climbing a certain number of stairs, of getting a certain heartrate or burning a certain number of calories. Today will consist of hitting 20 minutes on the stairclimber.
- I will reward myself and cool down with 10 minutes spent in the pool.
- Tuesday, June 17
- I won't be going to the gym but today I will be focusing on my 9 minute mile! I will take a run outside and see how close to this goal I come.
- Wednesday, June 18
- I will start the day off with a nice, 45 minute walk outside before heading to my 60 minute zumba class and 60 minute kickboxing class to get that heartrate up!
- Thursday, June 19
- Its crunch time.
- A quick 30 minute jog on the treadmill. No distance goal, just run for a straight 30 minutes.
- An hour spent on the bicycle. Again, no distance goal, just a full hour spent with some resistance on the bicycle.
- 15 minutes will be spent on some ab workouts.
- A slow day at the gym but just enough to make sure I am still going.
- Friday, June 20
- Just for fun and to reward myself, I will attend a 60 minute zumba class to get pumped up.
- To celebrate my last day, I will give myself a challenge. I will challenge myself to cut a minute and a half off of each mile I run on the treadmill.
- I will challenge myself to go an extra 3 minutes on the stairclimber, hitting 23 full minutes on there.
- I will challenge myself to spend 35 minutes on the ellyptical with a resistance of 7-8 to really push myself.
- And I will end the day with some laps in the pool.
- Saturday, June 21
- Today is the day! I leave for Colorado today and at this point, will hopefully have achieved all of my goals I set in place 4 weeks ago!
