Since I’ve been working out with some regularity, one thing about it has been just baffling to me. At least for me, there are days when I go, and I’m happy enough to be there, and I sweat and work hard and I don’t much mind it, and I feel good when I leave. Then there are days when I work at the same level of intensity, and it’s insanely difficult. I feel miserable every second, and it sucks and it is so hard, and I am pretty sure I’m going to quit any second…and then it’s over and I feel good.
The thing I don’t get is why it’s hard sometimes and not others. It doesn’t seem to have much to do with how energetic or positive I’m feeling, how much sleep I got, how busy my day was, what I've eaten, etc. It doesn’t even seem to have to do with getting into a groove where I’m exercising a lot. Take yesterday, for example. I hadn’t been to the gym in at least a week. It was a busy work week with a lot of evening stuff, and I had my period and felt crappy all week, and I just didn’t get there. So I went to the gym yesterday thinking that it was going to suck and be difficult because I was kind of out of the groove, but I would just suck it up and it’d be fine again soon. So I get there, and it’s crowded, and immediately my iPod freezes, so I don’t even have music. Then the headphone jack on the elliptical machine I chose was broken, so I couldn’t get audio for the TV screen. So, I watched (but couldn’t hear) some show called Good Pets Gone Bad (people who survived animal attacks—everything from housecats to trained bears. Seriously.) and did my 30 mins on the elliptical.
And here’s the part that surprised me—it was the easiest 30 mins I’ve ever done. I wasn’t draggy and cranky and miserable, the time didn’t crawl by and I wasn’t making bargains with Jesus to get me through it. My heart rate didn’t even get up as high as it usually does. Normally I get myself up into the 150s and stay there for the 30 mins, but this time I peaked in the mid 120s. Weird. Did fitness come to call while I was taking a week off? Is this how everyone experiences their own improving fitness?
Prior to now, progress has been more subtle—I turn up the resistance on the machine every couple of weeks and/or add 5 minutes onto my time and/or increase my speed, then it feels hard for a while and then in a week or two I’m ready to increase one of the variable again. This, though, was just a really notable change., and at a time when I was expecting the exact opposite. Interesting.
4 comments:
Ah, finally I can get the comment form to show up! I think progress in many things- exercise, weight loss, habits, etc. - is something that "sneaks up" on us. It would be great if our progress could be charted like a shadow on a wall, or a giant minute hand. But it doesn't work that way, it seems. We just plug away at it and sputter and sweat along and we grow, almost without knowing that we are making strides.
It's a concrete manifestation of the old chestnut, "Little strokes fell mighty oaks". As I posted last week, I did jack squat special to lose weight, just tried to keep on top of my protein intake, and still I lost 12 lbs. It makes no sense to me, but, then again, according to my way of looking at things, I'm not in charge of the master plan, just my part of the details.
Keep up the good work!
*S*
I'm thrilled for you that you've been able to stick with exercising. And I envy you. It's something I know I need to do, even more so than the dieting, and I'm finding it so hard to get started!!
-Meegan
Hehe! Progress is a funny thing, isn't it. I could apply this post to so many areas of my life (ie. just when I am distracted with something else, something happens with the thing I was working on!). You are such a great writer, Luna. Really. I understood every single moment like it was me. :D XXX
Great work.
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