• Limited time
• Too tired
• Too hard
• No motivation
• Dislike pain
• Frustration from slow results
• Weather
• Physical limitations
• Lack of money

All of these are poor excuses – some I’ve used many times by the way – but I think the last one (lack of money) is the most ridiculous.  Why does exercise need to cost anything at all?  It’s usually because the person wants a bunch of fancy doo-dads before beginning a new fitness routine.  They want to join a gym; attend group classes; hire a personal trainer; buy individual weights, balls, ropes, mats, steps, water bottles, workout DVDs, cute gym clothes, etc.  You get the picture.  But there are many effective ways to exercise without spending a dime.

I’ve recently committed to a permanent lifestyle of health & fitness.  I promised myself that I’d take better care of my body, eat healthy, and exercise regularly.  To keep that promise, I began the Couch to 5k Running Plan – also known as C25K.   How much did it cost me?  $0.

• I did not join a gym or hire a personal trainer.  I run on the treadmill at the fitness center in my apartment community.  When the weather warms up, I look forward to running outside and inhaling the fresh air.

• I did not buy any fancy workout clothes.  I wear regular old cotton pants, a sports bra, and a T-shirt – all of which were purchased a long time ago.  Before I began running, I also wore them to grocery store on Saturday mornings. LOL! #dontjudgeme

• I did not need any special equipment, just the legs and feet God gave me.

For the first few weeks, I did not spend a dime.  Yes, I wanted to buy the fancy doo-dads because they’re cool and even convenient.  But they aren’t necessary to get started.  Besides, I didn’t know if running was a form of exercise that I’d stick with long term, so I didn’t let the allure of new “stuff” be a roadblock to creating a better, healthier me.  Now that I’m reconditioning my mind/body and have found an exercise that I truly enjoy, I may invest in a few things to help me reach my fitness goals.  But until I see some results, I will save my money.

If you are putting off exercise due to limited finances, please consider another form of exercise that is free or low cost.  One that you enjoy, of course, but doesn’t break the bank.  Here are a few ideas here and here.  You don’t need all the extra stuff.  And your body will thank you.

In the next post, I’ll share a few basic things I’ve recently purchased and some of the fancy doo-dads I want to purchase…one day.

Prayer Journal Message: Long distance runners train themselves to think of the finish line.  They visualize it just ahead.   They say this keeps them from wanting to give up somewhere along the way.  The reward of crossing the finish line is worth more than any pain or discomfort on the way. Dieters can learn from this.  Instead of dwelling on how hungry we are or how much we long for rich foods, we should continually think in terms of the rewards that await us at the end.  Christians follow Christ with hope of a heavenly reward.  Faith means we await something yet to come.  Dieting means we live in the hope of trimming down and looking fit.

Today’s Thought (per the journal): The reward of our diet is greater than the sacrifice!

Related Scripture: He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour. Proverbs 21:21.

Loved this entry with a few exceptions:

First, I don’t like the word “diet” because it’s too restricting, it’s only temporary, and impossible to maintain once you achieve your goal.  Therefore, you will only see me use the terms health (read: nutrition) and/or fitness.  As I read this journal, everywhere I see the word “diet,” I replace it with “healthy nutrition” in my mind because I intend to make a permanent lifestyle change.

Second, I marked through “how hungry we are” because, IMO, when your body says you’re hungry, you should eat.  The key is choosing the right food(s), portion control, and stopping when you’re satisfied – not belly aching full.

With those exceptions, the reward IS worth the sacrifice.

• Water Intake: still chugging along between 20-30 oz. I only drink water – no soda,  juice, or coffee – so I’m ok with my intake.  I drink when I’m thirsty.
• Fitness: I completed Week 5 of C25K.  I was very excited about running 20 minutes without stopping.  Huge accomplishment for me!
• Nutrition: I prepared every meal at home this week.  Some were good, but most were a bust.  We’re still taste testing new dishes and finding what we like.  However, I need to rein in on the mindless eating and late night snacking.  When a meal wasn’t satisfying, I found myself eating again – just because – and sometimes after 9pm.  Although my food/snacks are healthy, too much of anything is never good.  I also had 1 square of a dark chocolate candy bar on Tuesday and 2 scoops of fat free vanilla ice cream on Wednesday – moments of weakness.
• Weigh-In: I lost 0.6 lb this week.  This is small compared to previous weeks and I didn’t meet my goal of 1 lb, but I’m happy with it.  I ate so much this week, I was expecting to gain.

New goals for the week of Feb 7 – Feb 13.

• Fitness: Complete Week 6 of C25K.  This is the last week that includes intervals.  After running for 20 minutes straight, going back to 5- 8-10 minute intervals with walking breaks shouldn’t be so bad.  But the last day is a 25 minute run.  I can do this!
• Nutrition: Eat breakfast daily and NO EATING AFTER 9PM!!  Drink water daily, take prescribed iron supplement, and prepare every meal at home.  This week, I’m laying off the trial and error of new recipes. I’m going to play it safe and stick with what I know.  Our weekly meal plan includes:
  • Sunday: Turkey Chili (weight watchers recipe from @talktotisha)
  • Monday: Leftovers
  • Tuesday: Penne & Chicken Sausage with spinach
  • Wednesday: Leftovers
  • Thursday: Chicken Salad (weight watchers recipe from @talktotisha)
  • Friday: Pesto Chicken and Roasted Pepper Wraps
  • Saturday: Leftovers
• Weigh-In: My goal for this week is to lose another 1 lb.

As always, I will use SparkPeople to track my daily nutrition and exercise, read/write in my prayer journal, and ask God to order my steps. It’s a new week to start again and I’m committed to a permanent lifestyle change.

I did it! I did it! I did it!

Today I completed Week 5 Day 3 of C25K.  I’m so excited because it was my first day with ALL running and NO intervals – no walking breaks at all.  That means I ran for 20 minutes (1.6 miles) without stopping.  This is a first.  A major fitness milestone.  It’s huge.  I mean HUGE.  I. ran. for 20 minutes. WITHOUT STOPPING! OMG I did it! GO ME!!

I’ve always heard nutritionists say breakfast was the most important meal of the day, but I never really understood why. Yes, it gives you energy, helps to jump start your day, blah blah blah. But why can’t brunch do the same thing? And why doesn’t my body want to eat first thing in the morning?

The whole ‘breakfast is important’ spiel always went in one ear and out the other until I ran across this article on 8 ways to control your cravings. First it explains why we having cravings:

Cravings are all about blood sugar. If your levels are consistent throughout the day, your eating patterns will be, too. But when you starve yourself for hours, cravings call. And you will answer.

Your blood sugar can fall too low after just four hours of not eating…so you search…for carbohydrates, which will provide a quick boost.

Trouble is, fast rising blood sugar triggers your pancreas to release a flood of insulin, a hormone that not only lowers blood sugar but also signals your body to store fat. And in about half of us, insulin tends to “overshoot,” which sends blood sugar crashing. This reinforces the binge, because it makes you crave sugar and starch again.

In other words, if you eat crap, your body will crave crap. Wow, I finally get it! It also explains why my sugar cravings are slowly diminishing. I’m training my body to eat in regular intervals and I’ve been making healthier food choices, so my blood sugar levels are stabilizing. The body is an amazing machine.

And it gets better. One of the 8 ways to control your cravings is to…

Eat Breakfast
Sure, you’ve heard this one before. But consider that if you sleep for 6 to 8 hours and then skip breakfast, your body is essentially running on fumes by the time you reach work. And that sends you desperately seeking sugar, which is easy to find. The most convenient foods are often the same ones you should be avoiding. That’s because they’re usually packed with sugar (candy bars, soda), or other fast-digesting carbohydrates (cookies, chips).

If you don’t eat breakfast, you are literally STARVING your body. When your body goes into starvation mode, it stores fat and craves a quick pick me up – i.e. sugar! And the cycle repeats itself.

From this day forward and for the rest of my life, I vow to eat breakfast every single day. Even if it’s just a piece of toast with peanut butter, I will eat something as soon as I get out of bed.

Do you eat breakfast? What did you have this morning?