I CAN DO ITTTTTT

Well, maybe I can do it.

I have a hard time getting motivated about fitness. I keep such rigorous training schedules when it comes to my horse, but as for my own cardio and weight work, I totally fail a lot of the time. Most of this stems from the fact that I'm in the barn somewhere between 4am and 6am, and I usually don't get off work until 5pm or 6pm - by that time, I'm usually exhausted and not too much in the mood to work out. This is changing now that the weather is improving, but still, it's hard. I keep starting the One Hundred Pushups and Two Hundred Situps Challenges, but I keep failing to follow through with them, so I keep starting them over again. Next week I will get back into it on Monday, and I seriously do mean to do it this time. I hope.

But. I AM taking a new direction with my focus. Last week my running schedule went all to pieces, so I picked up again this week anew with a different tactic - go slow. I have a tendancy when I'm running to push myself way harder than I should, and it exhausts me to the point of muscle injury - which, obviously, means time off. It's also hard to get motivated when I'm hurting and tired. My new tactic is just to add the teeniest bit more to every workout. I started again with a half hour brisk walk, then added the full brisk walk down to the trailhead and back - about 40 minutes roundway. Today, I went the full brisk walk to the trailhead and ran for half a mile, then brisk walked back. By doing this, I keep myself from hurting AND can do a little bit every day, keeping myself motivated and setting a steady routine at the same time. Tomorrow, I'll bump it up to running 3/4 of a mile, then give myself a day off Sunday, and continue on to a mile from there. I hope to be running several miles a day after a long and gradual increase.

I really love running once I actually get into it. I just have to, you know, find the energy after a 12-hour physical labor day, you know.

I think I wouldn't be worried about my fitness if a) I wasn't trying to bump my horse up to Training level eventing and b) the clients here didn't bring me cookies and candy and Dunkin Donuts every day. I've put on a smidge of weight and I DON'T LIKE IT.

This is me nearing my thinnest and most musclar last summer, and the summer before:




I hope to get back there soon.