by Michele Forsberg PT, MS ~
So, I was in my dance class one day, a dance class that I absolutely love to attend; it made me so happy to be there and be with my amazing tribe of women who also love to dance.
I was there, I was present, I was ready to move. I looked around me and noticed one of the gals in class was wearing a T-shirt that said “Running Late is My Cardio”, at first I chuckled pretty hard because boy can I relate to that. I had been feeling pretty much all my life was running from appointment to appointment, not taking time for me.
Running Late Is My Cardio – This means that you have basically filled up your schedule to the point where you don’t have time to work out. And that being late is your only cardio.
Around that time, I was at my annual physical with my primary care physician who asked me about my exercise regime; I gave her the generic answer she wanted to hear, “I try for 3 times per week with cardio and a mish-mosh of strengthening and yoga“. She seemed fine with that, though …I lied.
So here’s the reality, I was not doing anything nearly close to that back then. I was stressed, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I was trying to just make it through my day, I was skipping meals and I was exhausted. I was feeling 50 shades of overwhelm, not knowing when the rollercoaster ride was going to let me off.
I knew something needed to change and I knew running late could no longer be my cardio, I actually wanted to put forth an effort to institute lasting change in my life.
I desperately needed to stop the cycle of running around from appointment to appointment, feeling unfulfilled. By attending that oh so sacred dance class every so often, and a 2 mile run here and there, I knew that movement was going to be the key to my happiness. I knew that when I was moving I felt better and I was able to handle my day with so much more productivity and more importantly, joy.
So, that’s when I decided to join a fitness challenge. It seemed like a fun thing to do, I would be with other people who are on the same journey and would feel like someone held me accountable to myself and the group. Having a structure to follow and witnessing other people doing what I was doing, feeling the support of the group was really inspirational.
Taking that step was monumental for me, I was able to make some serious changes in my life and schedule by doing this, plus I had established a new habit.
I now have a daily diet and exercise plan that works for me beyond the initial 30 days, it’s balanced with cardio, and strengthening and takes care of my dietary needs. I no longer feel haphazard in that department. As a bonus, I transformed my body, my mind, and my soul. I found so much value in the fitness challenge group that I decided to share my experience with my friends and my clients. Then, opened my studio for people of all fitness levels to become part of our community.
Let’s face it, if you want to make changes, you need to do something different than you normally do because if it is working you wouldn’t feel the need for change, right? That T-shirt was a wake-up call to action, it stirred up my need for change and I made it happen.
What are you looking to change?
If you want to get stronger, lose weight or just establish more structure around your exercise routine, then consider working with one of our personal trainers.
We offer physical therapy in Longmont as well if you need to start there prior to starting training.
Hope to see you!