The Journey of Dieting: Part 3 of 3 - EXERCISE

I once heard a comedienne say "Every time I feel like exercising, I lie down until the feeling goes away". I have always thought this was a funny line, especially since it is one I can relate to. Exercise has always been something I avoid, never something I enjoy.

A couple of months ago I joined a weight loss program my doctor runs through his office. At my first consultation he stressed the importance and benefits of exercise. I nodded my head in agreement, all the while thinking to myself, exercise is not for me. Although I was following the food program I wasn't losing much weight. I decided that maybe I did need to add some activity to my lifestyle. Once I started to exercise I began to see a noticeable difference in my weekly weight losses. This encouraged me to continue to exercise. I'm not saying it will make a difference for everyone, but for me exercise is a key factor in helping me lose weight.

When I started my exercise program it was wintertime, so my activities were limited to what I could do indoors. I went to the local video store and rented one of the Richard Simmons "Sweatin' to the Oldies" videos. The first time I tried to do the tape, I barely made it through the warm-up before I was ready to drop. I tried it for several days and each day I managed to do a little more of the tape, but I found it to be very hard and I was struggling to get through even a small portion of it. So instead of following along, I would pop in the tape and do my own exercise to the music. The upbeat music and Richard's motivation kept me going and I didn't worry about trying to keep up with the people on the TV screen. But after a few days, I became bored and gave up exercise altogether.

The next thing I tried was walking. This worked out better for me because I was able to set my own pace and walk as long or as short as I wanted to. I started out slow and in the beginning walked for about 15 minutes 2 or 3 times a week. The next week I walked for 20 - 25 minutes 3 or 4 times a week. By the time the 3rd week rolled around I was excited about walking. I looked forward to it and I made it a part of my routine. On the days I don't get to walk, I actually miss it!

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