Mother Nature Has My Back

First off, let me start by saying thanks for the comments and emails I received yesterday about my blog post.  It's so nice to hear from people when they get what I'm trying to say.  I wasn't looking for attention or sympathy - I was truly just letting out some feelings that were messing with my head, and it helped me see things more clearly.  Thank you to those of you that got that, and sent such great words of encouragement.

Today is the day I've been dreading.  The last day of summer school.  At 3PM today, I'll have my summer back...and my routine and daily work-out schedule will be all on me to come up with.  

No more alarm waking me up at 5AM.  No more strict rotation schedule putting me outside for 2 1/2 hours each afternoon to play games and sweat my behind off.  No more group of awesome kids encouraging me to keep up with them, and do a little butt kicking in the process.

I'll be all on my own.

When it comes to putting up or shutting up about my exercise desires.

Yesterday and the day before, we received record breaking temps.  The temperature reached the high nineties on both days, with heat indexes well above the 100 mark.  Not the ideal situation for trying to work-out for 2 hours.  

Thankfully, we had the summer school talent show in the afternoon yesterday - so I didn't have to worry about it.

But, it made me think.  It's not going to get any cooler the further in to summer that we get.  In order for me to get back to running, I'm going to have to come up with a game plan in order to make it work.

A quick check of the weather forecast for the next 10 days tells me that Mother Nature has my back.  She's on my side.  She wants me to have a good start to my plans.

Because not a single day over the next 10 days is it supposed to get in to the nineties.  All the temps are in the lower to mid eighties range... which makes for excellent jogging weather.

My plan is to get up each morning and go for a walk.  Just a walk.  Thirty minutes or so.  Then, maybe try a little jogging thrown in there after a couple of days.  Then, slowly start introducing a few minutes of running.  I'm going to get my iPod ready with some high energy music that makes me want to move...and then use it to keep my movement rate.  

I know that as the weather starts to really heat up, I'll have to drag my behind out of bed at the butt crack of dawn in order to be safe.  Which isn't actually a bad thing.  While I don't want to spend my entire summer getting up at day break - a few times a week won't hurt.  In fact, I think it will be great.  I actually love this time of the morning.  It's quiet.  Not many people up and about.  The park and the walking track will be pretty deserted, except for the few people that enjoy this time of the day as much as I do.  

It's just getting out of bed that's the hard part.  Once I'm up, I actually love the peace and quiet.  

While I have tons of stuff planned for the upcoming week, none of those plans include anything taking place at dawn.  So there is absolutely no excuse for me to not take the opportunity to do what I can before the activities for the day start.  

On days where I don't have that much going on, I'll be in the pool for a couple of hours - no doubt - and I'm determined to try out the MMA training game I bought for my PS3 a couple of years ago, but didn't even open.  That's a great work-out plan that can take place right in my living room - in the AC.  

I've learned enough about my exercise likes and dislikes to know that I need something high energy and competitive.  Just because I can't compete in any actual sports, pretending that I'm training for fights might be enough to satisfy my craving.  HA!  I know that MMA fighters go through vigorous training routines, and the game is supposed to offer similar training techniques.  We shall see.

I also own an Insanity type DVD program.  It's not the same, but similar.  Haven't used it, either.  So, maybe I can dust it off as well.  

I might actually also start setting up my Yoga garden this week, while the weather isn't too bad.  I missed the deadline for getting much planting done, but I'm noticing that a few plants are starting to bloom out there that were already planted.  My rose bush is looking a little frail, from the lack of water, but I've got some sunflowers blooming.  I love sunflowers!  

Even if the garden serves as nothing more as a meditation place... I'll be OK with that.  I know the Sun Salutation by memory, so I could at least do that when I'm out there.

OK, I really need to start getting ready for my final day of summer school.  I'm dreading it.  I never expected to feel this way.  I really thought I'd be excited on the last day... but I'm not.  I'm going to miss those kids.  I'm going to miss our games.  And I'm going to miss the structure my life has had for the past two weeks.  

But, I'll get over it.  I'll do what I gotta do.  I have to start working on the new me that will be appearing in August...and I want it to be a shocker.

Till next time!

Joanna

a/k/a  Mad, Fat Woman