Working from home has its pluses and minuses. No commute means you can either get up a little later if you’re not a morning person; you can have more “me” time; or if you’re a parent of younger children – it’s more time with them. No commute also means less movement as you aren’t rushing around to get yourself ready, no walk to the car, no walk into the office, no walking back and forth from a million and a half useless meetings or to lunch (unless you were the disciplined type who took their lunch or the overworked type who never takes lunch). See what I’m getting at here? You reduce your movement greatly. 

Now here I was - 6 years ago just starting my work from home freelance business, and for the most part, I was an average size for my height. Not overweight but not super skinny either like my younger high school days. There was that one time I thought running off baby weight after my second son was born was a good idea and it worked like a charm…but I looked like a toothpick. Size 4 at 5’7” is not a good look. I couldn’t visit my grandmother without her telling me I needed to eat a sandwich. Anyway, back to my point. I was slowly, year over year, gaining weight. It wasn’t until the last two-three years that I realized I was weighing an additional 10 lbs every year. Age doesn’t help this matter either. Into my 40’s I was finally on the downhill of my otherwise high metabolism years. This year when I realized - Holy Crap! I’m almost at the weight I was when I was PREGNANT and I’M NOT PREGNANT!!! The line in the sand was drawn. I needed to do something. I was not going to once again “upgrade” all of my clothing to the next size. 

Time for a change. We also just recently had gotten a puppy. We already have one pup (a beautifully brindled, 7 year old mutt from Tennessee) and she desperately needed the energy and exercise in her life again too. So what better time to start on your good habits than having a barking, whining alarm clock in your room who has an internal clock with a window of 45 minutes between 4:30 and 5:15 am - EVERY MORNING. So I signed up for a workout app. Any of them would do, but 8fit is my favorite, but there is also noom and many others. It will be worth doing some research to find one that works for you. It also is worth every penny to get the meal plan as well if it comes with one. After all, most of a weightless journey includes watching what you eat. Some people call it a diet, I just call it better choices. I LOVE that Dark Chocolate is considered healthy :) …everything in moderation though. That’s the key. 

So, on to the routine — After I get up with this crazy puppy and he does about 3 laps inside the house before we get to the front door to go out - we then wake up Ginger, so she comes trotting out. I pour out the dog food and Charlie puppy spins around on the floor in anticipation (sometimes I get that excited about food too - see the problem?). I settle down after this and watch a daily mentoring session, take notes, leave a comment and I allow myself until 6am to just relax. Well if you consider it relaxing to also watch two dogs growl and roll around playing and knocking into everything - jumping on my lap, nipping at my feet. Oh puppyhood is LOADS of fun. This ritual also used to involve coffee, but I’ll get to that later. 

Once 6am hits, I clean up the dog toys on the floor and get my workout clothes on. When I get back out, they know - oh they know… it’s time for a treat. How else do you entertain a puppy who wants to jump all over your head while you’re doing your stretches and planks on a yoga mat? Give him a bone with peanut butter! Now, I wish this lasted the whole workout, but it doesn’t - so he has to go in his crate. I get through the few minutes of warm up, the 10 minutes of exercises and by cool down - he’s barking his little fluffy head off! He looks at me like why are you doing all these crazy things?? Let me out of here, human! 

Done with the workout — now we head out for a walk. I saddle up both pups in their harnesses (Charlie keeps running away - only enticed by a treat does he finally come over to get all hooked up.) He usually just stands there after his harness is on. Not sure if it’s humiliation that I tricked him that turns him to “stone” suddenly but he barely moves and just waits by the door. Then we’re off. If you’ve ever walked a puppy before, this is not usually a fun walk. Double that with an older dog who also likes to stop at every mailbox - we’re not in for any real treat here. Charlie is like a sled dog — low to the ground, he has traction like a 4x4 truck for such a little fur ball. Ginger nicely trots along…until…”put on the breaks mom! I gotta sniff! Right here - no wait - back here…WAY back here...give me at least 5 minutes for this one spot - puh-leeease!” So I wait, meanwhile Charlie winds himself around a tree or her and I have to untangle the mess. Then we continue… we walk by the house with the beagle who howls at us every morning (and wouldn’t you know this is when they want to stop and sniff again - torturing this poor owner who’s yelling “SHUT UP” in the background. I do find this a bit comical. I mean, who owns a beagle without being prepared for their annoying howling bark. Get a clue - you signed up for that.) Anyhow, this process continues for about 1.4 miles until we get back home. 

Now it’s my turn to head back out. I also decided to start using a 5K running app recently. This is a plan of run/walk intervals that increases in time over a period of weeks until you’re able to run a 5K. The routine is scheduled for 3 days a week. Being that I attempted to run a continuous mile last year and couldn’t successfully complete it - this year I was more determined. I figure if this trains me to run almost 3 miles - I for sure will be able to run 1 at the very least. Oh and by the way - I HATE running. Even though I ran track in high school (1600 and 3200 - and was placed in state finals, mind you) running on the road is the bain of my existence. I despise the hills and the pavement is way harder than the nice soft cushy track. But this is the most convenient thing I have to work with, so off we go. I no longer let myself give in to excuses. I only take 1 or 2 days off between runs since I try to plan around the weather and humidity. I noticed it’s much harder to breath when it’s hot and humid and the more I make excuses to stop. So let’s not have any more excuses than necessary, right?

My biggest mistake last year was not incorporating a workout routine with the run/walk routine. I notice a HUGE difference this year. Muscle soreness isn’t as much of an issue, all the stretching has helped my hip, so that no longer hurts. I really can kinda do this! I’m now on week 6 out of 8 in the training. This past week I actually accomplished two of my goals that I struggled with last summer. I ran UP the huge hill on my street from the very bottom to the stop sign at the top. I only got about 3/4 of the way last year. Now of course this was not with a smile on my face until the top - it was still hard. I had to push through when I wanted to stop so badly and try again another day. I thought - this is a practice run… hmmm wait… maybe I can do this. Ok, let’s go for it. No giving up, even if I run slower than I walk - just keep moving… and so I did it. 

Two days later, I also finally completed a full mile non-stop. I knew it when I started the run that morning - something felt right and I finally got the confidence to go for it. I also did it in just under 10 minutes which is even better - a goal of mine from last year as well. (While I did meet that goal last year - it was still between walking and running - so this year it was legit.)

Now for some tragic irony…As I was writing this, Charlie pup got a hold of some broken piece of tile somehow and in my attempt to cut him off at the pass to get it away from him, I put our dining chair on it’s side to block him - it slipped out of my hand and feel right on my bare foot. !@#$%^%$%&… I don’t think I broke it, thankfully - but it HURTS! A bag of corn is my cold compress right now (which now he keeps trying to bite, scratch and sniff at). Fingers crossed I continue this journey next week… it’s already turning black and blue. Lucky me.