I did it!

I’ve been blogging about my weight gain and my current struggle with anxiety and depression. I’ve been slowly doing the things I’ve needed to do except for one big thing: exercise. I haven’t done any martial arts since September 2009. I have been sedentary for one year. Obviously, this was not by choice but I haven’t really broken a sweat since February.

So yesterday, I finally decided that I was going to just do it. I was reaching for my wallet to pay for a subscription for Interweave Press’ Piecework Magazine when I stopped myself. I had just finished updating this blog and whining about not owning a single pair of jeans that fit to my sister when it really hit me. I was going to go for a run, damnit, and if/when I did that subscription would be my reward. And I stuck to my word and now the newest issue is on its way to me!

I did day 1 of the Couch to 5k program which is a 5 minute warm up walk, 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for 20 minutes and end it with a 5 minute cool down walk. I didn’t really jog too often (I was on a treadmill and the fastest I went was 4.8 miles per hour) because I realized just how much “damage” my endurance and cardio-vascular health has taken this year. I’m chalking it up to a combination of chemo and bedrest as to why it was much harder doing the program this time than when I was just a couch potato. It’s made me realize that while in many ways, I’m not sick any more but in other ways I still am.And if my cancer were to reoccur, I wouldn’t be able to handle any sort of treatment at the fitness level I’m at now. I didn’t really think of things that way, but our good friend Lee pointed that out.

Now, I have a bigger reason to move my butt. After some expenses have been paid for, I’ll be on the serious hunt for a new martial arts studio and I need to be at a better fitness level than where I am now at if I want to have fun in class. Or just not die from exhaustion. Now that I’m getting back into running, I need to knit up some accessories but I have no idea what would be. Any suggestions from the peanut gallery are most welcomed!