beginning of week 3

They say it takes 3 weeks to form or break a habit. Well, I just started week three of going to the gym. I don't go every day, but at least four times a week. The first week I was really tired when I got home. But this morning I came home and I feel totally energized.

I started going to the gym for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that I know that I will feel better if I go regularly. But I suffered a severe case of gym intimidation. I felt like I needed to be in shape before I went to the gym. And it's not even that I'm really overweight, though I can certainly stand to lose a few grad school pounds. It's more just the fact that I really need to start thinking about staying active for long term health. But there's a certain feeling about going to the gym at a university with lots of very fit undergraduates. So, I thought summer would be an ideal time to start. Additionally, and with a pointed comment from a good friend, I realized I am not 18 and there is no point in comparing myself to 18 - 20 year old women. Looking and feeling healthy at age 36 is the goal.

So, back to starting a healthy habit. I am definitely feeling good and have developed some good strategies. One of the reasons I hadn't been exercising is the time commitment. I got it in my head that an hour away from homework/reading/research was a waste of my time, yet somehow I could justify an hour or so a day reading newspaper or magazine articles that had nothing to do with school. So now I print out articles I want to read and keep them in a "workout reading" folder and while I use the treadmill/bike/elliptical I read an article or two. It makes the time fly by and I accomplish two things at once. Then the 15-20 minutes of weights and abs don't seem so "frivolous." Granted, time spent exercising is not frivolously wasted time, but I think that can be one of the barriers for most people.

My goal this summer is to maintain a four-day a week exercise (if I go five, that's great). By the time school starts in the fall and undergraduates return in full force I should have gym confidence!