Well Woman Fitness (1) - Becoming a 'Running' Woman

Weightloss was my main reason for embarking on this so-called "Well Woman" journey of mine and obviously excercising/fitness is a big part of losing weight.

  

- Like I said in my last post, I started exercising in August last year. Walking/running was what I started with because 1) it was how I could burn the most calories in the shortest time, 2) it works for all parts of the body and 3) it was what I had observed one of my weight-loss motivators (Tayo Badejo of FADD) do over a few months in order to drop the kgs (in combination with healthier eating, of course).

I am not new to exercises, far from it. Through adolescent - adulthood, I've always been on the quest to lose weight/get fit, from high school to college to Uni and so on, I have acquired many exercise gadgets (stationary bike, lateral thigh trainer, several DVDs, etc..), I registered and signed membership contracts at gyms (which I hardly ever used but paid for nonetheless!), attempted playing football/tennis with my brothers and even once participated in a 5km run for Cancer research UK. SO you see, I've "been around" quite a bit but I never stuck to one thing long enough for it to have a lasting effect.

After the birth of my 1st child, I started to use the treadmill and Nintendo Wii at home but barely 2months after I started, I got knocked up again (Well Women should use Birth control - a topic for another day!!!) and with the way I carry on during my pregnancies, fitness was the last thing on my mind, LoL.

Saw this on FB and it just spoke to me....

ANYWAY! Fast forward to 2012, 2 babies, 88kg and so on later, I embarked on a "lifestyle adjustment" approach. Being a wife, mother of two kids and an aspiring entrepreneur, it was NOT easy 1) finding the "right" time to work out, 2) getting into the right frame of mind. I had a lot of excuses but as we all know, those [excuses] burn very little calories. I wanted to do it in the most cost-effective manner so registering with a gym was out of it for me as Gyms had collected ENOUGH of my hard-earned cash in the past.

So, after plenty pep talks from my dear Tayo (including opression from her numerous BBM updates), Bisi and co..., I ordered the shoes I needed, downloaded the necessary Apps to track my progress, set my alarm (which I snoozed/turned off a few times before giving in) and hit the road.  In the beginning (before I got wiser), I felt it was the only way I could eat whatever I wanted to eat and still lose weight/not gain any more weight so that motivated me.  (LoL! How wrong I was! Read about my 'wake up call' here). 

Used this wallpaper on my phone, laptop & iPad

I started with walking, aimed for 5km distance the first few times but didn't quite achieve it. Took 2 trips before I started doing a full 5km. As time went on, I started jogging intermittently after I read up on High Impact Interval Training (HIIT), which is better for people working out with the primary goal of losing weight - I would walk briskly for the first 5minutes then I would jog for 30 secs, brisk walk for 30secs and just improved from there till I was running for 3mins and brisk walking for 30secs-1minute.

One of the challenges I had in the beginning was BREATHING, which a lot of people I have 'coached' complained about. That feeling of being out of breath and nearly collapsing makes you feel tired quite quickly and discourages you from attempting to jog/run again for fear of passing out. Getting the breathing right is something that requires focus and training. Once mastered, your stamina improves greatly and you are able to go longer with jogging and actually start enjoying it! 

My tip - I breathe in through my nose and blow out through my mouth (as I normally tell my labouring women to do. LOL!). I also take occassional deep breaths whilst jogging whilst thinking about the supply of enough oxygen to my muscles, bla, bla...It kept me going anyway.

That is how I developed a love for running outdoors. Doing it on a treadmill indoors does not compare at all. The time I spend outdoors running is 'ME' time; I reflect on events/issues, I listen to good music, I pray or worship sometimes, listen to recorded messages from inspiraitonal speakers (depending on my mood) and just enjoy the view and fresh hair.

Time spent exercising & calories burnt

I am a supporter of 'progress monitoring', because it enables you to see how well you are doing and how you improve as time goes on. I used a watch (with pulse function) to keep track of my timing and calories burn. In the beginning, it took me 50-55mins to walk 5km and these days, I do it in 31-35mins. I gradually improved on distance too and now, I can do 7km, 8km during the weekdays and 10-13km on a Saturday morning before work.

It isn't easy (I say again) waking up super early (5am) to go out to run before coming back to bathe, feed the kids, prepare lunch, etc....Having support from my husband helped A LOT as through the period we had no nanny, he would start sorting the kids out if they wake up before my return. There is a way around that situation that is holding you back, find it!

My running experience has taught me a lot about myself, things that I am able to apply to other areas of my life. I love it and for now, I am enjoying it, it has been nearly a year now and I am planning (God willing) to run half a marathon (21km) in September at the Accra International Marathon event. Wish me luck!

Tayo Badejo of FADD

I hope sharing this would motivate 1 or 2 people to get started. Leave comments! Ask questions too....!