Dealing with Frustration

ArticulateDad posted about the frustration with not seeking results right away. It is true that when you first start out, results may be few. And of course, there is the plateau phase where nothing happens. You sit back and wonder if all of it is really worth it.

When I got back on track this past January, it was extremely frustrating. The pounds were not coming off at all. In fact, I think I was gaining for a while. I guess that is normal, because the body is freaked out by the sudden change, so it tends to put on what it loses. All I kept thinking was "What the hell..."

I decided to focus on the exercise itself, rather than the poundage. In the beginning, I could only walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes at 3.0 MPH. I knew that I had to increase the intensity or the body would not respond Then I had an idea. I began to increase the time. I would add two minutes to each work out until I could comfortably complete 35 minutes which is my allotted cardio time. Then, I began to increase the speed. Just before the cool down, I would increase the speed two or three levels and work my way backward until I was completing the workout at the new speed. Then I would add again. Working backward instead of increasing the speed at the beginning allows you to adjust to change without getting winded. You don't really notice the change.

The result is that I can now complete my cardio at a speed of 4.0 which is rather fast. My hope is that I can reach a slow jog. This would be a huge accomplishment for me. I was a state ranked sprinter in my high school days and have always wanted to run again, but my health issues made that very difficult.

The morale is that you have to focus on the other aspects of getting fit. Sure, weight is the big reason we go through this crap. But there are other things to consider such as getting stronger. We should celebrate those victories as well. No one wants to stay at 3.0 MPH forever!

Tags: Exercise Tips