Tuesday, March 11, 2008

my walking buddies...


If you're having a hard time sticking to your exercise regiment, I recommend finding a buddy.

For the life of me, I couldn't keep getting up every morning to go walking. I tried everything. I tried listening to new CDs (I'd buy especially for walking and NOT listen to them anywhere else). I tried listening to audio books (again, only when I'm walking). I tried listening to podcasts. Training sessions. I even tried walking CDs (this lady would talk you through your walk, pacing you and encouraging you).
I tried mixing up the path I walked. Always walking in a different direction and for different amounts of time and lengths. NONE of these worked!!

Sure they worked for a few weeks or maybe even a month at a time. But as soon as I got bored with them, I couldn't get up in the morning to go walking.

You know what I found that works??

Buddies!!


It's like going to a WW meeting. Being accountable to someone else to weigh me in. But with exercise buddies, I was accountable to them for my exercise. If I didn't get up and go meet them, they'd be sitting there waiting on me. How awful would that be??

So I've found that this is the ONLY way I can exercise in the mornings. I have to go meet someone else or I simply will not do it.

Do you guys have exercise buddies? How do you work it? Do you meet at a common place? Meet at the gym? Meet at their house?

I had one walking buddy who didn't want to have to drive that early in the morning so I'd always go meet her at her house. It wasn't so bad once I got used to it. Now I have a buddy who will meet me at my house. I also have 3 other buddies that I'll meet at a prearranged location (which is usually different each time) and then we'll walk together, the 4 of us.

I LOVE WALKING WITH THEM!

The walks go by so fast, too. With the good conversation, the walk is over in no time.

One time, I tried bringing my chihuahua along for the walk and he kept us very distracted. That was the fastest walk I ever remember doing. But he kept trying to walk under one of my walking buddies feet. So that was his last time going on our walks.

I even get up and go to the gym with my hubbie on the off days that I'm not walking with my buddies. I'm telling you. I simply will not get up out of bed if it's just me going to exercise.

We just added the 4th person to our walks. Tomorrow morning is the first morning with the 4 of us. I can't wait. I'm really looking forward to it.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I have an exercise buddy on the weekends and for some one class at the gym. They definitely keep you more accountable, although I seem to be the one holding my friends accountable on the weekends. heh.

Christina said...

great ideas, I think it is great to work out with someone that is why I love running with "The Running Room" we are a huge family, keep up the great work

Christina said...

hey cara
steel cut oats is oatmeal but in its original form, tatses just as good but takes longer for the body to digest, bee pollen looks kinda like a grain, has no tast but is full of vitamins and minerals and you can usually find both at the local natural food store

Along this path said...

Hi Cara!

I found your blog today and just wanted to say WOW! You are an inspiration. Congrats on your 70 pounds lost. I went back to the gym last week and I want to lose 25 to 30 pounds. I'm going to add your blog to my favorites list so I can keep coming back for your helpful posts. I can't wait to get to the gym this afternoon now :)

Misty

--cara said...

Hi Misty,

I don't know how to get to your blog. I don't know if you are going to check back to this post or if you had enable the "email follow-up comments" but I hope so, because I wanted to read your blog too but don't know how to find it.