Outdoors
The last time I was thin, I achieved my prized size-four status through a clever combination of starvation and excessive exercise.
I’m still not sure how I managed to even make it up the stairs on the limited number of calories I was consuming on a daily basis, but I do know that what I was doing was, in the long run, more harmful than beneficial to my body.
Fast forward a number of years, and you’ll find it’s no surprise that I’ve gained back all the weight I initially lost—plus a whole lot more.
I’m not looking to attain supermodel status, but I’ve reached an age where my extra weight and lack of regular exercise is becoming an issue. In other words, I don’t want to be skinny, I just want to be able to keep up on hikes with my boyfriend, not rely on pants with elastic waistbands and overall, feel better about myself and my health.
I don’t have the best track record when it comes to slipping on spandex and hitting the gym—and am reluctant, at least initially, to pony up the cash when I know I’d rather exercise away from the glare of a room full of people who are in better shape than I am—so I recently queried my Facebook family about the best way to get fit on the cheap in Bellingham.
The answers I got surprised me, as it turns out many of my friends and acquaintances have put a lot more thought into the long-term benefits of working out than I have.
One advisor—a man I’ve seen transform into a lean, mean marathon machine over the years—noted the outings Fairhaven Runners organizes throughout the week from their headquarters are free, and pointed out that, once I start getting more fit, I can sign up for circuit-training classes every Tuesday and Thursday at Taylor Street Dock and Boulevard Park.
Throughout the day, suggestions kept coming in. For example, it was pointed out that the Interurban Trail comes without a tollbooth. It was also noted that running up and down the stairs (even at home) is great aerobic exercise, and that there are plenty of programs on YouTube and hulu that offer up fitness routines without a fee.
“Most importantly, you have to pick stuff to do that is fun for you, and you need to have intrinsic motivation,” one fit friend advised. “What will really hold your feet to the fire when you feel like flaking?”
While I don’t have the precise answer to that question yet, I do have plenty of offers to help me figure out what it is that will keep me interested. I’ve been invited to sign up for a 30-and-over ladies soccer team, “drag my ass” up a mountain, sign up with a friend on http://www.myfitnesspal.com, carry my cast-laden coworker around town and attend water aerobics.
I’ve already started watching what I eat, so I figure the next step—or, according the pedometer I’ve been advised to purchase, the next 10,000 steps—is simply getting myself out the door and moving in a way that quickens my heart rate, makes me sweat more than a little bit and doesn’t make me want to head back inside before my goals are reached. Wish me luck!
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