Workout Wednesday

Can you tell what is on my mind lately?  Yes.  Exercise.  I'm in a weight loss challenge and doing all right.  I'm 13th this week coming from not even in the top 20 last week.  I need to kick it in gear if I want to get into the top 7 by Monday and that will be the half way point.  But that is neither here nor there.  Today I want to talk about one way I think exercise is more fun...and that is with a partner.

Overnight hike for girl's camp while pregnant with #8 in 2009

I have lots of training partners, but my favorite is this one, my husband.  We have lots of fun together, hiking, running, and walking. He is my most favorite work out partner, but not because we always do it together, but because he supports me.  When I want to go running at 4 in the afternoon, he does mom duty for an hour or so so I can have my time.  I love it.  He supports me by joining races or even just keeping the kids for two days straight so I can do my favorite ragnar relay race.



I don't run or exercise for the social aspect of it, I run/jog for my health and so I can have at least an hour a day to myself, but I still consider my friends as partners in my training. I'm not a very fast runner and so I hate the thought of someone having to run slow so we can stay together and I can't usually schedule my runs very far than 1/2 hour in advance, so planning to train with them is sometimes hard.

I do love going to the gym with Jana so we can walk on the treadmill and visit or do our floor exercises and talk.  It was hard when we were both going to school and working to find time to just sit on the couch, so this was the next best solution.  Recently, I found out that our young women are training for a triathalon in the spring and they invited the women to come join with them as they do a boot camp at the park a few days a week.  My kids can play while I work out with my friends.  I love it.

There is a social aspect to race day and that is what I love.  I love that I am usually part of a group training for a run together, like the time Ben and I trained with Darcey and my brother Donny to do a triathalon a few years back. Ben and I would bike together and I could go to the YMCA and put the kids in the daycare while I swam laps.  The training was separate mostly, but knowing there were others doing it with me kept me motivated to train so that I could hope to not be dead last of our group.  Well, I still was last, but it was nice to have them there to cheer me on at the finish line.

Ragnar Phoenix 2011

I've made tons of friends through the Ragnar Relay race that is held all over the country, but specifically here in Phoenix every February.  It is 12 runners running 200 or so miles relay style.  It is the worst fun I have ever endured.  Each person runs 3 separate legs of 3-8 miles each.  We started on Friday morning and finished on Saturday night.  Last year, my total was 16 miles and I thought I was going to die at the end, and I think I had it easy compared to some of my friends, but it was so much fun.

So, my challenge to you is to find a partner, not necessarily one to train with, but someone to help you be accountable so that you WILL train.  Maybe you just need to get out and walk every day, you can definitely do that with a friend while even pushing the babies in the stroller.  Consider finding a race and sign up with a partner whether you train together or not.  I love the popularity of weight loss challenges too and the moral support I get from those friends.  I know we are all partners in it together and it makes the ride much more enjoyable.  It is also my hope that your spouse will be your favorite partner as they support you in your efforts to get healthy.