Will Run for Chips!!

These snow storms are really killing my groove!! First of all, snow days keep falling on cardio days and this is really putting a cramp in my exercise plan.

I hate cardio.

I will do ANY strength exercise (maybe not well...but I'll do it). I don't have to argue with myself to do strength - ever. I have kettle bells, weights, resistance bands and really enjoy using them. But I can find any reason to avoid cardio...and these snow storms are not helping!

Overall, for some reason, I find it much easier to stick to my exercise schedule when I'm full force. Meaning - when I get up, go to work and do my regular routine. However, when my day is thrown off, my plan falls apart. Which leads me back to snow days.

Over time, snow days have become a day of nothing. Snow day = Netflix, snacking and being sacked out on my couch. That can't be the case anymore, but I'm struggling to get out of the snow day rut I've created.

When I have a snow day, I find it very difficult to get my butt up and do something. You would think, with typically having such a busy schedule, I would appreciate a few snow days to have some extra time to exercise. Nope...not the case at all. Maybe I just love the chaos, I'm not sure - but it's much easier for me to stick to my exercise plan on a jam packed day. Once I'm up and going, I'm good. I find this to be very strange...yet typical for me lol. I'm a bit of an odd duck this way.

I have 2 things working against me here - my dislike for cardio, and my snow day habits.

Clearly, since it is only the beginning of February, there will continue to be snow. If we are going to continue to be slammed with snow, I need some motivation to follow through with my schedule even if I have nothing else to do. Now, you would think that having this time on my hands, the need to lose weight and desire to be successful would be enough..Yea well, it's not.

So...I'm sitting, I'm thinking, I'm pinning, I'm etsying. I'm looking at clothes...jewelry...I'm scheming. I think - for every cardio I do, I'll put $1 in a jar and then buy something on one of my wish lists when I get the money. Nothing - didn't do it for me. I think of another idea, and another...It's just not doing the trick. I'm desperately trying to find something I want, a promise I can make to myself -  and all I can think about are...chips.

I don't want clothes, I don't want jewelry, I want chips, damnit! All of a sudden, I think - I'll run for chips!!! As soon as the words come out of my mouth, I thought - wtf? Three weeks in...seriously? I said I wasn't going to deprive myself, I would allow myself little treats here and there - be realistic about it. However, I haven't craved a single thing until this very moment. I'm just stormed in, I'm idle and therefore I think I need to eat.

Well then, Miss Rice - if you're so bored, get off your ass and work out! You will run, damnit...and you will NOT run for chips. You will run for YOU!

And so I did...I got up and found the Walk, Run, Burn exercise from Prevention magazine and I think to myself - I'm going to do it. I'm pumped up, I'm ready to go...I head to the treadmill.

Becca asks me what I'm doing, and the conversation then goes a little something like this...
Me: Getting on the treadmill.
Her: Oh yea, what is that?
Me: An exercise I'm going to try.
Her: On the treadmill?
Me: Yup.
Her: What it is?
Me: Walk, Run, Burn.
Her: Cool, can I see?
Me: Sure.
*moment of silence*
Her: Uhm...you can't do this on the treadmill...
Me: Why not?
Her: Did you actually look at it?
Me: Yup.
Her: So you're going to do the Frankenstein walk and back pedal on the treadmill?
Me: Yup.
*moment of silence*
Me: What?
Her: You're going to kill yourself.
Me: Nah.
Her: Yup, you're going to kill yourself. Everyone say your good-byes (talking to the dogs).
Me: No, no...It's all good.
Her: Nope, you're going to kill yourself.

I take my piece of paper and head to the treadmill. Just as I start up the ole beast, I hear...

Her: Maybe you should wear that little thing that clips to your pants!

The track starts up and I'm off...After about 20 minutes, I wanted to quit. I kept talking myself into it, telling myself all the reasons why it was okay. "It's your first time doing it"..."You need to build up"...I'm my own worst enemy sometimes. It really is mind over matter, because I kept going and finished all 33 minutes of the exercise. I did skip over the 30 seconds of cross overs and 30 seconds of shuffling, since I really might have killed myself trying to do that on the treadmill - but I ran it out in those sections instead, so it was all good.

I survived! In more ways than one. I felt so good. I had supper and finished up my night with a kettle bell exercise. It was worth kicking my own ass (and risk killing myself). If you're stuck in a snow day rut - it really is mind over matter - kick your own ass!

You’ve got what it takes but it will take everything you’ve got.