45 for the next 45 (Take 2)

Well my plan for 45 minutes of exercise for 4 in 5 days between Thanksgiving and New Year's was a total bust. There are multiple reasons for this, most of which have to do with me prioritizing sleep over exercise which I think is reasonable given the pregnancy. Could I have done a better job than I did? Absolutely. But it was unlikely that with my sleep needs and my work schedule I was going to accomplish that goal.

But, I think this post is a good lesson to all of us who do a generally decent job of staying in shape but are always trying to improve- sometimes our work-out plans fail and the difference b/t us and couch potatoes is not a lack of failure but the ability to re-group and try again when failure occurs.

I'm ready to re-group and try again. I have a few things in my favor this time, like no more procedures related to the pregnancy (hopefully) and a good work schedule for the next two months. And I'm going to start going to pre-natal small group training classes which I'm super excited about. While all of family and friends (with a couple rare exceptions) have been completely supportive and frankly not surprised by my two triathlons and two marathons while pregnant, it will be nice to actually work out with some other fit-minded pregnant ladies with a trainer who specializes in pre- and post-natal women!

I'm also going to give myself some leeway mostly because of the pregnancy- I want to be absolutely realistic and sure I can accomplish my new goal of 45 minutes of exercise for the next 45 days (Jan 1-Feb 14). So aggressive walking on an incline that results in sweating and/or shortness of breath will count. I did this for the first time yesterday, and yes, walking can be a workout at 3.8-4.0 mph and 5-6 grade or higher incline. I imagine there will be days when I'm exhausted and sore and not mentally (and eventually physically) able to deal with any other form of exertion so I'll leave this in as my back-up. But I promise I will walk with a vengeance and I think if the hill is steep enough I can get short of breath enough to get some cardiovascular benefit from this! Mostly I will be running, swimming, occasionally spinning and strength training with the pre-natal group. Oh- and the 45 minutes a day is an average- I can bank extra time- so Tuesday's 90 minute 10 mile run buys me some time for this weekend when I am working two 12 hour shifts and will likely only get in my one mile a day.

So far, I'm 4 days in and going strong:)