March is going to be a month to embrace exercise. I am typically pretty active from April – November, but the winter months are pretty hit and miss. I really struggle with exercise for the sake of exercise. I enjoy going for a spin on one of my bikes or going for a hike in the woods. But going for a run, just for the heck of it… well I hate it. I am amazed at how many people (judging mostly by Facebook posts) like to run! I wonder if they are doing something different that makes it enjoyable. Maybe its only fun if you post it on Facebook. The only time I have ever enjoyed running was if it was in a race (which means I had to do a lot of it to get ready for the race, which I didn’t enjoy) or if it is trail running.
All that being said, I need to get out and exercise, even if some of it is just for the sake of exercise. For one, I want to get a head start on being in shape for the mountain bike season. I’d like to do 3-4 races this year, so I need to be in good shape to pull that off. So for March, I am going to try to exercise every day. As usual, I don’t want to put parameters on “exercise” at the beginning of the month, but I will say that going for a walk around the block won’t cut it. I want each day to include some intentional exercise so that by the end of the month I’ll feel like I am healthier and in better shape than when I started.
I’ve gotten a bit of a head start, as recently I’ve been biking or running to get my Son to sleep at nap time. I can either get him to take a nap in the car (which can get costly), or in the bike trailer if I am running or biking. A couple of weeks ago, I started to figure out how much my nap time car rides were costing me and decided it would be much cheaper and healthier if I used that time to get out and bike or run. That’s how I started yesterday, by taking my son for a nap time ride.