Confessing my addiction, exercise!

I love to exercise!  I love the way I feel when my heart is pumping.  I love the little bit of soreness the day after a hard workout.  I love the mental boost it gives me.  In fact, if I go too long without it, I get really grumpy.  (I don't know if it's exercise withdrawl or crazy days that do that)  Once upon a time, I had a membership to the YMCA but it was a half hour away.  I'd drive there, drop the kids in two different childcare areas, wait for a machine (30 minute exercise limit), do some strength training, get the kids, drive home.  It took a lot of time and it's hard justify all that time when I'm homeschooling.  Also, it cost around $70 a month so if I didn't get down there frequently, the times I went felt really expensive.   So, I started building my home exercise collection. 

Workout videos were the cheapest option and I've worn out quite a few.  Collage video was my go to place to find good workouts and I've been getting their catalogs for so long that I remember when VHS was the only choice!  The biggest problem with workout videos is that as soon as I'm stepping along and getting into the workout, a child decides they want to exercise with me and soon I'm sharing the step and trying hard not to step on little fingers.  I also often felt quite on display as the kids sat on couches on either side of me and watched the entire workout, giving helpful comments like:  you're not keeping up mom, you need to jump higher.  So, I started looking for cardio equipment.  I'd used an elliptical at the YMCA and loved it so I bought one off craigslist and hated it.  It was not the same by any stretch of the imaginiation.  The movements were jerky and the stride length was too small.  Hooray for craigslist, I sold it for what I paid for it.  I wonder how many times it will cycle around?  If you want one, this one is available right now for only $100 off the Seattle Craigslist site and there's lots more just like it.  Maybe it's my old one.

Next I got a stairstepper that was my new best friend.  It cost $25.  It was a great workout.  I could read a book while I worked out, all was well.  Except one small problem, due to a design flaw in the machine, over time the cable that connects the two steps together would wear down and eventually break.  I'd be stepping along, imagining I was climbing the Statue of Liberty or Washington Monument and suddenly I'd sink down to the ground.  Breaking thick steel cables is not the best for a girl's self esteem.  I've worn through three cables to date!

Wanting to cross train, I bought a treadmill off craigslist and while I've used it, it's just not fun.  I've tried really hard to like it but I feel like a hamster in a wheel.  The poor thing sits unused waiting to be recycled on craisgslist.

My next find was a classic nordictrack off freecycle.  It came in a close second to my stairstepper.  I loved that as I got fitter, I was able to increase the resistance and slope.  Dode built me a special book shelf, and I spent many hours "skiing" while reading.

But I just kept dreaming about an elliptical and after doing my research and watching on craigslist, I invested in this beauty that totally dominates the bedroom.  The hand rails actually hang past the sliding glass door which makes going in and out of the door difficult but is great for air conditioning when I get too hot.  It weighs a ton (not quite but almost) and about killed my back when I helped Dode and Jacob get it up the stairs to our room.  But, it is true love.  I haven't touched any of the other equipment in months.  My new favorite toy actually gets a lot of use.  We don't have tv service but I'm not against letting the kids watch tv while they exercise.  Through the magic of hulu.com or blockbuster, they are able to enjoy their favorite shows and work their heart.  There is someone on it probably 3 hours a day 6 days a week. 

I'm trying to brainwash myself that I love strength training just as much as cardio, but to love strength training, you have to love pain.  There's the lovely burn deep in muscle when it's shaking and you're trying to crank out one more rep.  There's the delayed onset muscle soreness made worse by a small child elbowing you in the thigh as you sit beside them in church, there's the pain of stubbing your toes on the weights you were too tired or lazy to put away.  I know it's good for me, but it's too easy to convince myself that I'm just too busy to get to it and will do it tomorrow.  Unfortunately, tomorrow I just put it off again.  I've tried to divide the big bag thing up into manageable chunks and have told myself I'll do 20 minutes a day alternativing between upper body, lower body, and abs/stretching.  So far, I've made it a week!

My addiction to exercise also extends into my dates with Dode.  No dinner and a movie for me, I want to sweat.  We've: cross country skiied, snowshoed, rock climbed, mountain biked, hiked, paddled, explored abandoned mines, and circumnavigated the Arlington Airport too many times to count.  My ideal date includes one of the above with a picnic lunch packed from home and a sinfully rich dessert from an outstanding bakery (sometimes it's the Stephanie Dickson bakery).

Here we are snowshoeing near Stevens Pass.