“We’re having a moment! I feel it, don’t you??” “I sure feel something!”There comes a moment in every young person’s life where a change begins to stir inside them and they come to a crossroads where the choices they make will impact the rest of their lives. No, I’m not talking about the Moment that comes accompanied by free samples of Tampax and Teen Spirit. (True story: My health teacher gave us a comic book that was supposed to explain all the mysteries of femininity. Menstruation is weird enough on its own much less rendered in cartoon detail. I still remember the “flow” in that book being much closer to a lava flow than the unglamorous reality that is my uterine lining. How bummed was I when it turned out my monthly didn’t defy gravity after all!) The moment I’m talking about today is the Moment when you decide whether or not you’re athletic. In the black-and-white world that is kid-dom, either you are or you aren’t and you must dress and act accordingly.
I wasn’t. Boy howdy, was I not an athlete! (And yes, I was a gymanst for years but let’s remember that although I loved it with every fiber of my geeky being, I, well, I sucked at it.) For many people, this decision becomes final. It simply is who they are and by adulthood they aren’t going to change it. But there are those of us who decide that this must change and embark on a fitness quest. No matter when this Moment comes to you, be it in your childhood or later in life, it is significant.
It was the Karate gym for a 13-year-old Jillian Michaels. It was watching a Mr. Universe pageant for Arnold Schwarzenegger (who, incidentally, grew up in a cottage without a refrigerator or even indoor plumbing so don’t ask me how he saw this pageant.) For me it was sitting on the toilet one day after my second son was born and being appalled at how my thighs hung over the sides of the seat. Glamorous, I know.
While I’ve talked a lot about the reasons I got into fitness and became the lovable nut I am today (short story: I am mentally ill), I’ve never really talked about how exactly I started working out. Reader Kristen reminded me of this:
You post a lot of great tips for fellow fitness gurus, but I was wondering if you could dedicate a post or two to the very beginner, suggestions for how to put down the TV remote and pick up the jump rope, how to find such a great fitness community when all of your current friends guzzle mountain dew as a hobby, or some suggestions for lighter workouts for the newbie. Maybe you have a story or two about how you first became a fit-addict?
How I Went From Toilet Seat to Ten K:
The day of the horrific toilet episode (wow, that came out sounding way worse than I intended – google’s gonna love this!), I resolved to get myself back. Up to that point I’d been dealing with my weight by dieting and disordered eating – cautionary tale, that’s me! – but now that I had kids I wanted to do it the right way and I knew that meant exercise. So I started in the simplest way possible: I laid out my one pair of athletic shoes (a pair of trail runners I had bought 5 years earlier solely because they were on sale and I thought I would look cute in a granola-girl kind of way – I lived in Seattle, crunchy-chic was still cool there!) by the door. The next morning, after I finished the 5 a.m. nursing, I put on the shoes and went outside. I didn’t own any workout clothes – not even a sports bra – so I wore my pajama pants, my husband’s tee and an ill-fitting underwire. My goal was the hill next to our house. And me being me, I had to run it. I’m embarrassed to admit it nearly killed me and I was immensely grateful that it was still early enough that none of my neighbors witnessed my humiliation.
The next morning I did it again. And then again. Each day I tried to add on a little bit. I didn’t use a couch-to-5K program or a heart rate monitor or anything else – although those probably would have helped. I just did it. And I did it every day. After several months I could not only run the hill with ease but I could do a couple of miles. And while I enjoyed the quiet time away from my colicky infant and the beautiful views outside (and my pants fitting better!), I’m not going to lie to you: It was hard. It was hard to stay motivated. It was hard to run by myself. Even though I had finally bought a sports bra, a pair of running shorts and an arm band radio (yes, I am that old), I’m a social girl at heart and running wasn’t enough for me anymore. I knew if I didn’t change things then I was going to lose my workout mojo.
So I joined a gym. Things snowballed from there as I met loads of kind people who shared their fitness knowledge (and books!) with me. (Hi L!!) I got into weight lifting. I took cardio classes. And the best part was the more involved I got in these activities, the more like-minded people I met. The more people I met, the more fitness-y things I learned. It became so ingrained in my life that when my husband lost his job and we had to move across the country, the very first thing I did when we got to Minnesota was find a gym and sign up. (Yeah, I did that even before he got a job. Sometimes stupid and hopeful are two sides of the same coin.)
These days there are many factors that keep me exercising but at the beginning it was just a girl and a hill. All of which is to say, Kristen, just start. It doesn’t matter if you don’t do it “right” or if you don’t have equipment or even if you don’t have a friend – just start moving and the rest will come. Don’t wait until the perfect moment because it will never come. Pick something you don’t hate – tennis, swimming, rock climbing, biking, dancing, whatever – and just do it. A lot.
Holy crap I’m a Nike ad and an ’80’s motivational poster all rolled in to one.
Almost every athletic person I know has a toilet-seat story (usually not involving toilets but I’ll forgive them). Very very few of us come by exercise naturally, springing forth – literally! – from our mother’s loins full of fitness fervor. For every Michael Phelps, there are a hundred girls in bad shoes and a really bad bra busting their butts running up a hill. My favorite line from Kristen’s e-mail is this: “I think I’m a fitness freak waiting to happen.” You are girl, you are! Join us?
What’s your fitness Moment? How did you first start out exercising? What advice do you have for Kristen? Anyone else get a menstruation comic book??
"I think I'm a fitness freak waiting to happen."
Me too, Kristen, me too.
I used to be athletic, and I used to love it with every fibre of my being. Then university happened, and I turned into a couch potato.
Now I feel like I am starting all over again, and it's a whole new world, learning this athleticism thing as an adult. As a kid, it seemed effortless, but now it's challenging and what if I suck and what if I'm not very good at it?
But I've just decided that being good at it is not nearly as important as just showing up, and getting it done.
Good luck!
That's so great. Looking at your thighs on the toilet. I've done similar stuff- then the poking, prodding and "hmm, was that roll here last week"? Sigh.
And I've gone walking in PJ bottoms too. We should start a club.
I was terribly unathletic my whole life. I found fitness on the Love Boat. Well, not That love boat, but a cruise ship. I was obese but I knew I'd be obesererer by the time I got home if I didn't do some due diligence on the stairmaster. After 2 weeks of doing that every day I was hooked. Couple that with dietary changes and I lost a lot of weight.
Now I crave exercise. Not every single day, but I'd say 5 days a week. Once the bug bites, it's hard to cure! Be warned Kristen!
I, too, was terribly unathletic as a child and teenager. I had a bike, but I wasn't that great at riding it! On student exchange in Holland as a teenager I naturally cycled a lot, and my host mother signed me up at a gym where I did weights and a cardio class and loved them. I was a gym member on and off for the next ten years or so, with my dedication and weight both fluctuating, but it never became a lifestyle for me. I had my own 'toilet seat' moment, but for me it was looking down at my legs in the shower. Finally a friend did a women's triathlon and enjoyed it so much that I wished I could join her. However with a fear of the water that seemed unlikely. It was at this point that she told me about a group that was about to start at our gym, training for a women's duathlon. The rest, as they say, is history. I did the duathlon, then I trained for a 10k run, then a half marathon, and I did my first marathon last year. The fitness bug bit, and it bit hard!
My toilet moment? When I went to a doctor on my lunch break about an eye infection and he asked me when I was due.
Seriously.
That night, I joined WW and a few weeks later I dug out my gym membership and started going. And I started walking everywhere.
I alternately love and hate it and that's why I change things up all the time. I used to hate running but now I seem to be enjoying it. Soon I'll try something new and feel like the idiot who's got no idea but it'll become second nature.
baby steps.
I say dont change a thing/tweak a habit you might think is "bad" but add in one healthy habit.
STARTING TODAY.
anything.
and just keep adding in those healthy habits (walking more, fitnessbreaks not coffee breaks. jumping rope for 3 minutes a day—ANYTHING!!) and they will slowly change your life.
at least they did mine.
I didn't have a single moment. It was a bunch of numerous moments of self-loathing, one of which was noticing that I could poke myself in the hip as hard as possible without feeling a thing because there was so much fat covering my nerve endings.
Began with walking. Took months before I added in some bodyweight exercises at home. Took another year before I joined the gym.
All total, it took about three or four years before I changed my thinking from couch potato to fit person.
I had two moments.
In college, I went for a run with friends and couldn't make it past 2 blocks (and my thighs were jigglin like jello). I was so embarrassed. So I started by myself, running for a couple blocks then walking the rest of the way. Slowly I was able to get up to 1 mile, then 2, then 3.
Years later, after I had our daughter, I started going to they gym again. She was (and is) my inspiration, as I want to be a positive role model for her.
"toilet seat to 10k" you should market that haha
i was pushed into "real" athletics by my parents when i was in middle school (they always made me play outside before, like bball and biking etc). not that i wasn't athletic but they were the impetus as i was probably too shy to try out for the 8th grade bball team as a 7th grader or varsity anything as a freshman. so unfortunately i don't have any advice because i was immersed in being active from childhood.
I was beyond non-athletic growing up. Aside from playing basketball, I never ran, I never workout out. I preferred not to think about exercise. I'd never even been to a gym by the time I went to college.
The thing that got me to work out consistently (and still does) was a knee injury. Now I do it because I want to heal my knees. And I do it because I don't want to injure any other part of my body by being weak. And the less I can do now (running is totally out of the question) the more I want to do–like run a 5K.
I lost all sense of athleticism after high school. My only exercise was walking to classes in college and occasionally home from the bar. Then….I got married. I did the cliche, must lose weight before the wedding thing. And it was great. I used "THE FIRM". They are DVDs that you can use at home and they were very instructional. I learned great exercises and great form. They are cheesy, but a great way to start! From there I moved into running and more serious weight training. And now I'm up to squatting 185 pounds!!
On another note….I'm up in Duluth. It's nice to hear about other Minnesotans working hard!!
I think my moment came in college when my mom looked at her overweight self then looked at me and said, "Erin, get into the habit of exercising now. It's easier to start when you're younger." I don't know if I believe that any more, but at the time I did. So, I joined a gym, had a trainer show me around a few times, and since then I've not been without a gym membership (that I actually use!). I took up running a few years ago which is something I never thought I'd do. Everyone starts somewhere and I truly believe that fitness is one area where people enjoy helping the newbies.
I think my moment came in college when my mom looked at her overweight self then looked at me and said, "Erin, get into the habit of exercising now. It's easier to start when you're younger." I don't know if I believe that any more, but at the time I did. So, I joined a gym, had a trainer show me around a few times, and since then I've not been without a gym membership (that I actually use!). I took up running a few years ago which is something I never thought I'd do. Everyone starts somewhere and I truly believe that fitness is one area where people enjoy helping the newbies.
I think my moment came in college when my mom looked at her overweight self then looked at me and said, "Erin, get into the habit of exercising now. It's easier to start when you're younger." I don't know if I believe that any more, but at the time I did. So, I joined a gym, had a trainer show me around a few times, and since then I've not been without a gym membership (that I actually use!). I took up running a few years ago which is something I never thought I'd do. Everyone starts somewhere and I truly believe that fitness is one area where people enjoy helping the newbies.
Love hearing about these great moments!
I was a tomboy growing up and felt fairly comfortable doing athletic things. So there was no dramatic moment of deciding to get fit. It's been more like lots of little moments when I've tried to learn something new or had come back after an injury–where wanted to say the hell with it but made myself get back on track anyway.
One goal for me going forward–to bring back more of the "fun" in exercise, so it feels more like recesss did when I was a kid, and less like a chore.
Never a real athlete growing up. Did ballet and stuff until I hurt my knee in 7th grade and that did me PE days in for good. I tried aerobics after college with a friend and started jogging just for general fitness (and because so many doctors told me that I could never run because there is no cartilage left in my knee – type As do not like to be told they cannot do something) but nothing really stuck. I got back into running after my daughters were born but really just to get back into my clothes.
My real motivation has been my husband. He is in amazing shape and suggested weight lifting years ago. Seeing definition in my arms and wanting a live a long and healthy life with him is what keeps me going (that, and wanting to fit into my jeans).
Interesting post! I used to hate gym class. I was the kid who always dreaded "The Mile" days and walked them. I even got thrown out of Gym a few times for "having a bad attitude".
Then in college, my mom was telling me about a time when she had been at her skinniest. I asked her if she was just skinny then, or if she had to work for it. She gave me a funny look and told me she had to work, of course.
So I went out and bought Dance Dance Revolution (I know, geek!) and started with that. Then I signed up for a kickboxing class, and went in my cotton T-shirts and pajama pants as well (thinking back, I bet the other students thought I was such a dork :)). Then I ran my first 5K…and then on. Now I'm signed up for a half ironman this year, and I'm only now starting to think of myself as "athletic".
Everyone starts somewhere. Nobody is born running marathons.
I am a born-again athlete, and it has taken me a LONG time to use the "A" word.
Because of my utter lack of coordination growing up, I was strictly in the drama-club-chick-chosen-last-for-any-team category. I started doing aerobics in high school (Jane Fonda tapes. I'm older than you, Charlotte, lol!) and I remember a comment a teacher (yes, a teacher) made: "Oh, you're SUCH an athlete (eye roll)." It stuck with me for years and had me believing that no matter how active I was, I would never be an athlete.
But I am. I may not be a NATURAL athlete, but I am still an athlete. I work hard at it, 6 days a week. I teach others. I may not play on a team or have any trophies, but I. Am. An. Athlete.
(And I can't say I ever got a menstruation comic book, but I DID read "Are you there, G-d? It's me, Margaret" about 100 times.)
I was never athletic and gym class convinced me that I hated exercise. At the same time, there were active things I liked to do – in the summer I liked swimming and hiking when we went on family camping trips. In the winter I loved cross country skiing. I just didn't happen to think of those things as exercise.
I don't know that I had a big moment, but I had a roommate when I was in my early 20's. Where I was a bookworm and could happily sit and read all day, this girl had energy that she needed to burn and she wanted someone to go with her. We lived in a small town, so there weren't a lot of choices but we went to an aerobics class for a while and I thought it was fun.
For me, I think that was the key. Connecting the dots to realize that something could be fun and be exercise at the same time. It still took me a while to get into a regular exercise habit, but I think that was the starting point.
So nice to hear the beginnings of it for you!
I found that the gym-bag-by-the-front-door trick worked very well for me, too. Also, if I take a CLASS- like when I took boot camp- I feel compelled to go and not skip out because they're expecting me and I already shelled out the big bucks for it. I don't always trust MYSELF to hold myself accountable 😉
I rarely comment but this post made me laugh. In October I decided to walk a half-marathon (after only training 5 weeks, dumb). When I went to get my packet the sign on the door said "Athletes only", I almost didn't go in….and then I realized they meant me too. lol
That was a great read, Charlotte!
I started being active young. Having a bike and being able to explore the neighborhood was a wonderful way to escape the house 🙂
Movement was just a natural way for me to go. I never was able to realize all of my athletic dreams, or even a few, but I have had my moments, and they were enough, and besides, I'm still keeping on!
I think that the idea of taking on some sort of new lifestyle is overwhelming for a lot of people.
In 2007 I weighed 270 lbs, was lethargic, and eating myself towards diabetes. It took a doctor's reassurance that I was on the road to diabetes to get me to sign up for the gym. It was an "A ha" moment where I just said "Enough is enough." That first night I threw on some baggy clothes and drove to my new gym where I huffed and puffed on the elliptical for fifteen minutes. The next day I drove back and did it again. Three years later and here I am, working out about an hour every day, weighing more than 100 lbs less and constantly wondering how I can challenge my body next.
Charlotte, I love your unvarnished honestly. A "toilet seat moment." AWESOME. 🙂
I'm starting to feel less like a beginner-beginner, although I'm a long way from an . . . er . . . "intermediater?" But I had to stop thinking about it so much. It's kind of backwards from everything else I've read, but I had to just decide that I would get some exercise, and then not think about it after that. I don't plan my workouts, I don't plan which days I'll lift weights or do a DVD or run on the treadmill or take a class. I do whatever seems most appealing (or some days, least hateful). Every day.
I might feel differently in a couple of years, but for me, getting started means that I have to STOP THINKING so much – about whether I have time, whether I'm doing it "right," what other people are thinking. Kind of like paying the bills: it's not really an option.
Hi Charlotte,
I know you said you were tracking your calories on fitday. While I wanted to email you about this (I had a question, not wanting to admonish you :)), I could not find your email address. Anyway, I was wondering if you were finding it helpful or a stumbling block? I am pregnant and while not trying to lose weight, I have recently been eating a TON. More than I would consider healthy…more than anyone would consider healthy!
Thanks!
I think one of the mistakes newbies make is that they think they must love the fitness. I've been doing this for years and have never loved it. I am not "happy" pushing beyond my comfort zone but it is so worth it, that is when you progress. And that feels great!
I guess that's my advice to Kristen about exercise: start, grumble about, but keep it up.
cammi99
It's been two years since I took the first steps to getting back in shape and now I quite possibly could be in the best shape of my life (even more fit than in my many years of soccer!)
For me, I gave myself a goal of trying to do a local all women triathlon. (btw, this was a blast and a totally non judgemental zone of women at all fitness levels just gathering the guts to get out there and tri!)
This was a big jump for me as I've had to teach myself to swim by watching others (trying not to make it too obvious that I'm staring at them) and reading loads of hints and tips on the internet. I started off getting used to the water by doing water aerobics. I've gone from that to being able to swim 6 laps!
Recently, I also downloaded a personal running trainer on my ipod and that has been awesome. Each time I finish a week of it, I feel like I just conquered something. They have these programs for all levels of experience (including 4 weeks to one mile).
Ultimately, it's been the thrill of conqering one more thing that has kept my motivation going. And it really does become addicting.
Meg – I wouldn't worry about tracking your calories while you are pregnant! As long as you are gaining weight appropriately and don't have gestational diabetes then I think you should trust your body and eat if you are hungry! I know how scary that out of control hunger can feel but it's all for a good cause: You are growing a person after all:)
As for me, the jury is still out whether tracking my cals is helpful at this point. (And I'm using SparkPeople now instead of fitday)
PS> You can find my e-mail addy by clicking the link under my picture on the right hand side that says "e-mail me"
thanks Charlotte! I wish I could just wake up one morning and have gained the weight all at once and be done. There might have been a run in this morning with Cadbury eggs 🙂
Charlotte, can you please do a post on how much exercise you actually do a day? How much is overexercising do you think? I think perhaps I am an overexerciser too, but I've never really thought about it that way before I guess!
I've had a few moments in my life where I've made the decision to change to become an exerciser… I was never sporty in school… my siblings were, but I wasn't… I was the "musical" one… Then when I was working early shifts and eating junk and not exercising, it occurred to be… I didn't feel good… I was waking up every day not feeling good and I was putting on weight… so I started walking and I walked and walked, then I added small weights to my walk, then I added running and within a couple of years I was running 10km 4-5 times a week (because I got so addcited to the runner's high!)…
But then I got pregnant and had a dreadful pregnancy that prevented me from doing much exercise at all and I piled on weight (which I had never really done before)… Then once my son was born and I finished breastfeeding him (cause I couldn't lose the weight while breastfeeding and couldn't run with my enormous milk filled boobs either!!) I started slowly with the running again… just a little bit and the first few times even 100metres would kill me… but after almsot another year I am running almost daily and nearly back to the level of fitness I was at before child! Still trying to get those baby love handles to shift though… pesky few pounds of fat left on my middle… (sadly starting to think it won't happen!)
I'll jump on the wagon with the fitness freaks! 🙂
I grew up a gymnast and a springboard diver and an ice skater, but I took a 10 year break (my moment was in a dressing room at target). I started by playing Dance Dance Revolution, which was the only thing that didn't make me resent workouts at the time, and just went from there as I lost weight and got interested in fitness. Now, I'm one of those nutjob runners that I made fun of – go figure.
I think one of the mistakes newbies make is that they think they must love the fitness.
Good point! I've tried running, rock-climbing, kickboxing, boxing, spinning and a few other things over the years. At first, the workouts were just plain hard work, then I developed a love/hate relationship with them, then one day, when I got up to a certain level of fitness and skill, I thought, "Hey – this is fun!"
But yeah, at first it was just hard work.
Just adding – it's amazing how many people have been turned right OFF exercise by high school gym classes!
I thought that was the point of high school phys ed classes.
I mean, first the schools force you to wear esteem-destroying outfits and do gym, then they put soda vending machines outside. It's all a plot! A conspiracy! A… oh, all right, I'll tone down the paranoia. But doesn't it sound convincing? 🙂
For me it was right after I had my first baby when, to my shock and horror, my pre-pregnancy belt wouldn't fit. That was when I knew that the weight was not going to just fall off and I would have to actually, you know, work it off.
And I didn't need a menstruation comic book, I had Are You There God, It's Me Margaret. All a girl would ever need know, could be learned from Judy Blume.
Remember: Just one. Just one step, just one walk, just one run, just one more push-up… It took some time but for me it was a college ed requirement. I took self defense and realized that moving felt really good. So did winning my final in a split second.
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