I hate to sweat. Like seriously. I hate to get over-heated. And I hate it when my fingers swell.

I absolutely loathed P.E. class in jr. high and high school and was happy when I didn’t have to bother with it anymore for my junior & senior years. (Plus my jr. high P.E. teacher, Mrs. Phillips, was a royal witch with a capital “B.”)

BUT. Big ole BUT.

I had been thinking about it for a while. Thinking about how so many women I know run and do marathons and just absolutely get that bug and then they get all skinny and then I have to hate them. AND I HATE THAT. Having to hate them, that is. So I thought, hey, could I do that?

Then I said shut up, you’re not a runner. You hate running. You hate sweating. What’s wrong with you?

Then I said, no, YOU shut up. Because I could totally do that. I just need to shift my paradigm.

(par·a·digm n. 3. A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline.)

So I did. Or have been. It’s an on-going battle. I decided to start on my first full day back from vacation – July 10. So for the past three weeks I have been doing it.

I’ve mostly been working-out on our elliptical machine. I like it. I like being inside. I do intervals on the elliptical too – I’ll go really fast for a bit and then go back to a more moderate pace. I have a bit of a routine – I definitely work-out every Monday night. That’s when I watch my guilty pleasure TV and working out at the same time balances that nicely, I think. I’ve been doing 3.1 miles consistently on the elliptical on Monday nights. Then I try 2-3 more workouts during the week as well.

When I work-out outside I try to do run/walk intervals. More walk than run because I know I need to start conditioning before I run too much or I will literally fall-down dead. Other things make working-out outside less desirable – like my own insecurities. I don’t want people to SEE me working-out. I’m sure I just look ridiculous.

This morning I was determined to work-out outside. It didn’t go as well as it could have due to a sore left heel, I forgot my water, my nose closed up due to allergies, and it was 89 flippin’ degrees and I was roasty-toasty. I came home early and took a COLD shower. All in all, I did just about 2 miles today.

But, HEY, if it was 5 weeks ago then I wouldn’t have done that at all, would I?

Conclusion: I still don’t like running or sweating but I love the feeling I have after doing it. I feel like I really accomplished something. And I just feel better about myself. Like I’m actively doing something to better myself. I feel SEXIER already. That feeling just absolutely rocks.

Two people have told me that I look thinner. I’ve only lost about 4 lbs so far. We’ll see.

Now I think I need to invest in a better sports bra – because these girls CANNOT be contained – and new trainers (Britishism). My current tennies give me blisters on the inside of my arch, just before my heel. Odd.

So there’s my first work-out update. I’ll try to post anytime I have something worthwhile to say. Please keep the support and encouragement coming – I will definitely need it.