Committing to Cardio

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I’ve been running my mouth about it for a couple of weeks now but it’s time to put my running shoes where my mouth is and take some action.

I’m committing to starting the Couch to 5K so that I can start reaping the benefits of cardio, some of which are explained in Women’s Health Magazine’s article titled 5 main brain boosting benefits of cardio exercises, which I can relate to my own life to help convince myself that I really need to do this.

I’ve been feeling a little blue again lately and I know that adding in cardio will get those “feel good” hormones flowing in my body. Not only will I grow my confidence, but (according to the article), I will also encourage brain growth and I’m down with that.

I don’t feel like I’m as productive as I want to be. My energy gets zapped way too quickly and by baby’s nap time I’m just ready to sit and relax with a cup of coffee in hand. According to the article, people who worked out were 23% more productive than on the days they didn’t work out. Coffee hasn’t been working its magic for me like I want it to, so instead of rolling out of bed and grabbing a cup of Joe, I’m going to start waking up at 6 a.m. for my cardio workout.

Last weekend when we went on a hilly bike ride for two hours, I started off feeling blue and ended feeling euphoric. The article references a study which indicates the exercise induced mood lift can last up to 12 hours—that gets me through the day! Exercise is great for stress relief and we all know I need that.

Why is it that the mind knows what the body needs and yet, while we never regret a workout, it’s a constant struggle to get it done? This is why I’m going to commit to get started by next week and possibly even tomorrow. I think that once I start forming better habits that I’ll be more inspired to continue on this journey.

I have no excuses—I have a treadmill and I can workout rain or shine while the baby naps. I also have a jogging stroller and could run outside if I need to workout while baby girl is awake. Not to mention, hubby and I could complete the workouts together. I just have to do it.

If you are interested in buying or using a treadmill or elliptical, you can refer to http://treadmill-ratings-reviews.com/ and https://fitness-equipment-source.com/.

Do you have any fitness goals you are committing to?