Steps and Progresses

Today I upped the number of steps I'm doing by five on one set (the harder set) and ten on the second. It almost done me in, I tells ya. As my roommate said though, as rough as it was, I still managed to do it. Progress. Yay. I may be talking about the steps a lot. For one thing, it's the most intense work out my 38 yr old/500+ lbs self has done in many many years . . . possibly ever!  Secondly, as much as it hurts, I'm seeing some quick results.  I'm fairly happy about that.  Third, I'm just so bemused and happy about how LITTLE money was spent on this.  I absolutely adore that part.

For one thing, I don't have a lot of money TO spend on exercise equipment. I don't have a lot of money to spend on ANYTHING, really, but certainly not on stuff like this. And really, I have this theory that work out equipment really isn't designed to be used. I think most of it is designed to look inspiring enough for someone to go and fork over money to own it.  Then I think the idea most companies have is that it will get pushed into a corner with some good intentions wistfully thrown its way, collect dust, and eventually get sold at a yard sale. 

If someone actually is ambitious enough to start using the equipment on a regular basis, they will soon find themselves with broken equipment. If this person is even the slightest bit self-conscious about their weight, there is no way in HELL they are going to tell anyone they broke the exercise machine. That would just lead to too much emotional trauma.

Anyway, I thought I would show you some pictures of my setup. My roommate took the pics for me. I thank him for that. Oh, and before someone accuses me of karma whoring, yes, I realize I am not the person who came up with the idea of using pavers for steps. In fact, I'm not even the one in my HOUSE who suggested it. That was my roommate. I'm just trying to show anyone who is interested what this pavers/for/steps set up is like.

The first pic is an above view of the pavers. He put a brick and a spoon on them for a size visual. I personally find it to be very visually appealing, as there are basically tone on tone of grays and brick colors then this small bit of white. We even get leaves in there for movement.

The pavers are a good size for stepping. They're not so narrow as to cause me to stumble and miss my footing, nor are they so wide that I risk only stepping half way off and falling because of that. Both of these factors are very important to me because I'm not the most graceful of people and falling is one of my biggest fears where the work out is concerned.

The second pic is the side view of my pavers. As you can see, it's not really that high, however, for me it is still high enough to make an impact.  When I decide I need to add inches to it, the pavers themselves only cost like $1.50 each. I can easily and affordably add more.

You also get a nice view of the rock wall along my porch.

Finally, this is the front view of the pavers. They actually stay on top of each other fairly well. I think tomorrow I'll need to even them up again, but doing so once a week isn't that much of a hassle. When choosing pavers, it is VERY important to make sure they have a texture that isn't slippery.  Safety should be a major concern when you're doing something like this for yourself. After all, if you fall and injure your legs, you'll soon lose all the progress you've gained.

Again, yes, I realize they aren't that high, but they serve my purposes.  I've figured out that one of the key elements to working out successfully is to start slow and build up as you can.  You won't do yourself any favors by choosing something so minor and lax that it doesn't get your body's attention, but at the same time, if you try and start with something too physically difficult, you will soon get discouraged or injured . . . and then most likely quit.

And I will tell you, every day before I go out there to do the steps, my brain tries to talk me out of it. It gives me a million excuses as to why it shouldn't happen. after my first set of steps, my brain tries to convince me to go back inside. I did a little bit. Why bother with more? It does this after the second set and the third set as well.

By the time I walk inside, breathless, exhausted, kind of sick, and in pain, my brain is full of glee because the steps are OVER. And at that very moment, my brain starts trying to talk me out of doing them the next day. I know this is going to happen and I've accepted it's just part of whatever fucked up wiring I have. At the same time, unless I truly am sick or injured, there is no reason for me NOT to go out there and do my steps. I really hope this "don't do it" battle isn't a forever part of my work out experience, but it may well be.

I am admitting to this because I'm guessing a lot of other people probably go through that as well. Don't listen to your brain and don't think you're alone in this struggle. I'm right there with you, fighting every step of the way against my own self-sabotage and self-destruction. I'm also pretty sure I'm going to win.