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I know, I know, I wrote all those secrets and now I’m talking cardio?
WTF, Leander.
But, see, this is on my mind, TOO, y’all.
Since I killed my back, when I’m at home, I hit the gym every single day for at least ten minutes of cardio.
Why ten minutes?
Ten minutes is the warm up I do before strength training. On Tuesdays and Fridays. If I’m not doing that, I do FORTY FIVE MINUTES of CARDIO.
If you KNOW me, you totally know I’m not a cardio girl. Nothing wrong with cardio girls, I just get bored way way too easily and my brain is way way too mean when it gets bored.
And you know what motivates me when I run around outside? Running fast enough that no one’s staring at my ass for too long.
That’s not motivation, that’s terror.
Which, sure, is its own motivation, but that’s not HEALTHY.
And we’re making healthy choices here, damnit.
So I’m in the gym to do my cardio and, thanks to Ifat and Netflix, I’m doing fifteen minutes on the treadmill, fifteen minutes on the cross trainer, and fifteen minutes on the bike.
Why that order?
Treadmill is the gentlest for my back while the bike is the harshest.
Treadmill warms me up for the cross trainer.
Cross trainer warms me up for the bike.
Bike tests how well my back is doing.
Then I go sit for the rest of the day. Cause we’re making healthy choices.
Nobody’s perfect?
But here’s the thing.
And, yup, this is where we get #ForSerious
It’s super easy to do the cardio when there’s pain. Just like it’s super easy to take the meds when you’re sick. Cause you KNOW it’ll make you feel better and you wanna feel better.
But once you feel better? Or, more accurately, once you THINK you’re better… that’s when motivation wanes or the inner voice strikes, “Do I really have to do this?”
I’m here to tell you, “Yes. Keep doing the thing.”
Until the doctor or someone ELSE says otherwise.
And, from the bottom of my heart, I’m truly sorry if you can relate right now.
And if you CAN’T relate, keep reading if you want insight on how the rest of us live.
If you’re like me, your inner voice is not entirely reliable. It gets bored easily. It tells you things like you’re not good enough, not smart enough and no one likes you.
But I’m here to tell you something you already DO know, deep down, when that voice isn’t talking, that you ARE good enough. You ARE smart enough. And I LIKE YOU.
I like you just cause you’re reading. Cause you’re starting dialogues. Cause you’re thinking.
I won’t always post about super dark things, I promise. Sometimes I even get technical and talk about CFPs. Today is one of the lighter days. I did cardio this morning. Like I do every day. Cause it’s good for my back even if it isn’t screaming at me anymore. Because it’s good for my inner voice, too, even when it tells me I don’t need to do it anymore.
Because I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and, gosh darn it, people like me, too.