A dose of exercise inspiration from pilates instructor, Caroline Shannon ...
Why exercise any way?
Sometimes, I ask myself that question and as I am braving the cold winter air, wind lashing me in the face during my morning run, I come up with absolutely nothing in the answer category.
Except for, “Yeah, why am I doing this?”
And on other days the exercise answers for me.
What do I mean by that, dear blog readers?
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit Aspen, Colorado as a part of my job as a weekend nanny. Yes, yes, I know, I am lucky.
It was my first time visiting Aspen and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect on the exercise home front. Would I be able to brave the cold mountain weather? Would my lungs feel like they were caving in as a result of the increased altitude (uh-huh)?
Well, I wasted no time finding out. On day one, I was shown the running stroller (to tote along one of the adorable children I babysit) and on the running shoes went.
I started out with the intention of walking, but soon found myself running along the trails that surrounded the town. It was breathtaking and, while it’s not usually my style to stop during a run (something has to be bleeding or breaking), I couldn’t help but take pictures of the scenery with my phone (see above photo).
The rest of my week was spent squeezing in walks and runs throughout Aspen while pushing my trusty partner, Charlie (good thing he loves to exercise!). I even had the opportunity one day to climb Smuggler Mountain (yes, mountain) while pushing the jogging stroller. I am not going to lie—it was hard. But when I got to the top, I couldn’t help but do a little bit of a victory dance (Okay, I imagined myself doing one). I felt pretty darn good, and, of course, the encouragement from others along the trail—“You must be really strong!” and “That’s definitely a first!”—also gave me a huge “Yay, me!” boost.
Of course, it’s not every day that I have a mountain to remind me of the reasons why I exercise. On normal days, like today, the positive reminders of why I put time in at the gym or endure an extra hot yoga class may be a little bit tougher to spot.
But they are there.
Whether it’s an extra pep in my step while I get ready in the morning or the sense of accomplishment I feel when I walk into work and know I have already done something for me that day … well … that’s why.
Because I am my best “me” when I am taking care of my personal health. And that's just too good an offer to pass up.
Originally published on SeeJaneFly
