8:47 a.m. IN THE CARPOOL LINE TO DROP OFF AT PRESCHOOL
“If I can get to the gym and one of the better treadmills is open, I’ll be going by 9:05 a.m.”
8:51 a.m. PULLING OUT OF THE PRESCHOOL PARKING LOT
“OK. I am making good time. What a pretty day…I’ll open the sunroof. Now, let me change to my radio station…”
8:59 a.m. PARKING AT THE GYM
“What is that they say about parking as far away from the door as you can? That is supposed to help burn extra calories, right? Great, there is a spot right up front! I’ll take that one.”
9:01 a.m. STARTING IS THE HARDEST PART
“Signed in…treadmill is open…good. Hang jacket, fire up my iPod…I am a little bit early. Maybe I’ll be out of here by 10:00 a.m…Oh, yeah, today is my day to catch up and do 60 minutes. I hate those days!”
9:04 a.m. AM I HAVING FUN YET?
“I should probably add a couple of extra minutes to the timer so that I can REALLY walk at my workout speed for the full 60 minutes. I don’t how those elliptical machine people can do those things. It hurts me just to watch.”
9:06 a.m. UP TO SPEED
“Should I go faster than 3.0 today? I always think I could do better than that, but I am never comfortable when I speed up to more than 3.1 or 3.2. I know, I’ll go up to 4.0 and run a little bit and then back off.”
9:06:34 WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS?
“I am not a runner. What am I doing running at this speed? I have only been going for about 17 seconds here. I should try to make at least 1 minute on the running part.”
9:07 a.m. GOOD ROUND NUMBER
“OK. That was fun. The timer just got to a new minute…that’s a good round number and a good place to stop running.”
9:11 a.m. HELLO DOUBLE DIGITS!
“OK. I made it to 10 minutes. I am 1/6 finished and, if I want to, I can stop at 30 minutes so that means that I am already 1/3 finished. I really shouldn’t stop at 30 minutes, but I like knowing that I can. Maybe I’ll do 40 minutes here and 25 on the bike?”
9:15 a.m. I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I DO FEEL BETTER
“Why am I doing this again? I am sweaty and I would rather be doing something else (like eating a cheese pastry and reading the newspaper at Panera)! I don’t like being sweaty. I need to remember to get a towel when I come in next time. If anyone asks, I’ll have to admit that exercising does make me feel better, but I don’t like doing it. I DON’T THINK I EVER WILL!”
9:21 a.m. TWENTY MINUTES AND COUNTING
“All I HAVE to do is 10 more minutes…I can do that…no big deal. At least I’ll be out of here in time to get to the store on my way home. Now, what do I need at the store? I really need to make a list and I don’t have time to make a list. Maybe we’ll go out tonight (again) and I’ll go to the store tommorrow. I wonder which I dislike more – cooking or working out?”
9:29 a.m. CLOSE TO 30
“I can’t stop at just 30 minutes. I’ll do at least 35.”
9:36 a.m. DECISION TIME
“I don’t feel too bad. I think I’ll do 10 more minutes. I wish I could 1½ checks on my goal tracker. I don’t like having to do either 30 or 60 to get credit. Maybe I’ll e-mail that guy and see if he can change that.”
9:38 a.m. MUSIC OR TALK
“At least I can catch up on my talk radio while I am walking. I would never be able to listen to these shows uninterrupted at home. I LOVE podcasts! I might walk better if I had music though. Maybe I need to load a workout playlist? OR, I could just mix some music in between the podcasts that I have downloaded…I think I’ll definitely see if I can find an applause clip to play every 10 minutes. If I think people are clapping for me, maybe it will inspire me.”
9:44 a.m. AM I SKINNY YET?
“Oh man do I hate this! It’s better than the balance ball (that thing almost killed me) but not much. It shouldn’t be too long before I can walk outside some. I work harder when I come here, but it is more interesting to see the real world. Maybe 3 days here and 3 days out…”
9:46 a.m. KEEP GOING?
“I can do 15 more minutes…I’ll slow down a little now and that will help…”
9:50 a.m. AUTOPILOT
“Dave Ramsey just makes me smile! I cannot believe that people will call in and tell the whole world the stuff they tell him. I am not sure I would have enough guts to do that.”
9:56 a.m. PAT ON THE BACK
“Yes, I hate doing this. Yes, I wish I could skip it. Yes, I am proud of myself when I finish each day. Keep going, just 5 more minutes.”
9:59 a.m. THE LONGEST PART
“These last 2 minutes always feel like 2 days. I wish I could walk with my eyes closed so I would not look at the timer so much. If I closed my eyes, I would definitely lose my bearings and ride right off the back of this thing!
10:00 a.m. COUNTING DOWN
“I am happier about this countdown than ANY New Year’s Eve party I have ever been involved with. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6…
10:01 a.m. NO PROBLEM
“That feels pretty good…I don’t know why I don’t do 60 minutes every day! OK, now on to my cheese pastry!”
