Mindi Scott, Clinic Coordinator, Weight Management:
During the course of a year, a woman I know named Maggie made a decision to change her eating habits, make exercise a priority, and as a result she lost some extra weight. In that time, she also went from being out of breath while walking to running a full marathon. She considers it one of the greatest successes in her life.
It is estimated that less than 1% of the world’s population has completed a marathon. So how did Maggie become one of that small group? She literally took it one step at a time.
At the start of her training, she walked and then gradually increased her distance each week. When she was able, she switched to running. Using a 12-week schedule that she’d found online, she worked her way up to running a 5K race (3.1 miles). Next, she trained for and completed a 10K (6.2 miles), a half marathon (about 13.1 miles), and then a full marathon (26.2 miles).
Maggie made great strides in her health simply by taking care of herself and sticking to her training. Seeing her accomplishments firsthand helped me realize that I don’t have to be complacent about my own fitness. I don’t have to believe that I’m incapable of something simply because I’ve never done that particular thing in the past. It is never too late to try other options and develop new passions.
Inspired by Maggie’s accomplishments, I went from doing very little physical activity to competing in a couple of 5K races, participating in a fitness “boot camp,” and trying yoga and Pilates. There’s so much more that I want to do. I’d love to learn to dance, develop more muscle definition, and increase my strength and balance so that I can do more advanced yoga moves—like headstands.
The idea of trying something new can be daunting, but I’m discovering that it is not impossible. I’m keeping my expectations realistic, working on small goals, and building up to big changes. Training to run a marathon is not something that I see myself doing in the immediate future, but—unlike a few years ago—I’m not ruling it out.
In the meantime, I have some push ups to do!