I guess my "Get Moving" journey started this summer during a lunchtime walk with a long-time friend, who was training for a half marathon.
We were talking about running and working out, and I could hear in my head all these excuses flying out of my mouth. "I'm too busy with the children' commitments." "I can't get up early enough to get to the gym." "My husband works a lot of hours so I have the children by myself a lot." "I'm not a runner."
Over the next couple of days, I kept hearing those excuses run through my head. I started noticing all the 30-to 45-minute increments that I was just sitting and waiting for something like dance class or gymnastics, which was at a gym I have a membership too. One night I said to my husband, "I think I'm going to just commit to trying to work out a couple times a week either in the morning or when I'm just sitting and waiting somewhere." And I did! I was surprised because I enjoyed it. I could feel the difference in my mood, my patience and my energy level.
I started by walking 30 minutes a day and doing yoga a couple times a week. Then I started some interval running and after a couple weeks, I could run 3 miles. For someone that had never really been a distance runner, running 3 miles without stopping was a big deal to me. I found that with consistency I got better, stronger and faster. I have great support; my husband is always willing to adjust our hectic schedule to help me get my run in. That alone is motivating but also my children have started working out with me. A couple days a week, we get our mats out and do yoga or a cardio workout right in the living room.
So getting through my excuses and finding 30 minutes a day a couple times a week has not only made me healthier and shed a few pounds, but it has also become an example for my girls. Now, I am running my first race in March!
Crystal Tellman is married to her husban,d Matt, and they have three little girls. She loves to get involved in the community, and she is the past president of Downtown Jefferson City and has been appointed to the Governing Board of the United Way. Tellman works at Hawthorn Bank as a commercial lender and has been with the bank for 13 years.