Today I decided to really mix it up. For one thing, I think my body is in need of lots of different things right now and, two, I wasn't sure I could mentally handle the monotony of three miles on the treadmill. I'm no trainer and certainly didn't consult with anyone before my workout, but here's what I decided to do...
I started with a mile on the treadmill. I began with a 6.0 mph pace, increased it to 6.1 a third of the way through and to 6.2 at two-thirds. At the 1 mile mark, I jumped off the treadmill and did a few of my favorite exercises: an exercise ball favorite - holding a position for as long as I possibly can (rest chest on ball and roll forward walking hands out in front of you, keeping back and legs straight, until only your shins are touching the ball and the rest of your weight is supported by your arms, shoulders lined up over hands), 20 leg raises on each side (lying on my left side, left arm stretched out for a place to rest my head, right hand flat on the floor in front of me for balance, left knee slightly bent for balance and raise right leg up and back down without touching the ground 20 times - flip to other side and start again), 50 crunches (because what woman doesn't want perfect abs?) and 5 push-ups (because I'm seriously lacking in the upper body strength department). Then I hopped back on the treadmill and picked up where I left off - the first third of a mile was at 6.2 mph, the second was at 6.3 and the third was at 6.4. After my second mile, I repeated the exercises above and jumped back on the treadmill for my last mile - first third at 6.4, second at 6.5 and finished at 6.6. And, as much as I wanted to call it a day there, I proceeded to repeat all of the aforementioned exercises one last time for good measure.
The best part about the whole thing was that I felt I'd found a way to get in a great workout without overdoing it with the hip. I consistently pushed myself harder without doing more than I should and was able to push myself in new ways... I've never been particularly interested in different kinds of exercise, so I'm really trying to step out of my comfort zone a little... and it's feeling pretty darn good so far.
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