A Weekend Full of Firsts!
"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. " ~ Greg Anderson
Last Sunday was a beautiful day, so after running a 5K the day before (Saturday) and placing 1st in my age division, I was feeling pretty invincible and decided to brave putting my kayak on the top of the new rack I had bought and installed on my SUV for the 1st time all by myself and spend the afternoon kayaking. It was a great way to spend the afternoon and the perfect choice for me. My laundry could wait to be folded and put away when I got home. The dishes in the sink could be washed once I got back. All of my chores will still need to be done, but it was worth taking a little time for myself. I've found how much I need to do that for myself sometimes
I have worked hard to remain committed to going to the gym regularly this summer because I want to make sure that I continue making forward progress on the fitness journey that I'm on, but with that said I have also been enjoying a lot of the outdoor activities that I can't enjoy during the other times of the year. For me, two of those include running outside and kayaking.
So as I was kayaking today I was mainly going through well traveled areas. Toward the end I was starting to get tired and was trying to get tired and and was trying to get back so I chose the most direct path. This path was much straighter and required less ground (water) to be covered but had a lot of lily pads and seaweed that slowed me down. It never completely stopped me...it just slowed me down at times. I would paddle a little harder to get through it and then things would go great until the next patch came up. I could have chosen to go the longer and more traveled route and probably ended up getting back at about the same time, but I didn't. This is the way I had chosen to go today.
It made me stop and think about my fitness journey. Is there really a 'right' way to be doing this? As long as I'm going it in a healthy way, I don't think so. I think there are a lot of roads that can lead to a destination. Some people workout in the privacy of their own home using their own equipment and/or DVD's. Others join health clubs and utilize the equipment there and/or group exercise classes. Still others would rather hike, bike, run, ski or skate. I think the most important thing is to put on a pair of shoes and chose the one the directions that feels right for you...and if you don't like it once you are on it for a while then get off and try a different one.
