Twelve Mondays: Resistance Training

Twelve Mondays: Resistance Training.

A week ago, I ran 12 miles with an average pace of 8:28 minute miles. This wasn’t bad, especially for the giant hills around us, but I know I'm at the cusp of taking it to the next level. There is one way I know for sure to improve my time. Resistance.

The elliptical is my go to for cross training. It gets the job done and its easy on these old knees. The settings usually stay put. Resistance -- 5. Incline -- 3. I did one little thing this week -- moved the resistance to six. This simple change meant big burn believe it or not. Burning lungs, burning legs, burning arms. But, it is the resistance that pushes the body -- that takes the body further than it thinks it can go. The push gives power.

One week later, I ran 14 miles at an 8:03 pace. Twenty five seconds off each mile! This is crucial. This took the entire training process to the next level. And the only change was resistance.

Recently, a very wise woman explained the push our children give us. The resistance. They push against the rules, the minutes, the food, the plan, the learning, the discipline, the clothes, the baths!

This feels exhausting. 

She explained how these precious children are feeling out where we will be when they push. They are looking for resistance. The resistance, ladies and gentlemen, our children are LOOKING for it! The resistance will make them stronger. It will make you stronger. And it will burn. It will sting. It will take you to the end where you give out and don’t want to push, but we can be there as resistance. 

And it doesn’t even have to be big. I moved the resistance one tiny bit and it made all the difference. Hopefully, it will make the longer challenges feel less intense. If you are fighting bed time, snack time, meal time, play time, date time, school time -- whatever you are working on, stay in the game, it will pay off!

So, this week, my focus is embracing the resistance. But -- kids are not the only thing out there pushing. Jobs. Friends. Family. Bank accounts. Decisions. Sickness. Moves. I’ve really been a bit of a coward here. I have hated the push. I want to run far far away from the challenges, but this week, I’m leaning in -- I’m taking it to a six. If you are exhausted. If you are done. If you are weak. Lean in and push. Feel the burn. Feel the resistance and let it take you to the next level. Take it to a six!

Update On Last Week's Challenge

Thirteen Mondays: Make A Plan...

Last week I focused on making a plan. For you diehard calendar peoples, I’m sorry this might be hard for you to understand. Planning doesn’t come naturally for this mama. Last week, the focus was “making plan”. 

All of us need a plan. 

Whatever your plan might be, it takes work to make that happen. I am learning how absolutely critical planning is. 

Last week, I planned two things -- One: paint a wall waiting Two: find a dress pattern for my daughter. How did that go? You ask. 

Painting happened. It happened for a lot of hours of my Saturday and Sunday. It wasn’t a wall, it was a set of windows that were brown and needed to be white. It was extremely complicated and involved a lot of corners and windows getting painted shut and wiping up messes, but that job is done. The evolution of this painting project occured when I realized all the supplies were at hand for the window painting; therefore there was no excuse except to dive in. And I do dive into painting. It is all over everything and in everything and messy and complicated. The job isn’t quite finished, but the windows do look happy and there isn’t a mess and the windows actually open. 

The second task -- the dress pattern. This, my friends, was not as easy as it seems. Certainly this is because I am not practiced in dress pattern finding or maybe dress patterns are just awful. So, if you know of a good dress pattern...send it this way!!! The idea was that a plan was made and I did it. 

Baby steps. 

Make a plan and execute it, no matter how small.