One Small Step

It was 66 degrees, a welcome respite from the oppressing heat this summer in Oklahoma.  It has been a literal hot box.  Because of the heat factor, I have had to take my exercises indoors.  Heat like that will hamper your exercise routine, but also it is down right depressing.


Regardless, I have been consistent in my fitness plan to overcome the laziness that I tend to default to on a daily basis.  At this point I still have to tell myself to do it, that I need to do it for my own good and then I must talk my way through it just to survive.  I still don't enjoy it.


Until now.  


For the past couple of months, early on Sunday mornings I have been meeting my friends Brandon and Megan for some circuit training before church.  I asked them to help me with some fitness goals and they have been stellar in getting me to the point that I am today.  They were early believers in me.  I wasn't.


We meet and workout for about 30 minutes in the "P90x/Jillian Michaels" style of training, in the "cool" of the morning.  I don't mind exercising when you are with others.  It seems like the pain is less worse when surrounded with friends.


Brandon asked would you like to try running?  I said yes, but "I will slow you down".  The thing about Brandon is he is very patient.  I like that.  He encouraged me to just do what I could.  We started out walking, and at a decent pace.  We then began to run/walk for the next 25 minutes.  We had a good pace, and finished up with 11 minute miles.  Now, I don't know how that compares with your time, but for me, a beginner, they said that was great!  


This was a HUGE victory day for me. Not that I ran 3 miles in 33 minutes, yes that was a great success for me, but that I had a HUGE epiphany while running.  I have been the one who has been getting in my way of thinking that I could do this.  I have been my own stumbling block in thinking it was not possible.  I have always compared myself to those who do run consistently and thought..."I will never be that person" or "I will never be able to do that".  I have been my own worst enemy.  


Today I jumped over the "enemy" lines.   I believe that I can do it and will block my "I can't" attitude.  I can change, I want change, I can make change happen.  I can do it.  I have done it!  I can do this on a regular basis.  Why not?  I have two legs and lungs that are begging to be exercised.  God has given me a body with full functioning equipment, why wouldn't I want to develop and maintain His best in my life? 


I can run.  I am a runner.  This is my HUGE victory and it started with one small step, believing that i could.  Or maybe it was just the new shoes.


What are you believing that you can overcome?