If this isn't an over-done topic, I don't know what is. Every equestrian magazine in the world does a rider fitness article at least once a year, probably even more. It's an issue we all face and (I think) hate equally. Even so, here I go ...
Oh, Treadmill, how I hate thee.
My weight goes up and down every few years. It's not like I get really heavy, but I am definitely two sizes more than I'd like, and on a 5'3" frame, that means tubby. Carrying that extra weight is frustrating because both my husband and I already maintain a very healthy lifestyle. There's not a lot I can just cut out to easily drop five to ten pounds. We live an active lifestyle and eat really well: no fast food, no sodas, no coffee, I eat a healthy protein breakfast every day, I pack a lunch, and I cook dinner nightly.
The only way for me to drop some weight is to move more. Like everyone else, I already use all of the minutes in my twenty-four day. I leave for work around 6:00 a.m. and get home from the barn around 6:00 p.m. I cook dinner, spend an hour or two with my husband and the dogs, and then it's off to bed. That means that if I want to increase my exercise, I have to do it at 4:30 a.m. So that's what I am doing.
I got back on the treadmill in mid-January and have been slowly increasing my speed and distance. my goal is always to keep my average pace at 6 miles per hour, a 10-minute mile. In the beginning, I ran for 15 minutes, slowly bumping up my speed until I was running at least one 10-minute mile during the time frame.
I am now up to 2 miles in a shade under 20 minutes. I just reached that goal today (yesterday I did it in 20:15). Next week, I'll be running ten miles a week (I run five days a week). I know I am getting fitter, and I am definitely feeling stronger through my core, but the pounds aren't coming off. No matter what the scale says, I am certain my horses appreciate a fitter rider.
Do you have a fitness routine that is outside of the barn? Gym? Home? Walk the dog? Just don't tell me it's running 20 miles a week - thinking about the 10 is already depressing!
The only way for me to drop some weight is to move more. Like everyone else, I already use all of the minutes in my twenty-four day. I leave for work around 6:00 a.m. and get home from the barn around 6:00 p.m. I cook dinner, spend an hour or two with my husband and the dogs, and then it's off to bed. That means that if I want to increase my exercise, I have to do it at 4:30 a.m. So that's what I am doing.
I got back on the treadmill in mid-January and have been slowly increasing my speed and distance. my goal is always to keep my average pace at 6 miles per hour, a 10-minute mile. In the beginning, I ran for 15 minutes, slowly bumping up my speed until I was running at least one 10-minute mile during the time frame.
I am now up to 2 miles in a shade under 20 minutes. I just reached that goal today (yesterday I did it in 20:15). Next week, I'll be running ten miles a week (I run five days a week). I know I am getting fitter, and I am definitely feeling stronger through my core, but the pounds aren't coming off. No matter what the scale says, I am certain my horses appreciate a fitter rider.
Do you have a fitness routine that is outside of the barn? Gym? Home? Walk the dog? Just don't tell me it's running 20 miles a week - thinking about the 10 is already depressing!
