On March 18, 2006, I was sick of being tired all the time, hanging on to baby weight from my last 5 babies, and the perimenapause symptoms I was having at 37 years old. So I pulled on my snow boots, coat, hat and scarf, and started walking around my backyard. The ground was slushy. It was raining/snowing out. I thought I could die from the effort. I walked 10 minutes. And I lived.
When I got in the house, I was amazed at how ALIVE I felt. My heart seemed to be buzzing from the flood of oxygen. I was hooked. I started walking every day. Soon 10 minutes wasn't enough. Then 15 minutes wasn't enough. I dusted off the exercise bike in my basement, too. I borrowed a Leslie Sansone walking video from library and fell in love with indoor walking.
I want to add that one thing I mentally fought with was: "What will the neighbors think?" It held me back until I decided that what they thought wasn't going to keep me feeling like crap! And one neighbor did comment. I answered him and kept on walking! The mental benefits from walking--fresh air, time without kids, feeling muscle in my legs, weightloss, etc.--far outweigh anything the neighbors are thinking!
Today I walked 3 miles with a Leslie Sansone video. There is no way I could have done it back in 2006. But I am still amazed at what that first 10 minutes led to! FlyLady says you can do anything for 15 minutes (except hold your breath.) This motto has kept me walking and riding the exercise bike many times. And if you can do anything for 15 minutes, surely you can do it for 10. So, go on, get moving. You can do it for 10 minutes
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