Sacrifice sleeping in - in the name of a good workout

Of all my resolutions, the one I hope to keep the most is No. 14, and so far at least so good. But in some ways with my goal to keep up the gym routine, I feel like I am fighting against my nature.

I've never been a very athletic person. Part of that might be my lack of coordination - let's just say I'm not even coordinated enough to follow the steps of rhythmic kung-fu on Wii Fit Plus. I disliked PE in school, after all, who likes being the last one to cross the finish line on the mile run. And the one sport I attempted in high school made me probably the only person in history to sustain an injury on a badminton court that required a stitch across the bridge of my nose. So it kind of came as a surprise to me in college when I discovered I kind of liked going out at night for a jog around campus. It helped with stress, I could go at my own pace and there was no one around to accidentally hit me across the nose with a racket.

When I graduated from college, I took my first job at San Jose State University, where as a staff member I could get an insanely cheap membership to the student union fitness center. My supervisor was cool enough to let me eat my lunch at my desk so that I could spend my lunch hour at the gym.

It was kind of a pain to lug a gym bag around with me each day, as I found it necessary to shower before returning to the office, and it meant I didn't blow dry my hair or use much make-up in those days. But I soon fell into a routine of running one to miles a day and weight training - five days a week. I finally felt like I was accomplishing something athletic as I could start lifting heavier weights and run at a little faster pace. I had muscles I never knew existed.

But in some ways when it comes to fitness I am a little bit like an alcoholic - I fall off the wagon from time to time, and when I do, it is really hard to get back on it even if I know it's good for me. For me, the fall off the wagon is often precipitated by a major life change, like going away to school or getting a promotion at work. I don't really have a good excuse except that sometimes I get a little....tired.

My most recent lapse started as a few days when I had a cold, and then a few weeks when the weather was bad, and the a few months when work got overwhelming with layoffs, which I survived, but which grew my work load exponentially. Soon it was nearly six months and I hadn't been to the gym.So a few months ago, I decided to start out slow. Instead of aiming for two-hour workouts six or seven days a week, I opted for Thursday-Sunday workouts. I figured I could handle four days a week. I do a weight training circuit with 10 minute cardio in between two days, and a cardio and ab workout the other days. I even gave up sleeping in on the weekends to go to the gym at 6:30 a.m. because I know the later it gets in the day, the less likely I am to actually go. I've managed my goal of four days a week for nearly three months now, with an extra day thrown in here or there. The result is that I am less stressed out at work, I fall asleep more easily at night and I'm just feeling a whole lot better. I am determined to keep it up - even if a major life change comes my way.