It’s taken a lot of goading to get me out of bed during the past couple weeks.
And not because I’m too tired or disinterested in work. It’s because I’m too cold. Because getting out of bed means relinquishing my comforter, putting my bare feet on my chilled wood floors and even colder bathroom tiles.
It’s because having wet hair in the winter time is asking for shivers, yet the time I spent chiding myself away from the warmth could have been spent with my blow dryer.
“I completely understand why bears hibernate in the winter,” I told myself one morning. “And with this cold air and shorter days, I feel the urge to hibernate, too.”
Hibernate I did — for about three weeks. That meant no morning runs and maybe one weekly trip to the gym instead of three.
But Thanksgiving and the Enmark Savannah River Bridge Run last weekend pulled me out of my slump — Thanksgiving because I knew I wanted to negate some of my pie and casserole calories, and the bridge run because it gave me a deadline to meet.
I completed the 5K bridge run with great success, as No. 35 of 125 in my age group for women, with a time of in 33:17.09.
Just knowing that I had to discipline myself for the bridge run reminded me that I’ve worked so hard pounding the pavement that I shouldn’t let some 40-degree chills prevent me from progress.
So now my eye is on the Hilton Head Half Marathon on Feb. 9 — which means I’m already on week one of 10 in training.
Yes, that means I’ll have to don my hat, gloves and hoodie to brave colder mornings (and I’m sure despite this week’s warm snap that more cold is on its way), but it also means I can sip and sample my way through the holidays while knowing that my exercise routine cannot go by the wayside.
If you’re like me, you’re probably letting your co-worker’s great-grandmother’s recipe of Christmas cookies lure you into temptation and promising that you’ll wipe the slate clean come Jan. 1 — and that’s OK.
But I encourage you to get a leg up on your endeavor by beginning today — register for a run (there are tons in January and February), sign up for a new fitness class or buy that gym membership early.
Incorporating activity can help offset the cost of those little indulgences and remind you of your long-term goals. Setting a deadline gives you all the more reason to keep on track.