I have come a long way since January 2009. On the 1st January 2009 I suffered a major panic attack after taking a long walk on a very hot and humid afternoon. The sensation of my heart racing, the heat and dehydration took my body to an all time low. I had planted a seed of fear about exercise and I knew that unless I did something to change it then I would never exercise again! Within a few short weeks I had joined Contours, my local woman's only gym.
When I first started at the gym my fitness level was poor. On top of that I had a mental battle to overcome regarding the sensation of exercise and the connection between that and the panic attack I suffered. The instructors supported me all the way and never tried to push me beyond my boundaries.
Six months later and I am a completely new woman! I would rate my fitness level as quite high. I am able to do a complete workout with heavy aerobic activity on the stations (The stations are the platforms in between the weights, each weight exercise is followed by an aerobic station) Quite often I am dripping with sweat from the intensity of the exercise!
Once my fitness level was improved I decided to start attempting running. I was shocking! I couldn't even run half way up the street before becoming puffed. I also suffered with severe shin splints and sore knees. I knew that I was being silly, trying to run before I could walk.
A few weeks later I decided to stop trying to run and concentrate on power walking with the intention of building up to a jog. I am so proud to say that today I went for a jog and for at least 60% of the way I was jogging non stop! I suffer with a little bit of calf soreness but nothing like my initial problems with shin splints and sore knees.
I have been told that jogging is better on the grass so I am probably going to play it safe and stick to park ovals. I just feel fantastic! I can't believe how wonderful it feels to jog in the open air! I have a sprint in my feet that last all day!
A quote from Forrest Gump! I love this movie!

"That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So, I ran to the end of the road, and when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason, I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured since I've gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going. When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, you know, I went. My mama always said you got to put the past behind you before you can move on. And I think that's what my running was all about. I had run for three years, two months, 14 days, and 16 hours."

That's from the movie Forrest Gump, when Forrest (played by Tom Hanks) runs in scene after scene after scene. The idea symbolized, among other things, the beginning of the running craze that spread across the country in the 1970s. Since then, running has captured the attention of millions of Americans. Thousands of road races and marathons occur each year, and running is the sixth most popular exercise in the United States. But you don't need to run marathons, or run continuously for three-plus years like Forrest, to gain the benefits of running. Thirty minutes a day will do!