Exercise — Tammy Cleveland

On the same day as my disappointing weight loss surgery consultation (and before I made my stop by Dairy Queen), I decided in my heart that it was time for me to make a change. So, I purchased an Apple Watch to help me track my steps. I’m not saying you *need* an Apple Watch to lose weight, but it has been helpful to track my steps and keep me accountable. So, I would encourage you to get something to help you track your steps along the way. Garmin and Fitbit are also great choices.

On February 24, 2019, I started tracking my steps. To start, I set a small goal of just 7,000 steps/day. I know that's not a lot, but it felt like a marathon for someone who had not been doing anything at all. I wanted to work up to walking a mile each day, but I knew that wouldn’t be possible on the first try.

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way!

On the first day, I walked out my front door and walked for just 10 minutes before I turned around to walk back. Every day, I could walk a little farther, and before I knew it, I was hitting that mile goal! Once I could do a mile walk, I stopped worrying about how long I was walking. I still don’t keep up with time - I believe just getting your body moving is the important thing.

In the beginning, it would take me all day to reach my step goal. At night, if I hadn’t met my daily goal, I would get up and just walk around the house while I was watching TV.

I started walking just at our house, but then I also started to go to the farm with Blue to help him more. If I hadn't met my step goal already, I’d have him let me out at the front gate so I could walk all the way across the farm and meet him at the other gate.

There really is something to the old saying, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”

Accountability

I learned that if I had plans to walk with someone and they had to cancel (life happens to all of us!), I would use that as an excuse to not go. It was important for me to be accountable to myself, so I gave up my excuses and decided to always show up - even if it was just for myself.

On weekdays, I mostly walk by myself and listen to music or a podcast, but on Saturdays, I enjoy meeting friends to walk at a different location.

Lifting

After about 3 months, I was consistently walking three miles at a time! As much as I enjoyed walking, I knew that I needed to add some lifting into my exercise routine. This is where Cain helped me.

Each time Cain came home from college, he would say, “Mom, you look great! and I can tell you feel better and I’m proud of you.” I told him that I needed some help with a weight program, and so Cain went with me to Smash Fitness in Newton, MS to teach me what to do.

Even though Cain had made me a spreadsheet with all of my exercises and taught me how to do them correctly, I was so nervous to go to the gym by myself for the first time.

What if I didn’t do something right and someone noticed? Would I be made fun of for being overweight and in a gym trying to work out? I had seen several memes on social media making fun of people in the gym. I know this sounds silly, but I really was a nervous wreck to be in the gym by myself.

Asking for Help

One time, I couldn’t remember how to work a machine. (Ugh.) Luckily, I saw someone I knew, Bro. Larry Reed, Sr., who helped me - I might be nervous, but I am definitely not shy! I felt like I probably shouldn’t interrupt someone during their workout, but I felt like maybe it would be ok just this once... and you know what? It was totally ok. I was able to quickly learn how to work the machine, and then we both went back to our workouts. Another time, a cable came off the track of one of the machines, and a young man, Flynn Steverson, came to help without me even having to ask. He just noticed something wasn’t right and stepped up to help me. I’m thankful for both of those positive experiences.

So, if you have anxiety about going to the gym, I so get that! But, people are more kind than you might think. While everyone in the gym might be there to work on themselves, those very same people are usually more than happy to see you in there and they want you to succeed, too! Be respectful of others and the work they are doing, but don’t be afraid to ask for help if you really need it. You’re in the right place - someone will help you!

Also, if you do see someone who looks like they might need help, don’t be afraid to step up and help them, too! You may never know how much courage it took them just to walk in that door.

Listening to Your Body

In June 2019, I began to have some pain in my foot and leg. I thought that maybe I had just strained something, because it would hurt whether I was walking or not. Since rest didn’t seem to help much (not that I gave it much time), I just kept walking.

Well, your body hurts for a reason. I should have stopped, but instead, I spent 4 weeks in a walking boot, two rounds of physical therapy, and I’m still not released to walk for exercise.

So, I started taking yoga classes at Hunky Dory in Newton, MS. I so wish I had started yoga earlier - the stretching has been so good for me and could have helped prevent my injury.

I also wish that I had gone to Fleet Feet in Jackson, MS (or some other specialty running store) to get fitted for shoes that were correct for me before I started walking so much.

When I was in the groove of regular exercise, I walked 3 miles/day, for 6 days of the week and went to the gym 3 days/week. I would also make sure that I had over 10,000 steps/day, but the majority of my days are over 15,000 steps.

While my foot and leg continue to heal, I am currently just doing yoga and upper body workouts. While I enjoy these workouts, too, I am so excited to be able to get back to my walking routine soon!

Just Start!

My encouragement to you is to just start walking! Don’t worry about how long it takes you to reach your goal. The important thing is that you get moving, because any movement is better than sitting in a chair and it’s something we can all try to do. Every muscle in your body will hurt when you first start because your body has to get adjusted to a new routine.

So, start small… and buy epsom salt. Haha