I am starting to learn that running or swimming or biking for 30 minutes, 2 or 3 times a week, might keep me active but it does nothing to improve my fitness. And the ActiveX strength workouts I do twice a week have been a reality check for me.
Today our circuit went like this: run 400, 20 push ups, 15 Box Jumps, 10 pull ups; repeat 3 more times.
I felt like my lungs were sealed shut and I was sucking air in and out of a small opening, my run pace got slower and slower, my arms felt like rubber and I once again felt like I have never worked out before.
These workouts are notoriously difficult but I am consistently falling behind the rest of the group even though I thought I was in pretty good shape.
I realized after the workout that I have always been active but I haven't pushed my limits in a long time. I trained for some 24-hour adventure races a few years ago but even those workouts were pretty low intensity and by my own design. I was focused on building my endurance--and was able go for 24 (or 36 hours)--but I neglected the other components of a total body workout.
--
The longer I sit here writing, the more my lungs are opening up, my breathing is getting less labored and the more excited I am to be replacing my lazy workouts with a total fitness routine. It still stinks to be the slow one but at least I have something to shoot for.
Belle ~
Keep in mind that fitness has a specificity component. What that means is you are in shape to do the activities you train to do. Just because you run several times per week does not mean that a Body Pump or an Aerobics class would be easy.
Be cautious of the old saw "no pain, no gain". Just because you feel flogged at the end of a workout, does not mean you are gaining benefit toward your goals.
Gale