Trying something new

Hi, I'm Katie a running-obsessed human, who has been unable to do the thing she loves so much for a year, because of severe ankle pain . I am certain that all of my fellow runners understand exactly how badly not being able to run for so long has made me feel. To make matters worse, performing my second and third favorite workout activities - swimming and biking - have been nearly as painful as running during the past 12 months. Since I got myself into this predicament, I have basically been moping around, complaining about how not being able to run, swim or bike has made it impossible for me to remain fit. It has also been my excuse for gaining 15 pounds. Instead of committing to exercising in ways that did not bother my ankle, like doing kettle bell swings and other kinds of strength-training exercises, I would bike, run or swim through the pain, then spend a week groaning about how much worse my ankle felt instead of trying an alternative means of exercise. Finally, I have decided that I am ready to suck it up and regularly push myself through doing exercises that I frankly don't enjoy doing. My motivations are that I want to get my blood pressure and weight down and I want to just be healthy. Today, was my first day of trying out my new workout plan.

Here is what I did:

• Only ten minutes on a stationary bike (NO STANDING UP!)
• Only ten minutes on the rowing machine
• Leg press sled, 3 sets of 15 reps
• Stability ball squats against the wall with bicep curls, 3 sets of 15 reps
• Planks with leg extensions, alternating legs, 3 sets with 15 leg extensions on each leg
• Standing squats with floor reaches (I will talk more about these later.) 3 sets of 15 reps on each leg
• 1-legged bridges with 5 sec holds, 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg
• Hamstring curls with hips lifted, curling stability ball towards lifted hips, 3 sets 15 reps
• Side-lying hip abduction, 30 times on each side