Cardio, Health, Inspiration, Knowledge, Strength

On the Run and in the Loop

This is also available in: Dansk

Exercising at Home is Fabulous

Mette Gahrn-Jensen, in her fifties, is an Associate Partner at the law firm of Mazanti-Andersen, Korsø, Jensen. Her day is packed with work, and a sophisticated level of juggling her schedule is required.

For many years, Mette has incorporated exercise into her daily routine by having a treadmill at home. That way, she can exercise when it is convenient in her everyday life.

The treadmill gives me a great opportunity to exercise at home. I’m on my own, and I decide when and how I want to exercise.

When Mette turned 40, she got serious about exercising at home. She’s an independent type and never liked running in a pack. When running, she wants to be by herself, listening to loud music and just getting in the groove. But at a point it became almost too much.

It took over my life. I felt guilty if I hadn’t exercised. I was addicted – unless I exercised, the day was shot.

During this time, Mette exercised five times a week on the treadmill. She got up at 5 am and exercised by running and doing interval training for a full hour before going to work.

I ran fast. It was like a narcotic.

The intense exercise produced a pulled thigh muscle, and her physician recommended that she avoided overdoing it. As a slight and slender person, Mette can’t tolerate such intensive running every day. She did scale back to running just during the weekend.

Loop

Now, Mette Gahrn-Jensen finds that she recently has not been able to find motivation for exercise. Although she is energetic by nature and moves around a lot at work, she feels the effects of not exercising.

It’s a mental strain that I don’t get my exercise in, especially when I’m talking to my running buddies.

Personal trainer and nutritionist Henric Rosvall suggests it’s quite natural for us to relapse to old habits during certain periods of our lives. He calls such exercise relapses loops and explains:

Look at it this way: When you fall back into old routines and can’t meet the goals you set for yourself, it’s important to remember how that is simply the pattern of the loop. Once you understand this pattern, you will be able to work your way out of the old routines and get back on track toward your goal.

According to Henric Rosvall, loops arise for many reasons such as life changes associated with work, family, illness, etc. They are quite normal, and as long as you know, deep inside, that you’ll get back on track, all is well.

Mette knows that she’ll get back on track. At the moment, she and her husband are moving into a new home, and when they are settled, she will set up a room with a treadmill.

I need to get back on track. I’m a slender person, and my muscles benefit from the workout. It’s not about losing weight, it’s about strengthening my organs.

That said, she knows it won’t quite be at her previous breakneck tempo, and she laughs:

In my forties it was all about looks – being extremely slender. I’m past that. Now it’s about keeping healthy and avoiding the debilitating effects of age.

METTE’S TIPS for Training on a Treadmill

For me, it’s essential to listen to great music. Go loud, and let’s go!

Use your safety wire!

I once fell off the treadmill because I considered myself sufficiently experienced not to hook up the wire. It’s not what you see in movies when people crash into the wall behind them. Oh no, you fall flat on your face. Just imagine. It was not a pretty scene. It hurt like nobody’s business, and I still have the scars. So please pay attention: Always wear the wire.

This is also available in: Dansk

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