Friday, January 08, 2010

Rowing in the New Year

So, with the start of the New Year, Heather and I have decided to get into better shape. Heather's weapon of choice is our treadmill coupled with a workout video she had. I've decided to break out my rowing machine.

Why rowing? When I worked at Boy Scout camp as a teenager, I worked as a lifeguard at the waterfront. One of our requirements as a lifeguard was to row a quarter mile in under 5 minutes. When I first started, it took me 10 minutes or so to get it done but with practice and work, I was able to row a quarter mile in about 4 minutes or so.

I haven't rowed a real boat since, but the feeling of rowing is so comfortable to me that it's an exercise that I can truly enjoy. That's important because I tend to get bored while exercising very easily. I don't know how I survived the hundreds of 90 minute swim practices while in high school. You can't even hear a radio under the water!

Anyway, so my goal is to vigorously row about 15 minutes every weekday. Once my body gets into better shape, I'll look at either upping my rowing time or branching out into other exercises. Wish me luck!