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The "Dawn
Patrol"
copyright 2003 by Greg Landry, M.S.
As you may already know from reading
some of my articles, I believe that
mornings are the best time to exercise
for most people. There are several
reasons for this (click here to read my
archived article on morning exercise),
but the bottom line is that you're
much more likely to exercise consistently
if you exercise in the morning.
I recently received an email message
from one of my newsletter subscribers,
Sharon in Dothan, Alabama. she and
a friend call themselves the "Dawn
Patrol".
Here's her letter..
"Hello Greg, Thanks for all the inspiration
you give us!! In May of last year (1999),
I read one of your articles about morning
exercise. I never considered myself a
"morning person". However, at
36 years old
with three young children, I was afraid
I wouldn't be around to see them grow up."
"I weighed over two hundred pounds
and was
gaining a few pounds every month, probably
because I tried every diet I could find.
I started having serious health problems
that were likely related to my weight. I
think
that brought me to reality. Not only was
my quality of life poor because of my
obesity, but I was risking an early death
and leaving my children without their
mother. I couldn't bear to think of that."
"I knew that I would have to start
some
serious exercising if I was going to
regain my health and get back to the body
I used to have. In fact I still picture
myself that way in my mind and I'm always
shocked when I see a picture of myself.
Your article about morning exercise made
so much sense to me. I asked a friend that
lives nearby if she would meet me every
morning so we could walk together and
encourage each other to be consistent."
"We started in May of 1999 and it
was very
tough at first. There were mornings when
the only reason I got out of bed was because
I knew Lisa was waiting for me. But, within
two or three months it actually became
something that we both look forward to."
"We talk, gossip, laugh, cry, but
best of
all we lose weight and feel really good.
In 15 months I've lost 81 pounds and Lisa
has lost 63 pounds."
"We call ourselves the "Dawn
Patrol" and
we had some "Dawn Patrol" t-shirts
made
that are really cool. Pretty much without
fail, we are out walking at dawn, and we
love it now. We've only missed 6 days
in 15 months. I know that sounds like we've
gone over the edge, but we figure it's
worth being a little fanatic about this.
It has given us our lives back!"
These ladies are serious about this stuff
-
but, when you think about it, your health
and quality of life are serious issues.
Are you serious about it?
You don't have to start with a bang. Can
you walk for ten minutes every morning?
Can you add two or three minutes to that
every week? Can you start your own "Dawn
Patrol?"
Get movin'! :)
Author and exercise physiologist, Greg
Landry,
offers a variety of unique weight loss and
fitness
programs at his site:
http://www.Landry.com/w.htm
copyright 2003 by Greg Landry, M.S.
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