When my husband and I first got married, we had very little money.
Our budget barely covered the cost of our mortgage, groceries, insurance and gas in our vehicles.
There was no way that I could afford a gym membership. I didn’t have the money to purchase a bunch of equipment to set up a home gym. I needed to figure out a way to keep fit without a big investment. I started running because it was free. Initially, I could only run a mile or two before I needed to slow to a walk. I ran every day and gradually increased my speed and stamina. I was putting in anywhere from six to twelve miles. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize the importance of a proper warm up, cool down and decent shoes. I didn’t take days off to rest my joints and muscles. I failed to stretch thoroughly and wasn’t careful about drinking enough water. I developed a very severe case of plantar fasciitis. It felt as if the bottoms of my feet were tearing open on every step. The pain was so bad that I could barely walk. Running wasn’t possible. I took ibuprofen, iced my feet and started prioritizing daily stretching. It took a long time to heal my feet enough that I could return to running. I saved up the money to buy a pair of quality sneakers that are specifically designed for long-distance running. I read up on how to best warm up and prepare for a run and how to manage a cool down. I only allow myself to run three or four days per week. In-between, I focus on low impact exercises such as riding my bike, swimming or lifting weights.
Nutritional Counseling