I started running in my neighborhood, I ran for 35 minutes as I was getting used to it again. And I took a lot of breaks.

My brothers are very much into fitness so when they decided to run at the beach, I decided to go as well. I ran with them for 1 hour, but I took A LOT of breaks for this one.

I took my dog to the park, and we walked for about 2 hours. It's not running, but it's still a form of cardio.

I went on a run with my dog at some abandoned railroads near my neighborhood. And I ran 40 minutes. My dog tires me out more haha.

I decided to try more and run 1 hour in my neighborhood, making sure I took breaks for this one.

I decided to be brave and run 1 hour with my dog in my neighborhood. It's a lot when you have an animal tugging at you.

I ran with my brother for 1 hr & 40 minutes which is the longest I've ran. I made sure to take breaks when I would push myself too much.

Theory of Planned Behavior: when an individual acts rationally based on attitudes, subjective norms, & perceived behavioral control

When creating my SMART Goal I realized that I had applied the TPB to my process. I remember during the pandemic, people started to engage in fitness and I became that person as well. But I always lacked in the cardio department. Knowing that I'm now in the age range where I'm at risk for cardiovascular disease, I knew I had to make a change. This became my SMART Goal. I started off slow, building up my confidence so I didn't feel unmotivated. Starting bit by bit helped me stick to this goal of mine.

Social Cognitive Theory: explains how people learn and behave through a multitude of personal factors, environmental influences, and their own behavior

I became motivated to incorporate cardio into my routine when I would see my brothers come home feeling productive from the run. I wanted that feeling as well. Although my fitness routine is good for me, I always felt like something was missing. Already having fitness experience I felt like running specifically was something I could commit to. As mentioned starting little by little it has helped me stay motivated.

After committing a whole month to running it was very rewarding. I was always hesitant to add running to my fitness routine, it just felt strenuous. And I was always told that cardio makes you slim down faster which I personally didn't want. After learning that as you get older you become at risk for cardiovascular diseases, I realized to decrease this risk adding cardio was the change that had to be added. After starting off slow I began to enjoy, and to this day I've been committed even though I don't have a specific day. I'll definitely continue to dedicate time to run whether its 1-2x a week.

To stay motivated with a goal I recommend making it realistic. Don't push yourself to do so much as you're just starting this new change. Always remember that even attempting to start a goal is a positive direction towards change. Challenge yourself to see how far you can go in your goal or even reward yourself when you feel success. These goals are for your own personal benefit.