Challenge Accepted
As per my usual rollercoaster of emotions, I am feeling much better than when I wrote that last post. I was in a pretty gloomy, "stuck" place that week and I am so grateful to have gotten out of that funk. I had been getting signs that I should be writing. Sure, besides this blog I also write on Word Press just for creative writing practice, but I knew that's not the kind of writing the universe was telling me to do. I used to keep a journal, pretty religiously, and haven't done that for years. It was cathartic though, and while this blog does help me work through some of the muck, I will say I feel like that catharsis has been lacking. So I finally wrote. I did some creative writing then I wrote a message to a friend and said some things that I have been wanting to say for a couple decades now, when it sort of felt like there was unfinished business. Its all really good and positive, and I am happy I got that out of my system because I feel like it may have smoothed over some of the baggage we left in the past. When I was done, I let out a huge, cleansing sigh of relief, poured myself a glass of wine, then popped in one of my favorite movies. It felt like, for the first time during my week off, I finally relaxed. Ahhhh!
This week has been going smooth for me. On Tuesday at work, I had to run something up to the second floor and I am too proud to take the elevator so I took the stairs. It ends up being about 46 stairs each way. By the time I was half way up my legs started feeling burning and weak. I let that negative self talk creep in; what the hell am I doing to myself? It's not normal to feel like I am running a freaking marathon just from going up 3 flights of stairs! Yes, I know stairs are more challenging than say, walking on a flat surface, but I see other people taking the stairs and they are not sucking wind or running out of gas halfway up. Then I realized that, while I do want to improve this, I was being a bitch to myself. Yes I said it. My mom's voice creeps in and I hate the illusion of it as much as I would hate it if it were really happening. I thought about all the people who would have just taken the elevator anyway and it really did make me feel better. I could have taken the easy way but I didn't. I still have interest in challenging and improving myself.
Aside from doing a few "butterfly" exercises or getting a quick hamstring or calve stretch here and there, my activity level is nearly non-existent. Even taking my dog out has been going much faster now that its cold, so I don't get as many steps in either. I did take him for walks several times on my vacation, but haven't felt like doing so since I've been back to work. So yesterday as I was lounging around, waiting to get ready and go for Thanksgiving, I started getting this bored, restless feeling and hopped on the stationary bike. Yes, my legs were burning within the first few minutes of getting on it, and it is hard not to give up, but I decided I wanted to test two things: 1: if it would take care of that restless/bored feeling and 2: how long it took for my endorphins to kick in. It did take care of that restless feeling, boosted my mood, gave my cheeks a healthy glow and some color for a bit, and made me feel like if I keep doing it, it will help strengthen my legs so stairs won't feel so challenging. And, it took about 16 minutes for the endorphins to kick in, but once they did I felt like I could push myself a little more and it actually felt good. While my endorphins were humming, the thought of a challenge crept in my mind, what if I challenge myself to do at least 20 minutes per day until Jan 1st and see what the results are? I got excited thinking about it. Challenges tend to push me more than just having a goal. Today when I got up, my legs were still a bit sore ( I went for 25 minutes total with cool-down) so I decided to hit up another area desperately needing it. I did the Core Killer workout I found from Pinterest. It was my first time doing it and some of it is just too hard for my current level of fitness, my lower abs are particularly weak, but I did my best to do all of the exercises and got 10 reps on most of it. It's not my favorite workout since it doesn't show any modifications for beginners, but I think I will chose some of them to do again. And now that I know my lower abs are far too weak to do straight-leg lifts and still keep my back on the ground, I will modify them and work towards being able to do them eventually. No wonder everything always hurts on my lower half, my core is weak! Eventually, I would like to find something a little more inclusive, because this workout is based almost 100% around the abs, which I know the core is more than abs. I need to strengthen my glutes and legs too, and as long as I'm going through all that, of course I want my upper body to be strong too. But, day 2 of my personal challenge was core training and I decided to change the challenge to be a little more inclusive, I will try to do something active for my body every day between now and January 1st, if it's cardio I will aim for at least 20 minutes, strength training is going to depend on how many things I do and how many sets and reps. I don't want to get too carried away or I'll give up. And I am weaker than I was even 5 years ago so I don't want to injur myself! That makes me feel old to say but it's reality! So that little thing just sort of happened out of the blue, and now I'm challenging myself. I will call it "The Holiday Challenge". I am also in a challenge at work (which I sort of forgot about when this all started). I basically have to weigh myself before Thanksgiving (186) and then after New Year's and if I gain less than 2 pounds I earn points toward cash rewards at my work. I typically get frustrated with this contest because this is the time of year when all that candy comes in from our vendors and I succumb to all that crap. Every. Single. Year! So this year I will have to devise a plan. I don't know what that will be yet. Actually, lately when I eat something higher fat or sugary it tends to make my stomach feel bad, so that is one thing I will try to keep in mind for the holiday goodies. It worked like a charm this morning when I was considering bringing a cheese pizza Hot Pocket for my lunch until I remembered how my stomach felt the last time I ate some melted cheese. Yech! I went ahead and made my salad and moved on with life.
I think these challenges will help me keep the focus on where I want to go instead of dwelling on where I've been. I feel better already, and my mood is better too. As we gear up for snow and ice, I can use all the 'happy' I can get!
This week has been going smooth for me. On Tuesday at work, I had to run something up to the second floor and I am too proud to take the elevator so I took the stairs. It ends up being about 46 stairs each way. By the time I was half way up my legs started feeling burning and weak. I let that negative self talk creep in; what the hell am I doing to myself? It's not normal to feel like I am running a freaking marathon just from going up 3 flights of stairs! Yes, I know stairs are more challenging than say, walking on a flat surface, but I see other people taking the stairs and they are not sucking wind or running out of gas halfway up. Then I realized that, while I do want to improve this, I was being a bitch to myself. Yes I said it. My mom's voice creeps in and I hate the illusion of it as much as I would hate it if it were really happening. I thought about all the people who would have just taken the elevator anyway and it really did make me feel better. I could have taken the easy way but I didn't. I still have interest in challenging and improving myself.
Aside from doing a few "butterfly" exercises or getting a quick hamstring or calve stretch here and there, my activity level is nearly non-existent. Even taking my dog out has been going much faster now that its cold, so I don't get as many steps in either. I did take him for walks several times on my vacation, but haven't felt like doing so since I've been back to work. So yesterday as I was lounging around, waiting to get ready and go for Thanksgiving, I started getting this bored, restless feeling and hopped on the stationary bike. Yes, my legs were burning within the first few minutes of getting on it, and it is hard not to give up, but I decided I wanted to test two things: 1: if it would take care of that restless/bored feeling and 2: how long it took for my endorphins to kick in. It did take care of that restless feeling, boosted my mood, gave my cheeks a healthy glow and some color for a bit, and made me feel like if I keep doing it, it will help strengthen my legs so stairs won't feel so challenging. And, it took about 16 minutes for the endorphins to kick in, but once they did I felt like I could push myself a little more and it actually felt good. While my endorphins were humming, the thought of a challenge crept in my mind, what if I challenge myself to do at least 20 minutes per day until Jan 1st and see what the results are? I got excited thinking about it. Challenges tend to push me more than just having a goal. Today when I got up, my legs were still a bit sore ( I went for 25 minutes total with cool-down) so I decided to hit up another area desperately needing it. I did the Core Killer workout I found from Pinterest. It was my first time doing it and some of it is just too hard for my current level of fitness, my lower abs are particularly weak, but I did my best to do all of the exercises and got 10 reps on most of it. It's not my favorite workout since it doesn't show any modifications for beginners, but I think I will chose some of them to do again. And now that I know my lower abs are far too weak to do straight-leg lifts and still keep my back on the ground, I will modify them and work towards being able to do them eventually. No wonder everything always hurts on my lower half, my core is weak! Eventually, I would like to find something a little more inclusive, because this workout is based almost 100% around the abs, which I know the core is more than abs. I need to strengthen my glutes and legs too, and as long as I'm going through all that, of course I want my upper body to be strong too. But, day 2 of my personal challenge was core training and I decided to change the challenge to be a little more inclusive, I will try to do something active for my body every day between now and January 1st, if it's cardio I will aim for at least 20 minutes, strength training is going to depend on how many things I do and how many sets and reps. I don't want to get too carried away or I'll give up. And I am weaker than I was even 5 years ago so I don't want to injur myself! That makes me feel old to say but it's reality! So that little thing just sort of happened out of the blue, and now I'm challenging myself. I will call it "The Holiday Challenge". I am also in a challenge at work (which I sort of forgot about when this all started). I basically have to weigh myself before Thanksgiving (186) and then after New Year's and if I gain less than 2 pounds I earn points toward cash rewards at my work. I typically get frustrated with this contest because this is the time of year when all that candy comes in from our vendors and I succumb to all that crap. Every. Single. Year! So this year I will have to devise a plan. I don't know what that will be yet. Actually, lately when I eat something higher fat or sugary it tends to make my stomach feel bad, so that is one thing I will try to keep in mind for the holiday goodies. It worked like a charm this morning when I was considering bringing a cheese pizza Hot Pocket for my lunch until I remembered how my stomach felt the last time I ate some melted cheese. Yech! I went ahead and made my salad and moved on with life.
I think these challenges will help me keep the focus on where I want to go instead of dwelling on where I've been. I feel better already, and my mood is better too. As we gear up for snow and ice, I can use all the 'happy' I can get!
An exercise physio at the VA told me that sit-ups and crunches aren't really good - that the plank is the best thing you can do for your core. Not only does it work the entire core at once but you are less likely to damage your back when doing it. And since there are loads of modifications out there, you can start no matter what your fitness level. Sounds like a great plan - take care!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your reply! I could certain exercises were just not for me and I haven't done that workout since. I did like how some of the moves felt so I will pick and choose some to keep up with. My chiropractor has recommended planks so I have been doing them here and there. I don't need to take on the world, just want to stay mobile!
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