fitness

It started on January 9th. I found a blog called 6 Changes, in which the author outlines a plan to enable people to be successful at New Year's Resolutions. The author proposes focusing on one new habit for two months. After practicing for two months that habit should be internalized fairly well, and you can move on to the next habit. Following this timeline a person will be able to start six new habits in a calendar year. I decided my first habit was daily exercise (no matter how small), in order to achieve better overall fitness. I'm not trying to run a marathon, or lift a certain amount of weight. I just want to feel fit and healthy.

I have exercised 17 days out of the last 23 days. That's a 74% success rate. I'd like to get that up to 84%. That's a realistic goal, right? My original goal was 100%. But going from 0% to 100% all at once is a bit much to ask. Especially when I work long hours at a stressful full-time job. The only way I can get in some exercise is if I do it in the morning before work. By the time I've come home from work I'm just too beat, physically and mentally.The days I have skipped exercise have been those where I've woken up too late, or didn't feel well enough to exercise.

Some days I take a 10 minute walk around my apartment complex. It's hilly, and allows me to feel like I've done some work while I check out my surroundings. Some mornings I go down to the fitness center and walk on a treadmill, or try out the elliptical machine. Some mornings I even use the weight machines a bit. What makes this work for me, at least at this point, is that the only requirement I have for myself is that I get out the door. If I feel like going for a walk, I go for a walk. If I feel like lifting weights, I lift weights. If I feel, as I did yesterday and today, like pushing myself to walk for twice as long on the treadmill (40 minutes instead of 20 minutes), then that's what I do.

At some point I'm sure I'll add in other types of exercise to my fitness routine to keep myself motivated and challenged. But for now I'll just keep walking out the door.