With the 55 Days Challenge under way, I get to see the wide variety in how people get active. Shovelling snow. Walking dogs. Swimming. Skating with children. Zumba. Treadmills. Yoga. A lot of dancing in the kitchen! Home workouts with DVD's (thank you Jillian Michaels). Classes at gyms. It really runs the gamut.
I've made vague allusions to "what I do" so I thought I'd actually write out what a typical week looks like for me. At least, on paper it does. It's what I aim for, so that when life happens or schedules change or illness hits, I may miss a day but it's easier to get back on track. If I miss more than 2 days in a row, I know I'm toast, because it is so so soooooo much harder to get the motivation back. I feel even LESS like working out after a few days off than I do on any given day!
My week:
In the summer I did an Outdoor Fitness Challenge boot camp, which involved flipping tires, doing battle ropes and fire hoses, using a sand bag, and a lot of squats and pushups, so people often refer to that as the "crazy" stuff I do. In personal training, I do whatever my Fitness Coach makes me do. He plans the program. Sometimes I get to release my aggression and punch him with the boxing gloves, and slam medicine balls. Sometimes he makes me balance on things that are wobbly. Sometimes we do the kind of weights that make me understand the Cross Fit appeal, just a little bit. (Two words: Bad. Ass.) Sometimes we do high intensity interval training, circuit-style, so that I huff and puff and get red in the face.
So, I have variety. Not just in activity, but in type. As one friend often jokes, I "have my finger in every piece of the Y pie." There's cardio, strength, and flexibility. That's the ultimate trifecta, but it took me awhile to get there. For quite awhile all I did was swimming. It worked while it needed to. And that's the best thing I can say about the 55 day challenge. Everyone is doing SOMETHING and finding a way to make it work for them. Once we get to our own personal threshold of comfort, we find a way of pushing past it. I'm at the point where I have to keep changing things up, or I will continue to plateau.
The only thing I have tried and really not enjoyed was Zumba. I get the appeal and why lots of people do it, *IF* you enjoy dancing. I don't enjoy dancing when I'm drunk, I'm certainly not going to enjoy it sober! So, I gave the class one shot early on, and that was it. Two left feet, here.
But at least I tried.
Ultimately, that's the point. Nobody's going to love everything, or be able to do every activity.
The point is to keep looking until you find your fit.
Pun intended.
I've made vague allusions to "what I do" so I thought I'd actually write out what a typical week looks like for me. At least, on paper it does. It's what I aim for, so that when life happens or schedules change or illness hits, I may miss a day but it's easier to get back on track. If I miss more than 2 days in a row, I know I'm toast, because it is so so soooooo much harder to get the motivation back. I feel even LESS like working out after a few days off than I do on any given day!
My week:
- Monday - spin class (45 min) + Group Core class (30 min)
- Tuesday - Group Core class (30 min) + TRX Flexibility (30 min) + the occasional elliptical cardio before or after
- Wednesday - personal training (60 min) + sometimes a spin class (60 min)
- Thursday - varies the most; sometimes spin class (45 min), sometimes cardio (elliptical/lane swim - whatever combo I feel like doing), sometimes yoga (60 min), sometimes ... it's my rest day
- Friday - Group Core class (30 min) + some form of cardio on my own (machine, HIIT, swimming) OR personal training (60 min)
- Saturday - personal training (60 min) on days I don't work; when I work, it's lane swim at night (50 min) or whatever I can get in, cardio-wise (HIIT at home, or elliptical/treadmill at gym)
- Sunday - yoga (75 min), or hiking with friends, or a rest day
In the summer I did an Outdoor Fitness Challenge boot camp, which involved flipping tires, doing battle ropes and fire hoses, using a sand bag, and a lot of squats and pushups, so people often refer to that as the "crazy" stuff I do. In personal training, I do whatever my Fitness Coach makes me do. He plans the program. Sometimes I get to release my aggression and punch him with the boxing gloves, and slam medicine balls. Sometimes he makes me balance on things that are wobbly. Sometimes we do the kind of weights that make me understand the Cross Fit appeal, just a little bit. (Two words: Bad. Ass.) Sometimes we do high intensity interval training, circuit-style, so that I huff and puff and get red in the face.
So, I have variety. Not just in activity, but in type. As one friend often jokes, I "have my finger in every piece of the Y pie." There's cardio, strength, and flexibility. That's the ultimate trifecta, but it took me awhile to get there. For quite awhile all I did was swimming. It worked while it needed to. And that's the best thing I can say about the 55 day challenge. Everyone is doing SOMETHING and finding a way to make it work for them. Once we get to our own personal threshold of comfort, we find a way of pushing past it. I'm at the point where I have to keep changing things up, or I will continue to plateau.
The only thing I have tried and really not enjoyed was Zumba. I get the appeal and why lots of people do it, *IF* you enjoy dancing. I don't enjoy dancing when I'm drunk, I'm certainly not going to enjoy it sober! So, I gave the class one shot early on, and that was it. Two left feet, here.
But at least I tried.
Ultimately, that's the point. Nobody's going to love everything, or be able to do every activity.
The point is to keep looking until you find your fit.
Pun intended.
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