6 Month Fitness Project

Day 8

Today has been low key. I've enjoyed being peaceful and relaxed and doing what I want to at the moment. I think that's an important element in this project. Becoming fit isn't just about muscles and weight and eating and sleeping and exercise. There's an inner game of fitness too. Without inner fitness, which I take to mean peacefulness and calm along with energized and lively, the more obvious and specific actions and outward appearance will be more difficult to attain and maintain.

I also began reading a new book that looks like it's going to be a good one, which I'll share more about soon. It's Mariel Hemingway's Healthy Living From The Inside Out. I've added it to the sidebar book recommendations that have clickable links to their pages on Amazon.com.

The book fit so well with how I felt today, peaceful, relaxed, unpressured. I have been wanting to write about how important those states are for wholistic and personally ecological fitness.

Here's to a peaceful day, every day.

Day 7

Wow, a whole week! If I weren't blogging this project, sharing it with the world, I think I'd have already fallen by the wayside on it. I have to come back here and write about it every day, and there's the email discussion list where I write my daily intentions and then what I actually did fitness wise. I can't just quietly slide out the back door.

What I've noticed particularly this week is why I've not succeeded in previous efforts to get fit. I've been fit, and got sort of out of fit afterward. I knew why and how it happened, but didn't realize how and why I'd not picked myself up, dusted myself off, and gotten right back on the fitness wagon again.

And, now I think I know a big piece of why. I think I'll call it "The Injured Leg Factor." Or, maybe "The Compensation Factor." Or, "The Replacement Habit Syndrome." When one has a sore leg, one must compensate for its inability to bear the full weight or motion that it did before the injury. That is, one must let it rest, favor it until it heals. And, in so doing, one asks other parts of one's physiology to compensate by taking on more work, and/or doing it differently.

You'd think that after the leg heals, the body automatically returns to it's pre injury load sharing, motion sequences, and movement patterns. But, it doesn't necessarily do so. It will partially do so, but there may be added movements and/or continued extra work for other parts of the body to do.

When one becomes less fit than before, for whatever reason, other activities step in to take over the time, effort, and attention fitness generating activities used before the fitness gap occurred. The new compensatory activities fill and utilize the time and energy available. What used to come naturally, generating and maintaining fitness, seems like an imposition, and there "isn't time" for what used to fit in well.

I've found, this week, that my fitness project activities don't "fit" into my day and evening. They don't fit because I've filled their space with other things. And I'm loathe to push those other things out of the nest.

My job, it appears, is to restructure what I do and what seems important in order to allow fitness related activities back into my day. I'm curious about how easily and satisfyingly I can do that.

Slimtree Online Gym

I've been checking out what's available at SLIMTREE "The Broadband Gym" online. What I found most appealing there is their downloadable exercise videos. They seem to be about 20 minutes long, and you can view a sample before buying. I thought their pricing and packages were a bit confusing, but it looks like one can wade through the various offers and pick one that fits individual needs.

Lots of various offers, products, and services there. I have no connection, affiliate or otherwise with SLIMTREE and I haven't bought or used any of their services or products.

Day 6

Yesterday I chose as a day of rest, so today I figure I'd better get back to my movement activities. I thought I'd experiment with how I chose what to do and when to do it, and just see what I managed to accomplish rather than have set amounts of time and activities.

It worked well for me. I rode the airdyne exercise bike for at least 40 minutes, while watching the Oprah show on TV and hanging up clothes from the dryer during commercial breaks. Later I went for a cool walk outdoors of more than 20 minutes.

For some people having a set day and time for specific activities works well. But for others, like me, for example, it may be best to have a general intention of what they want to accomplish, and then allow for a great deal of flexibility and options in when, what, and how we get there.

I think it's particularly important for people to tailor what they do to their own ways, what works for them, in the manner that is most satisfying for them.

Day 5

I think I'll call this a rest day. I'm eating right, drinking plenty of water, but haven't exercised at all.

At first I thought this was not a good idea, that I must keep going, and all that. Then I thought, Wait a minute! I've been exercising for several days, and am making some significant changes in what I ordinarily do. My muscles are a bit sore, I'm tired. Viola! time for a rest day.

I'm in no danger of quitting, it should be obvious, since this blog is dependent on me for its content, and I really mean it when I say this is it, I'm working on getting fit for the next six months.

So, learning yet more about being gentle with myself regarding fitness, I'm letting today be a day of rest.

You might want to build in a rest day each week for yourself too.

Guest Post: How do I stay on course when the luster fades and the goal is still far away?

It's a few days in, and we're finding it hard to keep up with all our wonderful intentions. This is generally what happens with most people, so it's completely normal. What usually happens after that is we become discouraged and feel like failures, then give up. But since I'm a coach, I know better. For me, I'm going to see this as a fun experiment, and play with it, not making too many intentions and holding myself accountable without making myself wrong.

It's so easy to beat ourselves up when we don't follow through with every fitness goal we make for the day.  It's almost a reflex!  We start out by creating 3 or 4 goals for the day.  For a few days we're good as gold, so we start adding more daily goals.  Inevitably, life intrudes and we accomplish perhaps 2 or 3 of seven daily goals, forgetting that we have other personal, business, and family goals every day, too, and that's balancing a lot of spinning plates.  We get out the figurative bullwhip and start flailing at ourselves, criticizing, belittling, whittling away at our confidence, sense of self-control, and long-term focus. 

I still find my mind going there, but I no longer listen to it.  I understand that its function is to help me be better, achieve more of my potential, and protect me from perceived dangers, but that function can limit me unless I repattern the direction of thought to "Okay, these are the facts of today.  What's the next best step toward my long term goal right now?"   Sometimes the next best step is to make simpler, fewer goals for the next day.  Sometimes it's to take a big drink of water, or a walk, or make a commitment to do a more vigorous workout the next morning.  And it's always to remember what I *was* successful at that day.

Kerul Kassel

www.NewLeafSystems.com and www.StopProcrastinatingNow.com .  Helping individuals and groups with productivity, performance, effectiveness, and procrastination.  kerul@newleafsystems.com

Day 4

OK, today' I'm approaching my fitness project actions gently. Not attempting to fit in more than is reasonable. And, since I don't know what may transpire for the day, that means flexibility too. Let's see what fits into today comfortably and pleasantly.

With that in mind, I'm writing my daily post here earlier than the late, late posts that kept me up past my new aimed for bedtime. And, I'm making my intended actions more generic than specific. It's an experiment to see how I succeed best at doing and enjoying the doing that will take me toward fitness.

Today I'm wanting to include:

1. good food

2. movement

3. rest

4. water

Amounts and opportunties may vary.

Day 3

I discovered today why I've gotten discouraged with my previous efforts at fitness. I attempt individual actions I know I can succeed at, that's good. But, then I've added too many of those actions to my day. I've been loading the donkey too heavily. Donkey can't keep up, gets discouraged, feels like a failure, and stops in the road.

I know why I do it, because I love the feeling of accomplishment and adventure that comes from succeeding at a challenge. If it's too easy, the adventure and feeling of success are't there. I want it to be more satisfying than I think it will be if I make it less challenging.

But, maybe I can get my sense of adventure somewhere else, or at least some of it. Tomorrow, I'm going to aim for success rather than adventure when it comes to my fitness project. I don't mind not being able to do everything I intend for the day once in awhile, but if I'm not getting it done on most days, then I'm obviously attempting too much.

This isn't a contest, it's not a race, I'm not going to be graded on it. It's me being kind to me, giving me what I want, not dragging me along by the hair of the head to prove something.

Easy there, girl. Take your time, it's a six months project for a reason.

If At First You Don't Succeed: Chunk Smaller

In Talane Miedaner's excellent book Coach Yourself To Success she shares the story of a client who found herself stuck regarding getting fit. She didn't have time to work out, and she didn't have opportunities to engage in fitness creating activities--or so she thought.

Beth, the client in the story, wanted to get fit and eliminate some of the body padding she'd accumulated--about 25 pounds worth, she reckoned. Diets never seemed to work for her either.

What Beth did, was to make one little change at a time, and keep on until she reached the level of fitness and physical appearance she wanted. The first change she made was to add a simple breakfast of instant oatmeal, a banana, and green tea. She ate this at her desk at work instead of the usual donut and coffee.

Next, after that small change, she decided to walk to work each day. This was an hour long walk, but took only twenty minutes more than if she rode public transportation. So, her hour of exercise only cost her an extra twenty minutes of time each day.

The next small step was to improve her lunch by eating salads and vegetables enhanced with a high protein, low fat addition like tuna or chicken.

After that was an established practice, Beth decided to jog around Central Park's reservoir on weekends.

Then, she upgraded her dinner menu to eliminate fatty fast food in preference to low fat, vegetable rich dishes.

Finally, with much progress toward the fitness level she desired, she decided to walk home from work too.

This was all that was needed for Beth to complete her goal and reach the shape and condition she'd been hoping for back when she felt overwhelmed by the thought of having to find time to devote to getting fit.

It is tempting to believe that one needs to hire a trainer, go to a gym for regular workouts, or devote hours a day to a formal exercise program and adhere to a strict dietary regimen. And to jump in full force, start it all at once, and bravely soldier on.

But, it's not necessary at all. Start small, make the easiest and smallest change. Make it easy, innovate, and then when you've made that an easily accomplished part of your day or week, add another small piece of change. Always make the bite small enough to fit the mouth of the present.

Day 2

I've noticed already, after only two days on the project, that I feel better than I've felt in quite awhile. I'm starting slow with the exercise, avoiding getting sore. Why be sore if you don't have to? Why not do things the easy, comfortable way?

Part of why I feel better probably has to do with drinking more water, and going to bed earlier. Tonight that's not going to happen quite the way I planned. I got a welcomed phone call late in the evening, and it was a kind of longish one, which I enjoyed. It meant that I'll be pushing the bedtime back a bit more than I intended. But, that's OK, because this is a project, not a program. That is, I'm learning how to get fit, how to do it in an ecological and reasonable way that works for me. I'm flexible about it, innovating as I go along.

There are no rigid regimens, no rules, no strain, no pain. I'll go to bed tomorrow at my objective time. Tonight, I had a good time conversing on the phone, and I'll have another snack too, because I want one, and need one.

Tomorrow is another opportunity, and I've done pretty well today anyway.