Fitness Log #63

Just because I am a doctor, and encourage patients every day to exercise, doesn’t mean that I don’t have my own issues with getting sufficient exercise. Long hours, tiring days, family obligations, illness: they are all stumbling blocks, no matter what your occupation.

I have been recording my exercise weekly, mostly to keep myself accountable for reaching my goal (sometimes this works, sometimes I miss). If anyone reads this, I hope they will take this as encouragement to keep going, acknowledgement that it isn’t always easy.

As a reminder, my goal is to make sure that I get my 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise (or 75 minutes of high intensity exercise, which probably won’t happen).

I had wanted to work on strength training, but that fell by the wayside after several attempts to do this on my own. In September, I made arrangements to work with a trainer, as my last ditch attempt to incorporate this into my fitness regimen. That was working great, until I developed a medical issue and was asked to abstain from lifting weights until things settle down.

• Saturday:  Somewhat appalled by my sad exercise total last week, I made it a point to go for a walk today. I met my husband for a coffee date, and we meandered home, looking at the Christmas decorations. 80 minutes.
• Sunday:  We met out of town relatives for brunch, which I wouldn’t mention, except that the food sat like a ton of lead when I went for a (slow) walk later in the day with a friend. We walked to a nearby Christmas display and back. 48 minutes walking.
• Monday:  Walked part-way home to a nearby museum, where I met my husband for exposure to arts and culture. I was ready to walk the rest of the way home, but was thrilled to hear he had parked nearby. 25 minutes walking.
• Tuesday:  Left to go home, but realized I had left my keys in the office. Very annoying, but at least I got some more steps in. Walked part way home to one of the usual pick up points. 38 minutes walking.
• Wednesday: Still feeling really guilty about not walking (hardly) at all last week. Walked to the shopping area and back; I think the Fitbit captured my time perusing the shelves at the local pharmacy. I’m still counting it: 56 minutes.
• Thursday: Worked today, but the day after Christmas is pretty slow. I walked the halls for a while in between patients, and then walked part-way home. 53 minutes walking.
• Friday: Cleared for weight training again today! I’ve messaged my trainer, and hope to start in the next week or two. Went for a walk in the afternoon, 45 minutes walking.

Total: 345 minutes walking. Verdict: Better weather and embarrassment over my poor showing last week certainly lead to more exercise this week. I think good weather helped. I am looking forward to getting back to the gym, which should be helpful once the weather is less pleasant.