I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for 4 years, and plan to continue doing so.
I started the Friday Firsts sections as a way of keeping track of some of my “firsts” as I dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. As COVID became more commonplace, I thought I might start using this space to reflect on some of the good things happening in the week.
However, during the period around my father’s funeral, I stopped publishing on the blog. Below are the entries for 4 weeks (you have been warned).
Fitness
The goal is to get 150 minutes of moderate exercise, of which (ideally) 60 minutes should build strength (yoga counts); if I am working in the hospital, my goal is just 90 minutes, which is a more realistic stretch during those busy days.
Week 1
Friday Firsts and Fabulousness
This week’s firsts:
- The big first was definitely not fabulous. I got to attend a funeral for a parent.
- What was fabulous, though, was having the support of my siblings. And cousins. And the community.
How did I do as far as exercise?
- Saturday: A walk with my sister (30 minutes) and another with my husband (10 minutes).
- Sunday: A short walk with my sister (15 minutes).
- Monday: No exercise today, except for my lacrimal glands.
- Tuesday: A long walk with my sister (1 and 1/2 hours). I took her down a street she had never gone before, and then we took a street new to both of us on the way home.
- Wednesday: A shorter walk, around 30 minutes.
- Thursday: My sister and I went for a long walk around one of the town reservoirs. Our dad used to go running there (about 30-40 years ago!). Somehow, I don’t think I ever went there myself for a walk until today. We got a lot of talking in over our 90 minute walk.
- Friday: No exercise today, the weather was awful for outdoors pursuits.
Total: 265 minutes of walking, no strength training.
Week 2
Firsts
- I bought a prayer book for myself. I have never had such clean, crisp pages. Looking at one of my borrowed books (dedicated in 1983), I understand why.
Fitness
How did I do as far as exercise?
- Saturday: A busy day with bad weather. No exercise.
- Sunday: A travel day, no exercise.
- Monday: Walked part way home from work (20 minutes), and then had a workout with my trainer (30 minutes).
- Tuesday: A walk to my pick up point, 20 minutes.
- Wednesday: I did more walking than I cared to, as I had to run some errands and the car was blocked by construction. I was out for longer, but I will say that about 1 hour and 15 minutes (75 minutes) was spent walking. Also (though this is only intention, not actual exercise) I contacted my tennis teacher, to see when Spring lessons might resume.
- Thursday: I walked to a different pick up point, and picked up the parked car. I was in a hurry, and didn’t check totally carefully, but I think this was a 15 minute walk.
- Friday: A super long work day. Secure in the knowledge that I had already met my time goal, I lounged around in the evening almost guilt-free.
Total: 130 minutes walking and 30 minutes of strength training, for a total of 160 minutes. Clearly walking for transportation gets me more exercise during a work week.
Week 3
Firsts
- I realized my local Starbucks finally got on board with mobile ordering, so I could order ahead and pick up something once I got there (instead of going, and waiting forever). I foresee an expensive and caloric habit restarting, especially since I like a fancy drink and an edible treat.
Fitness
How did I do for exercise during this week working in the hospital?
- Saturday: I was super-tired, but walked partway home. We will call it 20 minutes.
- Sunday: I was somewhat less tired, but still dragging on my walk, which wasn’t timed. I will still call it 20 minutes (it might have taken longer).
- Monday: There was a walk for coffee (10 minutes) and then a walk part way home (20 minutes).
- Tuesday: A walk partway home, 20 minutes.
- Wednesday: Coffee in the afternoon (with a walk to and from to pick it up), then a walk partway home. Total: 30 minutes walking.
- Thursday: No coffee, but a walk partway home. 20 minutes.
- Friday: Lots of trips about the hospital complex (including a trip for coffee): 20 minutes. Plus another 20 minutes to my pickup point.
Total: 160 minutes walking. Apparently deciding to make walking an integral part of my commuting plans really gets the time addressed (especially on those 7-day work weeks). Going for coffee just bumps up the total (though with my spending habits, I can’t afford to start going every day!) I can tell that I do need to work on stretching and strengthening exercises, though.
Week 4
Firsts
- Just like that, I started wearing earrings to work for the first time since the pandemic started. I guess I am less worried about them being vectors for germs. And I like wearing different ones when I am working in the hospital–it’s something for my patients to notice, if they are awake enough.
Fitness
How did I do for exercise during this week, while working in the hospital?
- Saturday: I walked to a further pick up point after work: 25 minutes.
- Sunday: I walked to the closer pick up after work, 20 minutes.
- Monday: A walk to the (new) usual pick up point: 20 minutes.
- Tuesday: The day ran late, and I called Mr. PiN to see if he would pick me up at work (no walk). To my surprise, he was already there! He had just come to get me–he is so sweet. I did take some big walks through the hospital in the course of the day, so it wasn’t a totally exertion-free day; actually, I got in about 20 minutes of walking.
- Wednesday: A walk to the pickup point, 20 minutes.
- Thursday: A walk partway home, 20 minutes.
- Friday: Another walk to the pickup point, 20 minutes.
Total: 145 minutes walking, which isn’t quite the goal for a usual week, but surpasses my goal for my hospital weeks. If I can keep up the evening walks after work, and add in some lessons (strength training, tennis), I should meet my goals pretty handily.
How have you been?