I have been keeping track of my exercise every Friday for 6 years, and plan to continue doing so.
Since the pandemic started, I have been keeping track of “firsts,” and more lately, I have been trying to note good things (“fabulousness”). It’s a good way to pay attention and not let life slide by.
Friday Firsts
I think some of the firsts got put under the fabulousness, so I’ll leave this part empty, and send you on to the next section.
Fabulousness
It’s always fabulous to get a full weekend at home after working in the hospital.
My best friend’s family came back to town and hosted a dinner for her close friends. I’m not sure it was totally fabulous, but it was very nice to have an opportunity to see everyone again and talk about my friend, a month after the shock of her passing. She was a very special person who was a good friend, sister, aunt, and daughter.
The heat wave finally broke, and I was able to open the windows for fresh air for the first time in several weeks. Fabulous.
Fitness Log
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.
How did I do?
- Saturday: Video session with my trainer, 30 minutes.
- Sunday: A poor night’s sleep and hot weather = no exercise today.
- Monday: A walk to my pick up point, 17 minutes.
- Tuesday: Another poor night’s sleep, hot weather, and a long day of work meant I stayed late and got a pick up. No exercise.
- Wednesday: It’s still hot, but I had a tennis lesson. I spent a lot of time standing at the net drinking Gatorade. Not sure if I should count this as 60 minutes of exercise (the teacher let me run a bit longer to get close to my hour of tennis), but my heart rate suggests I really could count it, so I will. I cannot wait for the heat wave to break.
- Thursday: A walk to a further pick up point, 24 minutes.
- Friday: After waiting all day to go for a walk in the much-improved weather, I finally got out before dinner. 28 minutes.
Total: 69 minutes of walking, 30 of strength training, and 60 minutes of tennis, for a total of 159 minutes. I made my goal!
I hope you have had a good week. Feel free to share any fabulous news of your own.
Good for you achieving your goal despite the hot weather. Between heat and poor air quality, I’ve been finding it hard to get outside some days this summer.
I don’t always manage to make my exercise goal in the heat or other bad weather–but I find that my shorter walks after work (to a pick up point that is much better for my husband than the hospital) add up. Before I cut back, that was nearly 1 hour of walking during a clinic week. Between that and an hour and a half of lessons (if they happen), I’m nearly there. I guess that’s a win for setting up routines, rather than relying on will-power.
I think that’s what the experts call habit stacking. Tacking a habit you want to build on to something you’re already doing. It works!