new season.. new goals... recalibration. our summer rhythms can't be accommodated in autumn. school, new schedules, music lessons, babysitting…we have adapted, but some good habits got lost in the shuffle. i'm talking about you, exercise!
i've never been a sporty girl. i was never picked first for teams (that's putting it positively). :) exercise is not something i jump out of bed pumped to do. our tiny tribe has gotten into the habit of walking this summer, though- like super-fast, blow-your-doors-off power walking! :) we tried to walk most days and our cooler temperatures this year really helped. we found quite a shady route, made friends with a pigeon we named morton, jumped cicadas dead or alive every few steps, wrestled with mosquito bites and gnat swarms, sweated, chatted, met a snake and a family of turkeys, watched day-by-day as a dead squirrel got eaten and disappeared, took a lot of extra showers… and we began to get faster and fitter.
i've never been a sporty girl. i was never picked first for teams (that's putting it positively). :) exercise is not something i jump out of bed pumped to do. our tiny tribe has gotten into the habit of walking this summer, though- like super-fast, blow-your-doors-off power walking! :) we tried to walk most days and our cooler temperatures this year really helped. we found quite a shady route, made friends with a pigeon we named morton, jumped cicadas dead or alive every few steps, wrestled with mosquito bites and gnat swarms, sweated, chatted, met a snake and a family of turkeys, watched day-by-day as a dead squirrel got eaten and disappeared, took a lot of extra showers… and we began to get faster and fitter.
we are still trying, but some days it just doesn't even cross my mind to exercise. this week we went walking twice and then it rained for two days straight. i don't want to have excuses. i want to have a plan.
so here it is.
walk- every day possible. our time in england made me a believer in the saying, "there is no bad weather, just bad clothing." people didn't run to get out of the rain. they walked miles in the rain. they walked their babies in covered strollers in the rain…in the cold rain. maybe i need to remind myself of the real meaning of "possible". :) i also think it's important to have a back-up plan, so i'm going to get a few dvd's from the library to do on "impossible" days. i don't have a set same time every day to do this (which is most of the problem), so i am going to try to schedule a time for each day in advance.
yoga- just stretching and strength training- not yoga religion. i'm starting small and hoping that means i can actually follow through. five sun salutations every morning after getting dressed. i will get moving and breathing and thinking about how grateful to God i am for my incredible body ("i got a perfect body, but sometimes i forget. i got a perfect body, 'cuz my eyelashes catch my sweat. yes they do, they do-oo-oo!" thanks for the reminder regina spektor!)
stretching-in the afternoons when i go on my computer, i'm going to sit on the floor. that way my muscles are supporting me instead of the couch doing all the work, and i will have the chance to stretch too.
so here it is.
walk- every day possible. our time in england made me a believer in the saying, "there is no bad weather, just bad clothing." people didn't run to get out of the rain. they walked miles in the rain. they walked their babies in covered strollers in the rain…in the cold rain. maybe i need to remind myself of the real meaning of "possible". :) i also think it's important to have a back-up plan, so i'm going to get a few dvd's from the library to do on "impossible" days. i don't have a set same time every day to do this (which is most of the problem), so i am going to try to schedule a time for each day in advance.
yoga- just stretching and strength training- not yoga religion. i'm starting small and hoping that means i can actually follow through. five sun salutations every morning after getting dressed. i will get moving and breathing and thinking about how grateful to God i am for my incredible body ("i got a perfect body, but sometimes i forget. i got a perfect body, 'cuz my eyelashes catch my sweat. yes they do, they do-oo-oo!" thanks for the reminder regina spektor!)
stretching-in the afternoons when i go on my computer, i'm going to sit on the floor. that way my muscles are supporting me instead of the couch doing all the work, and i will have the chance to stretch too.
hopefully these are just the first steps! i want to have some success making these into habits. i like a lot of what leo babauta has to say about habit formation. he talks about having a trigger to do your habit directly after. i'm trying to do that with my sun salutations coming right after getting dressed and also computer time triggering stretching. each day is different around here, so i have a hard time coming up with a set time to walk every day. i like my sleep and walking with the girls, so i'm not willing to walk super early in the morning. i'm trying to see the obstacles to my walking, so that i can build in reinforcements and acceptable alternatives in advance.
now that i've written about it here, i have some accountability- mostly just to myself. i want to maintain and make the most of this amazing gift from God, my body. so let's do this! :)
do you have a fitness plan? i'd love to hear what keeps you going!
love-
jane
now that i've written about it here, i have some accountability- mostly just to myself. i want to maintain and make the most of this amazing gift from God, my body. so let's do this! :)
do you have a fitness plan? i'd love to hear what keeps you going!
love-
jane
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