I wanted to talk about some of the lifestyle changes I made relatively recently - perhaps I can influence some of my readers :) Recently I've been attempting to exercise at least 3 times a week and eating healthier (another post another time)! Anyways continue to read for my experiences :)
{ introduction }
Since I graduated from high school, I didn't really exercise and my body figure really took a hit - especially since I was a competitive athlete in elementary and high school. Also, my sleeping habits (which I also want to fix!) are out of whack because of school & work. I think it's important to keep physically active to maintain a physically and mentally healthy lifestyle. If I don't start exercising now, I'm going to have some serious health consequences down the road and I want to live life to the fullest without being held back by health problems. I also want to lose weight and get my body back into shape for the summer!
{ what i do }
So for the last month I have been doing at least 1 "intense" workout and 2 "regular" workouts a week. Hopefully, when my exams are over I can improve my exercise habits!
{ workout details }
My intense workout is about a ~ 5km run (you need to be physically active for at least 20 minutes or longer before you start working into your fat). I like to run towards the CN tower from my school because I find it gives you something to run towards and is a motivator to keep going. This takes me on average 1 hour.
My regular workouts are a combination of the following: 8 minute abs workout (via this YouTube video), 45 minutes of spinning @ 80 rpm & breaks, 20 minutes of stretching, or 5 sets of 10 weight exercises reps.
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| Picture of the CN Tower ~ 5 minutes away. It's a really a good reward feeling when you reach your destination! |
{ experiences }
My first intense workout day, it took me ~25 minutes to get to the tower (1/2 way) and I was going at about 8.5/10 my hardest. I was also running with 3 other friends - one was a beginner like me and the other two were guys that were physically active daily. It was definitely hard to keep up with the guys and I was tired within the first 5 minutes and my "beginner" friend did better than me even though she doesn't really exercise! I took walking breaks approximately every two blocks and lagged about a quarter block behind everyone. It helps to see everyone running in front of you cause it pushes you to preform harder! Needless to say, after my 1st run I felt super good but super sore and tired! I was sore for about 3 days after!!! I also cheated and walked on the way back. The entire workout took me an hour.
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| How the CN Tower looks at it's base. "You have reached your destination!" |
Subsequent "intense" workouts got easier and I was able to keep up with friends. Even after my second workout I only took 3 breaks towards the tower and ran half the way back. Also I was only a little bit sore for the next day. It now takes me about 50 minutes to run both ways with about 4 walking breaks - even after extending my destination to the habour front (about 2 blocks more each direction) with me going at about 7/10!
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| Tip: Run an hour before sunset so its not too hot! :) Picture is from one of the times we extended our route to the harbour and ran up and down it for 10 minutes. |
{ thoughts }
My improvement curve may be a lot faster than others due to my active past. Also, I know am not an endurance individual - I'm more of the type to have short but many little bursts of energy - so I don't let the fact that I'm always last in the running line get me down (but hopefully that will change in the future!!!). My beginner friend said she was sore for the first 3 runs for about 2 days, but she has better endurance and is able to last longer with fewer breaks. Keep in mind everyone exercises and improves at their own pace.
Even though I may not be the most physically fit person out there, exercising makes me feel good and I feel good talking about it cause I'm proud of how far I've come!
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| The new running shoes I got myself awhile back when I started to keep me going! |
{ tips on maintaining & improving }
Here are some tips on how to maintain and improve your exercising! I got all my tips from my elective course at school in behaviour modification in the psychology department! These tips are applicable on any thing you want to improve on! ^____^
1. Social Support :: Workout at the same time with a partner at about the same physical capability as you. Schedule a mutually convenient time and make sure you both don't skip out (and maybe incorporate some punishment if you don't show up)! Seeing the other improve faster than you is a great motivator to keep pushing yourself! It also helps make exercising less boring. You can also tell people what you are doing and have them ask you about your progress so then you keep exercising to avoid telling people you failed or to compliment you when you are doing well! For example my lab partners are impressed that I'm able to run and been complimenting me on keeping up with it!
2. Setting Goals :: This may sound like a broken record for all self improvement projects, but it helps to set mini achievable goals and to write them down on a separate calendar for exercising. Put this schedule some where you will see it often to remind you to do it more often! For example, every two weeks say that you should shave 5 minutes off your speed or that you will exercise more frequently during the week! The goals I set was to (1) exercise more often than the week before with a max of 4x a week - I started my exercises at once a week, then twice... etc and (2) to improve my quality of my workout - ex: running towards to tower faster, increasing my spin rpm, less breaks, heavier weights.
3. Track Your Progress :: After each workout, write what you did exactly on your workout calendar. This helps you see your progress and encourages you to keep going on! If you want to see yourself improve faster you can make the necessary adjustments to do so by looking at how you are performing!
4. Be Reasonable :: You should know your limits and don't expect insane improvements right away. The key to keeping an exercise schedule is to push yourself within your limits.
5. Reward Yourself :: Whether if you buy yourself something, treat yourself to ice cream, the number on the scale going down, or having better self-image is your reward, don't forget to do it cause it's important!
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| My friends' self-improvement project to improve their studying habits, quit smoking (don't smoke! its bad for you, not cool, and I do not support it at all) , and game less. It's posted in their apartment and the entire friend circle knows about it so they have to stick with it :p So far its working! |
Thanks for reading,
elle xx
PS: 55 Followers! Thank you so much!!!
