This is Day 1 of the 21-Day Fitness Challenge held in Feb 2012. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.
HELLO EVERYONE!!! Welcome to Day 1 (Feb 3) of the 21-Day Fitness Challenge for February 2012! :D
As of the writing of this post, we have 242 official participants here with us on the challenge (including me)!!! *whistles* *dances* *dance* That’s 242 of us ready to rock our bodies, sweat it out, and embrace a thinner, leaner, healthier us at the end of the challenge? Are you ready for that OR WHAT?
If you have not signed up yet, where have you been?! Hurry over to the announcement post, sign up there, do your pre-work (Day 0’s task), and get started on your fitness regime now! (Update Feb 6: Sign ups are now closed).
For the 241 of you who have signed up (refer to: official participants list), make sure you’ve done your pre-work first. Then, continue reading!
My 21DFC Progress, Day 1
As I mentioned from the start of the challenge, I started 21DFC because I intended to get back into the exercising gear myself after returning from my travels.
Hence, I’ll be taking part in 21DFC with all of you from Feb 3-23. :D Throughout the 21 days, I’ll be openly sharing my progress in the next 21 days – no holds barred. From intended exercises, to obstacles, to personal victories, I’ll be sharing them via the daily 21DFC posts. I hope through my sharing, you’ll find it a source of inspiration in excelling your 21DFC!
In order to share my exercise logs in time for the daily 21DFC posts, I decided to start my 21DFC 1 day earlier. Meaning while Feb 3 is the official Day 1 for the challenge, Feb 2 is actually my Day 1. It’s really semantics, though – at the end of the day, it’s about exercising (or being physically active, for those who dislike that word!) for 3 weeks straight, and thereafter successfully cultivating this habit for life.
So Day 1 of 21DFC! I slept somewhat early the night before (10+pm or so), so I ended up waking up at 3:30am and wasn’t sleepy anymore. After using the computer for a few hours, I decided to kick off my 21DFC with a jog/run. What I love about my home is that there is a park connector right behind it – which is great for jogging/running (if it’s not raining).
The park connector I’ll be running in regularly for the next few weeks. I ran early in the morning while it was still dark – this picture was taken after my jog. This is only the start of the trail; it goes for a very long way, connecting different neighborhoods together.
For those of you who read my 2011 year end review, you may recall me wanting my 2012 to be a year of intuition. And that was the reason why I didn’t specify any activities for my 21-day exercising chart (not yet, anyway). I wanted to focus on the intention to be more active, then decide what to do for each day as the day unfolds/when the thought strikes me.
Anyway, the reason why I mentioned that is because I only decided to run/jog after I woke up at 3:30am. As I prefer to jog when it’s dark and more cooling (I don’t understand how people can jog when the sun is scorching hot), I was out barefoot jogging at 6:30am.
I didn’t pre-set a target distance to jog/run. Rather, I allowed myself to run however fast/slow and however long I wanted to. It turned out to be a great strategy, because I enjoyed the jog/run far more than I’ve ever enjoyed my jogs/runs. Throughout the run, I focused on enjoying the dewy scent of the morning, watching the other people walking/running/exercising on the park connector, and watching the sky slowly lit up as dawn broke over the neighborhood.
At the end of the jog/run, it turned out that I covered 5.5km (3.4 miles), and I didn’t stop to walk either! I was pretty excited and happy with what I had accomplished. Not bad for my first exercise, especially since I haven’t been working out for a while. :D
(PS: For those of you who run, here’s an excellent site to measure your running routes: Walk Jog Run)
Anyway, normally I would have called it a day after a jog like that. But I decided to step it up a notch, since I was in the grove. In the true spirit of the 21DFC pledge, of “push[ing] my physical limits to where it has not gone before”, and to make 21DFC really count, I decided to go for a swim – after my jog.
Note that I wasn’t disciplining, forcing, or even remotely making myself do that. Long-time readers of PE would know that I do not believe in self-discipline – I see it as an unsustainable, heavy, and exhausting way of achieving goals. I just genuinely, truly wanted to swim after my jog. In fact, while I was jogging, I kept thinking about how great/fun it would be to swim after I was done. So to the pool I went!
I didn’t reckon they’d let me take pictures in the pool I went since it’s a public facility (would be intruding on others’ privacy), so here’s a picture of a random swimming pool in place of that. (Image courtesy of Dreamstime.)
Believe it or not, after I was dressed in my swimwear, and all ready to hit the water, my goggles broke. Seriously – see it for yourself:
My expression when I saw the broken goggles, literally: =_=
Funnily, I didn’t let that thwart my desire to swim. I did feel momentarily halted by it, but I refused to leave the pool or end Day 1 without my swim. I thought about buying a new pair of goggles, but the particular pool I went to didn’t have a shop. I thought about borrowing from one of the lifeguards, but somehow I didn’t think it was a request they would jump at.
So after a minute of pondering, I decided to swim anyway – without my goggles. I simply kept my head above water as I did my usual laps – alternating from breaststroke to backstroke. I couldn’t do free style since it required my head to be under the water, but it was okay with me.
At the end of my swim, I had finished 20 continuous laps (in an olympic size pool), had a somewhat sore neck, but was extremely happy with my performance. And off I went for my lunch.
Oh, guess what – It started pouring after I finished showering, and the rain lasted for a good 2 hours. Learning of the day? Always take action when you get the opportunity, and don’t wait till it’s too late!
So yes, 2 ticks for my Day 1 representing 2 separate exercise sessions, and 20 days to go! ;)
Ticked with much satisfaction at the end of the day :)
That’s it for my Day 1 – stay tuned for Day 2 tomorrow! ;)
How About YOUR Day 1? Share Your Progress!
The above is my log for Day 1. How about yours? How did YOUR 21DFC Day 1 go? Did you get to complete your scheduled activity? Did you achieve any personal victories? Did something unexpected crop up, which made you learn some valuable personal lessons?
Regardless of how your day went, I want to hear it all. 21DFC is not about sharing ‘flawless’ fitness progress, but about sharing everything our journey towards a healthier, fitter life – obstacles and all. Post your day’s journal in the comments section! If you have any images to share, simply upload them to Photo Bucket or Imgur first, then include the link(s) in your reply.
In your comment, feel free to share the following:
- What physical activity did you do (if any), and for how long?
- If you didn’t get to do any physical activity, why? And what can you do about it such that the same thing doesn’t happen again?
- What physical activity do you plan to do tomorrow?
Check out other participants’ responses and join in the discussions!
Looking forward to Day 2 tomorrow! ;)
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What exercise/physical activity did you do, and for how long?
Me and my younger brother did interval training. We went out onto the board walk close to where we live and started to do run for 1 minute, walk for 1 minute, and so on for 22 minutes.
Any reflections for today?
My reflections are that
1. It felt so good to be able to go out and run with my brother. We have never really gone out on a run together before and it was nice to be able to give him hints (I ran for several years in high school).
2. It’s awesome to be able to get out and enjoy the nice weather while it lasts here in Canada!
What exercise/physical activity do you plan to do tomorrow?
Stair climbing. We live in an apartment building, so we are planning to go out and run up and down the stairs. Will be a good workout!
I have recently joined a gym, so for the first day of our excersise my husband & I did a weight workout which took 1 hour, & was very enjoyable
just got back from my class at gym. 45 minutes of body conditioning. I was sitting watching tv and came SO close to not going. i was going to stay ont eh sofa and watch more tv. so glad i went to gym and kept my word to myself. creating integrity (doing what you say you are going to do, being true to one’s word) is for me, the key to this challenge. and if you don’t do the exercise you plan on doing, don’t beat yourself up. double up the next day or just move on. :)
Day 1 and I am just glad that I got my 45 minutes of excercise. Signing up for this challenge actually gave me the incentive to not use my normal excuses to avoid excercising. And doing it with group support actually helps – first time I am doing something like this. In the past i would resolve to excercise and somehow I would get derailed.
Celes your tips helped and even though I was feeling tired I remembered what you said about at least starting to do some easy excercise and that worked for me.
Tomorrow I plan to excercise for an hour and run instead of the walking I did today.
Good luck everyone for day two.
Day 1: walked 20 minutes and did prescribed back exercises. It has been forever since I did the exercises. Yay!
Today, Day One of 21DFC, I went to the ocean and swam/did water exercises for well over an hour. I can really feel the work-out in my muscles. It was beautiful where I swam, in a mangrove lagoon, and I was inspired as well as I increased my fitness. I just kept swimming and moving to get the most out of the exercise.
Tomorrow I will be doing exercise on land, working with my bands, and other exercises I have. I plan to be mindful of doing proper breathing while I am exercising, and visualizing myself slim, and fit. :D
I am happy to be in this challenge, doing these exercises that will increase my sense of well-being, and drop inches and pounds that bring me closer to my fitness goal and just feeling all-around better about myself.
I am inspired to read others’ posts on their Day One. Celes, your post tells me not to let any obstacles provide an excuse to not exercise…just work around the obstacles and keep going! Also, allow the momentum of exercise build upon itself, and use my intuition about what exercises to do when.
Thank you everyone for being here and sharing your experiences and insights! :angel:
Bette
Wow, you went to the ocean to swim? That’s so beautiful, Bette! Do you have a ocean near your home? How far away is it?
And great job on your exercises for Day 1! :clap: I really enjoyed my swimming for Day 1 too. There’s something about being the water that feels so surreal and calming. Where jogging makes me feel more present, swimming makes me feel so fluid and in sync with my inner soul. Both are great sports in their own way.
In the winter months, I share a home with a lifelong friend, on the south coast of Puerto Rico. Although Ponce does not have a beach per se, we travel further west to Guanica, where the Caribbean is just gorgeous. The place where we swim most often has an active, playful surf, and the current offers me a challenge when I swim. I can really feel the work-out. Especially if I snorkle out to the reef, which can be very challenging, (and very fun!, depending on the visibility), depending on the current.
We also go to a very off the beaten path spot in Playa Santa where there is, well, just another piece of Heaven…a mangrove lagoon, that is just deep enough for me to do my swimming and water exercises, and circle around the little mangrove islands to my heart’s content. It is a verry tranquil, beautiful spot, and offers such a peaceful environment for healing and for water exercise and soul therapy. We pick a time when others who have also found this spot, are most likely not there, so we can luxuriate in the sounds of the serenity, the distant waves, and the birds. Like I say, it’s a little piece of Heaven. :angel:
Celes, thanks for your comments and for asking where I swim, thus giving me an opportunity to write about these special places that Mother Nature has so exquisitely expressed Herself. It is a wonderful experience to be on a fitness journey under the open sky, in the fresh breezes, swimming my way to being my best me, and I am so grateful for all of it! :) :love:
May your journey toward greater fitness bring you much joy in the world you so generously share with all of us! :angel: Do you swim in different outdoor locations, other than the outdoor pool?
Bette
Swimming in a mangrove lagoon!! What an absolutely awesome way to exercise!! :dance:
Zingfairy,
See the comment I wrote to Celes for details on the awesome place where I go to for exercise, and thanks for the comment, I appreciate it! Eager to hear how you are progressing with your fitness!!! Let’s DO this! :dance:
Bette
OK, so day 1, i actually did more than planned. 20 mins of rowing and 10 mins cycling at the gym, 20 sumo squats this morning and 20 leg curls at work in my chair, balancing my full laptop case on my ankles.
So off witha a bang and feeling good!! :D
Awesome, Mark!!! Huge kudos to you for doing more than you planned! :clap: Rowing sounds run – What kind of rowing do you do?
The rowing is nothing great – just a rowing machine at the gym
Celes, I’m glad you didn’t let the broken goggles thwart your plans. It rang a bell with me: a realization about how easily I let *whatever* thwart any exercise plans. For me, any excuse that arises is a good one. Broken goggles? Well then I certainly can’t do this swim! This month I’m going to remember your goggles whenever a thwart-worthy thought arises. Thanks!
Like Celes, I started with my Day 1 yesterday. (I was sure I read in earlier posts that the start date was Feb 2. Ha! I got tricked into an extra day of exercise, LOL :!: )
I normally go to an aquafit class on Thursdays. I normally complain first, then feel achy muscles after AND have to give myself a treat-reward for going. Yesterday, not so! I went eagerly (the thought of having to report in here was my key motivation), and had the best aquafit session I’ve had in months and months! It was fun, I put out more energy than usual in all the exercises, and, magically, I did NOT feel any of the usual achy aftermath. I was instead refreshed, energetic, and buzzed on all those endorphins. My after-class treat was going outside to the sunshine and enjoying the buzz. It made me wonder this: if we have a bad (complaining) attitude about exercising, does that stop the flow of endorphins that should normally happen? Seems like it to me, after that yesterday experience.
Hey Kate! No wonder you were asking me about Day 1’s post on Twitter! :D I was wondering why, because it shouldn’t be Day 1 yet for most of the participants (in the western countries). Anyhow, I’m glad you started Day 1 earlier – all the more power to you! :D
I’m glad you found the goggles-situation useful. It also struck me that it’s so easy to find reasons/excuses not to do something, if we don’t have the heart to do it to begin with. In the past I would have found *all* sorts of excuses not to run/jog/walk/swim/exercise (“It’s too sunny” “It’s too early” “The park/pool is too far” “I’m too tired” “It’s too late” “I have too many things to do”). Through 21DFC, I’m taking more ownership over this area, and it’s interesting seeing how what would normally blockade me from exercising are melting away as non-issues, because I’m truly committed to my fitness plan this time.
So today, the actual Day 1, I had a vigorous workout on the elliptical for 20 minutes. On my normally-occasional elliptical use, I usually go for 30 minutes at an easier pace, but today I put my whole self into it, helped along by an excellent playlist on my iPod. Then some stretches.
The change for me today was that I did this workout when I had a 45 minute gap between some computer work and an appointment. Normally, I’d have just filled in the waiting time with some time-wasting. Today I thought, what the hay, I have time to fit in a workout instead. New way of thinking for me, for sure! :clap:
What exercise/physical activity did you do, and for how long?
– pushups, situps, walking up and down 18-step stairs for 15minutes
Any reflections for today?
– I need to step up my game :shy:
What exercise/physical activity do you plan to do tomorrow?
– More of the same, plus go outside to walk/jog :)
Congrats to everyone on Day 1! Good luck tomorrow too :hug:
Jumped on the treadmill :dance: at lunch:
Time: 37:01
Distance: 2.53
Avg Pace: 14:38
Pace: 20:00
Calories: 280
Avg Speed: 4.1
For anyone that has never run or is getting back into it, check out the “5K101” podcast on itunes. In itunes go to the “itunes store”, then click “Power Search”, then put “5K101” in the Title, Click Search and it will come right up. If you have an ipod touch or a iphone, they have an app that you can download. This app allows you to put your own music to the program. The “5K101” program is a free download and their is a small charge for the app.
Great Job everyone. Keep up the good work!
I am almost 54 and have been exercising regularly especially since I’ve been out of work over the past 15 months. However, I did feel a resurgence of energy today since I committed to something specific like 21DFC. The social camaraderie compelled me to be more disciplined in my approach (rather than just meander through whatever I felt like doing) then relish in the results. Specifically, I went over 4 miles on the elliptical at an average level of 10 and burned over 500 calories (all according to the elliptical meter, if that’s correct!). Then I did a series of high rep, low weight exercises to ensure a high heart rate and build flexibility.
Now, I’ll tackle a few household chores then do some job related networking before I head to a daddy daughter dance tonight. Not a bad day! In fact, let’s change that to “it’s a GREAT day.” Best to each of you in your efforts!
Hi Celes,
seeing your pictures of the park connector & swimming pool makes me feel a bit envious ;-)
It started snowing here. :-(
https://twitter.com/#!/RaymondLeBlanc/status/165475755009118210/photo/1
What exercise/physical activity did you do, and for how long?
I ran 30 minutes on a treadmill & 30 minutes on an elliptical. I managed to get my 10.000 steps in and climb 20 stories. Happy with the result.
Any reflections for today?
All in all it was easy to comply as I had scheduled my exercise time.
What exercise/physical activity do you plan to do tomorrow?
Not sure yet. Depends on the weather.
Take care!
Aw, sorry to hear about the snow, Raymond! Snow/cold weather does make it harder to exercise – I know when I was in NYC 2 months ago, or even Europe during the autumn season, I had 0 interest in getting out to jog/run, because it was too cold for me (being brought up in a tropical climate). I’m glad you have a gym you can go to though!
I got up at 4:30 a.m. Here is what I did.
Day 5 – Workout #3: Total Body
Warm-up Circuit
Superset #1
• Do 2 warm-up sets for DB Shoulder Presses @ 50% of your regular weight.
• Do 1 warm-up set for DB Step-ups with bodyweight only.
1A) DB Seated Shoulder Press (8 reps) 2-0-1
Rest 30 seconds.
1B) DB Deep Step-ups (8 reps per side) 2-0-1
Rest 1 minute.
Repeat for 3 supersets.
Superset #2
2A) Biceps Chinups (Max reps) 4-0-1
No rest.
2B) DB Close-grip Floor Press (8 reps) 2-0-1
Rest 1 minute.
Repeat for 3 supersets.
Superset #3
• After you complete the 3rd round of this superset, decrease the weight by 10% and try to get 8 more reps.
3A) DB Standing 1-Arm Curl (6 reps per arm) 2-0-1
No rest.
3B) DB Overhead 1-Arm Extension (6 reps per arm) 2-0-1
Rest 30 seconds. Repeat for 3 supersets.
Superset #4
4A) DB Hammer Curls (10 reps) 1-0-1
No rest.
4B) DB Lying Triceps Extension (8 reps) 3-0-1
Rest 30 seconds. Repeat for 3 supersets.
I used really light weight. (3-5 lbs.)
I woke up at 9:55am this morning and had class at 10:00am so I threw myself together (keeping positive by thinking the will forgive a few minutes of lateness) and jogged most of the way from my apartment to class. I did not intend on doing any jobbing anytime soon, but as I bobbed up and down out of sync with my backpack I realized how nice it was to jog again. Now I will probably do some more. Thank God for crappy alarm clocks.
haha “jobbing”
I don’t intend on doing any of that anytime soon either
LOL. Great work at integrating exercise into life’s daily occurrences! :D :clap: I just returned from my jog (Day 3) and it does feel really good to be jogging/moving. I’ll be posting my Day 2’s update in a bit.
Wow, my 1st day is not bad at all :)
I’ve just finished 30 minutes exercise. I just do it at home because today i don’t have any chance to do exercise outdoor. But I’m gonna go running along the coast tomorrow ( it’d be perfect if this beach was a tropical one with sunlight and warmth instead of winds and rains :lol: )
Honestly, I have to admit that exercises are quite good :cool: I’ve never been attracted to any physical activities. I hardly play sport xP. And I’m quite thin so I never think of losing weight. However, now I find doing exercise quite interesting. The wave of freshness and clarity I feel after doing exercises is amazing :D.
Like I said earlier, I’m going to go running tomorrow. I also continue my 15-mins exercise in the morning.
P/s : I guess I update quite late because my time zone is far behind Sing’s one. :shy:
What exercise/physical activity did you do, and for how long?
A brisk walk with my dog for 1 hr, then 45 minutes in the gym. Rode stationary bike for 20 minutes on “trail ride” level 5, upper body weights, a few lunges (a little tough after the walk & bike ride) stretching on the mat.
Any reflections for today?
Definitely! Amazed again to see that once you put your mind to something completely, you won’t let yourself down. I felt pride in myself for going to the gym, and the tasks I accomplished there!
What exercise/physical activity do you plan to do tomorrow?
Tomorrow will be a brisk 1 hr walk again, & some gentle yoga coupled with positive affirmations!
Today I got up at 9, I tested my weight on WII and I have BMI 23,09, which is good, but I would like to reach 22. Also, after the “body test” my WII Fit age is 23, while I’m 40. This is very good :)
At 10 I went out with my Mom, took her to the Post and then to the Supermarket. Milan is covered in ice and snow today so it was fun, but also risky, most of sidewalks are quite slippery, luckily she live in area with low car traffic and we could walk in the streets.
Anyway after the 25′ walk to he Post, she took the bus to go to the supermarket and then home. I did another 15′ walk to the Supermarket and then another 15′ from the Supermarket to home.
Then at 3pm my Auntie pick me up to go the Gym she usually attend. She gave me a free trial ticket, but since I used another one last Tuesday it was now my second time in the Club and they told me I couldn’t use it and I had to pay 21 euros, which to me is not worthy.
Instead of exercise in the boring Gym (actually I wanted to use just the hydromassage and sauna), I walked back from the Gym to home for another 1h10′ because I got lost, since I don’t know this area of the city well (it’s my mum home, I don’t really live in Milan anymore). Anyway, again I enjoyed the walk a lot, despite it’s freezing (-2C reported now), I had to walk mostly in the streets and not sidewalks, but i love to see snow eveywhere and it was sunny and quiet.
Until 10 days ago I was living in tropical places, with lows in 20’s C, so my body is still adapting to the new climate, and I am happy the way it is doing it, considered I caught a bad cold because of air con, 3 days before came back to Italy.
So today about 2h walk. Like Forrest Gump “I feel pretty tired now” :lol: , I’m ready for a hot bath.
I’ll probably do my 15-20′ yoga routine later before dinner and 10-15′ meditation after, but that’s all for my first report.
What exercise/physical activity did you do, and for how long?
I think I did jumping jacks, squats, jogging in place, stretching, did the plank, seal jumps, and I am not sure if I did the cross over flings, anyway I did these exercises (But I am not sure about the cross over flings) for a little less/ more than 17 minutes. And I also walked today and I am not sure how long I walked sorry.
I totally forgot about the challenge today. The last thing I remember is that yesterday I tried to log on to the site but it was down. I left a post on the page and went to sleep. When I woke up the next day (today), I completely forgot about the challenge, and didn’t remember it until 4 pm. I logged on to the site, and while I was reading Day 1’s post and wondering what should I do for exercise today, I overheard my brothers talking about a soccer game. What a great synchronicity, I thought. I asked if I could go with them and they said yes.
After we returned from the game, I thought about how Celes didn’t settle for her run and pushed herself (in a genuine way) to go swimming too. So after I went home, I did some home aerobics and pushups and situps. How refreshing! 2 ticks for today :dance:
Awesome work, Bilal! :D By the way, regarding forgetting about the challenge, have you scheduled your exercises and checking back/reporting at the site (re: Tips #2 and #7 from Day 0’s Pre-Work) into your calendar? I think the part about forgetting (anything, really) happens to many people (even me), and scheduling something into my calendar is the one sure way that something gets attended to (and that I don’t need to worry about forgetting it later).
I scheduled it now :D
Hello everyone!! I just finished an intense bike ride around my neighborhood and i feel Great!!! :dance: Wooooh, that was a great workout. I did it for 23 minutes and enjoyed the heck out of it, i even discovered a side of my neighborhood with beautiful houses that i have never seen before.
I am quite sweaty, my legs feel kinda wobbly but my energy is up.
My advice for anyone who hasn’t started yet would be to not complicate things. This morning i wanted to do this complicated routine i saw on the internet with a ropes and weights but it was all so much that i kept putting it off. So instead go for something simple and practical, i chose to go on a bike ride.
Now i will do some stretches just to cool down, and tomorrow i will try some simple exercises to workout my upper body, if all else fails i will dance. :D
I like your advice to not complicate things, Mirna. I’m taking that approach. I think it will be a good way to help us fit regular activities into our regular life. I know it’s good to start adding activities we don’t normally do, just to change things up and make it more interesting. But if it’s complicated, it won’t be sustainable, right? You’re right: we can gradually build on the idea of being active by starting off with activities that are easy, simple, convenient, and don’t come packaged with built-in excuses for not doing them! I think those ropes and weights things, they always come with a package of excuses, don’t they? :mrgreen:
Dance, dance! That’s the ticket!
Jumped on the treadmill straight away after getting my little one on the bus, so as not to lose motivation. Had hoped to start the jog-2-mins / walk-3-mins plan, but it’s been so many years since I ran on a regular basis that my lungs were in a sad state of shock at being moved around in such cruel fashion. Ended up only putting in maybe 4 total minutes of actual jog during an entire 20-min walk, but hey, at least I kept going & didn’t quit! Afterward I had to laugh at myself, in a jovial fun-natured sort of way, for having become such a bum. Obviously I needed this kick in the arse! Treadmill indicates I traveled 1.10 miles (not sure how that converts to km, sorry!). Perhaps future trips will be longer distance, but for today I’m pleased to have started & stuck it out. Also managed 1-rep of 12 sit-ups, & 1-rep of 12 girl-style push-ups; plan to pull another couple reps out at various times throughout the day, but am also listening to my body for aches, as I don’t want to overdo it & pull something that can’t be repaired! Am preemptively grateful for my medical insurance.
(Motto: Just do it — NOW!)
One thing I discovered is that my play-list of what I refer to as “go-mode” music (fast-paced, high-tempo tunes) works much better at keeping me moving than my audio-books, which I wouldn’t have expected since I’m such an avid reader. However, the reverse seems to be true for housework! Interesting! Regardless, I’m thankful for my ipod & the ability to listen to either songs or stories!
(Motto: Just show up, & the rest will follow!)
Tomorrow I intend to follow the same strategy as today’s game-plan. I am lacking in imagination & prefer not to have to overly think through the steps. Too much info is not good, in my case, as I don’t want to have to make decisions on too many things. For me, a habit is easier to form if it is simple & doesn’t come with too many attachments. Perhaps I’ll add more moves to shake things up as the days unfold, but no pressure for that at the moment, as I’m just glad to be exercising in any fashion.
(Motto: Keep starting!)
Side Note: I am using my reports herein to kill several birds with one stone, in that I also have signed up for a writing challenge in which I journal everyday during the month of February. And yet another habit I want to form is being more consciously grateful for things. And finally, I also want to actively live out my life mottos, or what I like to refer to as the *Andi Commandments*.
(Motto: Happy is a Choice!)
Thank you again for setting this up. :)
Hi Andi – I like your mottos!! Keep up the good work :)
Aw, thanks zingfairy! Glad you like my mottoes — I was so “down” on Day Two that I forgot to pepper them into my spiel, so when I do today’s report (Day Three) I’ll make sure to add more just for you! It’s always good to have someone keep me on my toes, LOL! :)
Andi:
Love the mottos and your positive attitude. Here’s hoping you will clue me in as to what music to put on my ipod for walking. I haven’t been very successful in finding any. Most of what I have found is too fast, like more of a jog or really fast walk. Any suggestions?
Brenda, so glad my positive attitude struck a happy chord for you. :0 For me, a survivor of deep depression, one of my greatest motivators is the understanding that HAPPY IS A CHOICE, so I work hard to put that thought into everything I do throughout the day. Don’t always succeed, naturally, but at least I realize I have to make a conscious effort to stay positive, & adopting these short mottoes is one way I accomplish that. Works for me! :)
Music… I ‘m embarrassed to admit that I listen to some *crap*. A huge mix of it! I’m talking everything from Britney Spears (“Womanizer”) to Simon & Garfunkle (“Ceceilia”) to Disney Soundtracks (“Bear Necessities”) to Dixie Chicks (“There’s Your Trouble”) to Evanescence (“Bring Me to Life”) to Janet Jackson (“Black Cat”) to Tom Petty (“American Girl”) to Harry Connick Jr. (“Come By Me”) to Glee covers (“Don’t Stop Believin'”) to Lilly Allen (“LDN”). Anything with a fast beat &/or positive message gets me going & puts a smile on my face. I even have some Eminem thrown in, & some Linkin’ Park. It’s truly ridiculous, the mix I have, which makes it all the more fun for me. If you’d like more songs, I’ll gladly list them, but they do not go together well except in my demented brain, LOL! :)
“Andi’s in commandi!”
How’s that for a motto?!!
Or KISS (keep it simply simple)
Here’s to actively living out your life mottos, Andi!
How are you doing right now?
Oh btw, it’s 6 PM in Puerto Rico right now…
And it is the FULL MOON!!!
So what are your full moon wishes/intentions?
Realizing health and fitness are right at the top of the list for me,
and also needing what I have and having what I need is important to me (still in process of downsizing). Also, to keep writing and place it in some kind of book. You say you are in a writing challenge? Aligned with any particular group (in your city, online?) Sounds interesting.
Congrats to being really committed to your health and self-expression!
Write on! (another motto!), “one day/moment at a time” (another motto!)
This is getting really motto-e, isn’t it? !
Happy Full Moon,
Bette
One Day at a Time… LOL, my motto similar to this is “One CRISIS at a Time” which is very fitting for my life. Yesterday I was down on the couch all day with a heavy chest cold, spent the entire day coughing & trying not to pee my pants, haha! So no exercise for Monday. I’ll copy this bit into the appropriate page to report, but wanted to ensure I respond to you personally herein.
The writing challenge to which I belong is 750 Words, in which writers promise to put in (just guess how many? LOL…) 750 Words every day. Yesterday I got up right before midnight to take some medicine & remembered that while I hadn’t put in my exercise, I could at least put in my words… managed 650 before the cut-off so I didn’t even pull of that challenge completely, but at least a felt sufficiently obligated to make the attempt, so there’s that.
I will put in my walk & my words tonight before bed, as I had no choice but to be up & about this evening for family stuffs — had to take my little one to cheerleading practice, had to help my big one with a school project, & had to help my hubby with some other errands that couldn’t wait. Might as well take advantage of this second wind & thereby keep up my promise to carry on! :)
Yet another of my mottoes: Every Day is Day 1… Don’t Stop Starting!
OMG! Here I go! Can I do it? Will I do it? The biggest thing I have a problem with is taking care of myself and keeping promises to myself. This will be a HUGE positive step for me. I will check in at the end of my day and hopefully I will have at least walked for 10 minutes. I know that is not much, but it is a start. :dance:
Hi Brenda
I used to have the same problem …. and I totally understand !!! Take time to make a commitment to yourself with specific goals and intentions. I’m sure the community will
support and motivate you !!! Forget about the past failures and have a new fresh start. Good luck
Veronica
Thanks Veronica! I look forward to your support and appreciate your comments! :)
Every step is one in the right direction!!!
Thanks Christine!
Well, here I am at day 2 and am just reporting day 1. The only progress I made on Day 1 was awaking at 6:25 am in lieu of 7:30.
Physical activity? My daughter owns a cleaning company and she needed my help. I cleaned a Bedroom, Kitchen, Den & Laundry Room (All of which were not mine). I guess I can consider that physical activity. What do you think? That was before 2:00pm at which time I had a dental appointment. I returned home about 5:15pm and was totally exhausted.
Any reflections for today?
My disappointment that I did not walk for 10 minutes clouds the fact that I actually awakened 1 hour early yesterday morning. :(
What exercise/physical activity do you plan to do tomorrow (today)?
After taking care of my 88 year-old mother (bath, hair, manicure, pedicure) Walk for 10 minutes. :)
I do not think that my two goals of awaking at 6:30 and walking for 10 minutes are too unreasonable for me since I am totally lethargic and have been “tied” to my computer for
about 20 years with miscellaneous copy-writing, bookkeeping and graphics. Stress and caring for my mother have been my only exercise.
Admittedly, I am somewhat intimidated by all of you who are so exercise oriented, young, and motivated. :( So, with the help of everyone here and through this 21 day commitment, I will attempt to revive my spirit and my body ( I know I am in there somewhere :rolleyes:) :)
Hey Brenda! It’s not true that all the participants are young (physical age wise, at least). I’m not sure how old you are since you didn’t mention it, but there are participants here in 21DFC who are 50s and 60s. And from the comments, it actually seems that most of us here haven’t been exercising for months/years, and want to make the change now – so definitely not exercise-oriented in the true sense of the word (at least not in the past).
Perhaps you might be putting too much pressure on yourself? You mentioned disappointment at yourself – I say throw that out of the window, learn from what prevented you from achieving your personal target for yesterday, and apply that learning moving forward (just like what we recited in the 21DFC pledge in Day 0). Take it easy and go slowly from there. I suspect the thing that halts anyone from getting physical activity in their lives is really just self-enforced pressure, rather than real physical weary. If we make it simple, don’t turn it out into a chore, and focus on having fun/enjoying the activity, it’ll be a lot easier to integrate it into our lives.
You did great work on Day 1 waking up early, and I can’t wait to hear about how you do for Day 2. Look forward to following your progress in 21DFC. :D
I was surprised at how eager I was to receive a response in reference to my 1st day. I think that is the best reward ever. Taking your advice and letting go of the disappointment today. I will read the pledge daily to remind me this is possible. Today I awakened at 6:30. Will check in later today for update. :clap:
That’s awesome, Brenda. :D Congratulations on waking up early again for Day 2! By the way, this is Day 1’s thread, only for discussion of Day 1’s progress. Do share with us your Day 2’s progress in Day 2’s thread here: https://personalexcellence.co/blog/21dfc-day-2/#comment.
Remember, no self-pressure, make it fun, and go with the flow! What ever will happen will happen; whatever that doesn’t happen – let it go. Hugs to you! :hug:
This is awesome! Congrats on motivated over 200 people to getting in shape and creating some exciting change in the new year. I’m more impressed that it wasn’t done after the new year and you waited a month, not making it a resolution! Great thinking.
One of the hardest things I experience with change in body and exercise is the continuation of my thoughts. Although people see results, I don’t always see them. This leads to more negative emotions and thinking and then the cycle begins again. Next thing I know, I’m back on creating a new 21DFC! I hope you get to touch upon that in the coming days and we all reflect on how much change can be a positive mind-body-emotion experience as well.
Sincerely,
Brian
Hey Brian, there won’t be any content or theory covered in 21DFC, just action taking, doing the daily exercises, and sharing it with the community, as with all the challenges at PE. Have you signed up for 21DFC yet? If not, I invite you to join us (sign ups are closing in less than a day’s time). :D
Hi, Celes =)
First of all, thank you for setting up such a supportive community which helps each other reach our goals.
Anyways, today I went swimming. Or at least I had planned to go swimming…
When I was almost at the swimming pool, my mom insisted for me to come home. She said that I could swim tomorrow when I have more time, and that’s what I’ll do.
So I guess I went walking today. I actually walked for about one and a half hours, but I was walking slowly up and down the streets, instead of walking for exercise. Even though this wasn’t the best start for me, I am still excited and motivated to complete this challenge because I have much more exciting activities planned for this month!
Hey Arnold, it’s okay if we start off this challenge slowly – the important thing is that we *start* it, and you did that :) (with spirit too!)
hi, celes it was a good day for you,but for me its a pretty bad because i got slightly headache but i fulfil my promise & did 12 min some warmup exercises.tommorow i will do some aerobics.
Cool, that’s great that you were able to get some exercise done, mrs! ;) I hope you have a good rest today and your headache heals itself.
Hi all,
Looks like there has been some good work so far. Well done everyone, keep up the good work.
I’ve kick started myself today, and feel really happy. I planned the whole 21 days exercise yesterday. I had already downloaded an app on my phone called Gorilla Workout so I have decided to step upto level 2 on there (I’m not very strong lol), so first round of exercises done – involved squats, lunges and pushups. Ill be using this app daily. I also took a 30 min run. Which would have been a breeze five years back as used to run a lot but I have become very lazy! So my plan is three runs a week, 30 mins this week, 45 mins week 2, the 1 hour week 3. Then hopefully the commitment is all in place then to get back to my old distances.
Also added lots of water and five pieces of fruit a day to my tasks as well.
Don’t know if you planned it this way, but starting on Friday Celes is a revelation. This is the last day of the week I would think to start, always a Monday morning clean sheet and all that. Friday is perhaps I day i would normally start indulging so to push my motivation today of all days has done me a lot of good.
Hope everyone is getting on ok,
Anyone on Facebook can find me http://www.facebook.com/iahind (just put in the message you are a fellow 21DFC! And twitter @ihindus
Ian :-)
Hey Ian, that’s very sharp of you! I did intentionally pick Friday to start the challenge, as it’s the last weekday of the week and everyone’s off work, hence no excuse to neglect one’s personal life/goals. I’m glad you found it helpful.
And great job for your Day 1! :clap: Seems like everyone is off to a great start. :D I just finished my Day 2, looking forward to my Day 3 tomorrow. This is proving to be really fun.
Hi Celes, thanks for your suggestion on the Walk Jog Run website. It is very useful!! I like it so much!
I’m still working on my 21DHL with my own pace. This morning only I saw the thread of Day 17 task, which was asking us to do teeth flossing. So this morning I decided to walk to the nearby shop to buy the floss. It took me around 10 minutes to reach there. After I bought the floss, I walked from shop to shop for simple window shopping and walked back home again.
In the evening, I went for cycling as I planned earlier. There is a playground nearby my house. I cycled surrounding the playground. According to the Walk Jog Run website, The distance of one round cycling around the playground is 0.21 miles. I cycled 18 rounds in 45 minutes, which total of 3.78 miles.
Tonight, I will do simple stretching for my body. I bought a book that teaches us how to do stretching. As planned, I will do body stretching everyday for at least 5 minutes.
Previously, whenever I finish my exercise, I felt tired and always feel sleepy. These few days, after I have finished my exercises, I still feel fresh in doing a lot of things before I go to bed~! :)
Tomorrow, I will meet up with my friends as CNY gathering. So I think I might be doing my exercise in the early morning. My house area is not so secure to have morning jogging, so I will do simple exercise at home, say run in place.
Hey Jaleen! Glad you found the site useful – I thought it’s a great tool myself! :D
Great job on your cycling! :clap: Let us know how your stretching goes. I’ve never gotten into stretching as an exercise, but I heard people rave about it (I guess yoga can be considered a form of stretching exercise too).
On exercising at home, you may want to consider home aerobics. I may do that in the next few days, if/when I get bored of running. For now it’s still pretty engaging for me.
Thanks, Celes. :)
I have just done the stretching for 10 minutes. Before doing the stretching, there was a test stated in the book, to check and see how many years old my body is. I was quite shock that I got a very low mark for the test, and it showed that my body is already 60 years old!! >.<
I should do more exercise and not to let my body get older again!!
Yup, I do home aerobics sometimes too, especially when it is a rainy day. :) And yes, I feel that Yoga is one type of stretching exercise + meditation, which is very good. I have attended Yoga classes before, but due to timing issue, I dropped…
By the way, I just uploaded an excel file which recording my daily exercise activities for this 21DFC. :)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Anpw0E9LezyFdGpQU3FIalozXzZwMEFPYXZBWTBIdnc
thats great :dance:
Hey Celes,
I was quite long since my last decent hit to the gym :)
I woke up this morning at 7 a.m. so i would hit the gym. A simple strategy for me was , i made a solid decision yesterday night to go to gym today, and made it public by informing a few friends. So in the morning, my reluctancy was prevented by my public responsiblity :mrgreen:
So now , here i am at the work after 20 min of cardio and 40 minutes of weight lifting.It feels great , and i’m sure i will go till the end of 21 days.
Good luck others: )
:dance: :dance:
Awesome, Vedat! :D I went to the gym today myself (for my Day 2; will share in my update for tomorrow’s post).
What exercise/physical activity did you do, and for how long?
I took a brisk 10 minute walk, yet to do a 10 minute cycling session after lunch
Any reflections for today?
Reading the comments of everyone else here i feel even more inspired and motivated, and as from now i plan to do even more so as to be aloft and proud of myself
What exercise/physical activity do you plan to do tomorrow?
much more of a walk, cycling and some yoga…
Stay fit, stay smiling
Great start. :)
I wish to continue learning yoga if I have the time.
Hope to see your continuously progress. ^^
yup yoga is a great way to exercise especially if you don’t have means to go cycling out, swimming or to the gym….
online yoga classes on youtube really help…..
Heya Celes! You’ve done a great job on Day 1. I can’t imagine myself waking up at 3.30am. I slept at 9.30 and was yawning at 6.15. :p
I take public bus home from school, and I don’t know why but today I managed to drop off one stop earlier. =_= I considered waiting for another bus for just ONE stop, but instead decided to walk instead.
I walked…and found myself walking to a bus stop that I didn’t recognise!! It turned out I went in the wrong direction! Luckily I could take two buses from there. So I waited. :)
Total time -> 10 minutes (about there)
The moment I came home I changed into my swimming costume and swam. It was freezing cold since it rained before, but I still managed to pull of 20 minutes.
I’m looking forward to the weekend so I can hit the pool nearby which is definitely lots bigger. :)
Total time -> 20 minutes
I think I’ll be running around 5 rounds round my condo, which will take about 10 minutes. So in total, today will be…40 minutes. Woah. That’s a lot (and not considering the race I had in school ;))
By the way, any way I can set Google Reader (or any other reader for that matter) to only display PE blog feeds (without challenges)? I’m subscribed to challenges via email, and I don’t want to receive duplicate in my reader (it’s via email because I don’t check reader daily).
That’s awesome work, Amanda! :D You should be really proud of yourself. Walking more is definitely a physical activity in itself too, so I’m glad you decided to walk for that one bus stop. In fact, today I chose to walk to the gym instead of taking the bus (resulted in a 30 minute walk). More on that in my Day 2 update tomorrow!
On the feed, you can subscribe to the blog feed, which displays only the blog updates. I’ve combined the blog and challenge updates into the main feed so it’s easier for readers to get all updates in one place (vs. subscribing to 2 separate feeds).
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