This is Day 7 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 and welcome to Day 7 (Feb 9) of the
21-Day Fitness Challenge! :DIt’s been 1 week since 21DFC started – can you believe it??? Feels like I’ve been doing this forever – in a good way! After 7 days of crazy, intense exercising, I now feel like exercising such a natural part of my life. Additionally, I look forward to my exercise sessions, whereas I used to dread them in the past. It sure has been a big shift for me.Not to forget, the benefits of my workouts have been aplenty, as I shared in my
Day 4 update. I still stand by every single one of the benefits I cited there.Seriously, forget about fad diets, slimming centers, surgery, medicine that drugs you and treats only symptoms, circular therapy, coffee/caffeine/red bull, etc. An increased level of fitness not only ushers in a plethora of benefits which many of us seek external sources for, but best of all – it’s all free. Engaging in physical activity and workouts
regularly for a better life, a stronger, more attractive, and healthier body, a clearer mind, a happier self, and a more aligned you. I say it’s a worthwhile investment.We now have 2 more weeks to go. :D In these 2 weeks, let’s make every day count, shall we? :DI’m now going to share my update for Day 7 – which will be my last blog update for the challenge (I’ll still be working out daily and posting my progress in the comments sections of the daily posts, so not to worry!). I hope you’ve found my detailed updates, photos and daily musings in the 1st week to be helpful in spurring you forward in your fitness goals. :DIn place of that, I’ll be turning Week 2 of 21DFC into a different format – which I’ll be sharing tomorrow. Stay tuned! ;)
My 21DFC Progress, Day 7
So today I woke up later than expected, because I had turned in pretty late yesterday from working. (Busy putting together my latest project, which will be a videos channel – Very excited about it! Stay tuned at PE for future announcements. ;) )Hence I didn’t get to fit in my morning jog as I intended to
yesterday. But having learned from my experience on Day 5, I did not let it dampen my day. Instead, I headed to the gym for my 1st workout for the day.
Walking to the gym over taking the bus, as I did on Day 2 and Day 4.
As it was noon when I set off for the gym, it was FLAMING HOT. My neck was burning in the 30 minutes walk. Don’t let the picture above fool you. Refer to the image below instead:
Don’t mess with the sun in Singapore! It’ll burn you alive!
Jokes aside, I really like the warm and sunny weather here. Give me warm any day over cold. I was freezing my butt off half the time when I was in US during the winter season. I’m definitely glad to be back in the tropical climate.When I reached the gym, I promptly applied for my gym membership. I wasn’t able to do so on
Day 4 because they needed a passport-size photo of me, so this time I came prepared. :twisted: I came, I applied, and I got my 6-month membership right away (at a crazy low cost of $30USD for the full 6 months, because it’s a non-peak membership and it’s in a public sports center). There’s NO stopping me from using the gym as and when I want to now, MU-HA-HA-HA! I digress.
Using the recumbent bike.
This time, I worked out for over an hour, compared to 45 minutes in my previous 2 gym visits. Having a smartphone during your workout really makes a difference! I just bought a phone yesterday (a HTC touch screen), so today I was busy checking my emails, sending messages, installing applications, listening to podcasts, listening to music, and watching Youtube videos as I did my workout. The result? The time flew by like a breeze! I was already having fun with my gym workouts prior to this, but getting this phone is a godsend to maximizing my time at the gym. YAY for combining productivity and fitness in one go!Since my smartphone is proving to be a highly valuable entertainment and educational device, I definitely intend to use it for my jogs as well. Apart from listening to podcasts and music as I jog, there are apps to forward my jogging endeavors. I’ve already installed this jogging application (
Map My Run) which I’m going to use to track my jogging route, time taken, and calories expended.As next step, I will be getting a shoulder-strap thingy to hold my phone in place as I jog. Probably sometime this weekend. In the meantime, I’ll continue to jog solo and enjoy the morning/evening breeze as it stands.Evening came, and I went for my usual 3.6km / 2.2 mile jog. Since my blisters have healed, it’s back to
barefoot running again for me. :DCaught sight of the lovely moon in the night sky as I was running just now. I didn’t realize it’s the full moon tonight!
The beautiful full moon against the dark sky and several high-rise buildings
And that’s it for my Day 7 update. ;)As a quick round-up, here’s my fitness chart for week 1 of 21DFC:
Week 1 of my 21-Day Fitness Chart
Apart from not completing my desired exercise sessions for
Day 5, I’m quite happy with my performance for the 1st week. I’m also happy that I have sufficiently challenged myself in my fitness (as I had pledged to do in
Day 0’s pre-work), by pushing myself to go for 2 workout sessions over just 1. This is quite frankly the first time I’ve ever worked out so hard in my life, ever. And I’m very proud of it.Moving forward for Week 2, I plan to continue my workouts in a sustainable manner, as I want to make this a life-time habit. While working out twice a day, every day, in the past week has been amazing, it’s not exactly sustainable in the long haul, unless I’m planning for a professional career in fitness (which I’m not).Rather, I’m planning to do at least one actual exercise session (40 minutes – 1 hour long) each day – with 2 sessions for every 2-3 days, depending on my schedule. I’ll be embarking on new personal goals in Week 2 (I had sort of been putting them on hold during Week 1 as I wanted to solidify my
fitness habits first), so it’ll be interesting to see how I maintain my new-found fitness as I manage new commitments. I’ll continue with the “default” basic activities such as walking over taking the bus (for short-medium distances), climbing the stairs over taking the elevator, and so on.Really looking forward to how Week 2 will unfold. :D I’m really excited, guys!!! Let’s continue to cheer and support each other in our quest for a fitter, healthier lifestyle!
How About YOUR Day 7? Share Your Progress!
How did YOUR 21DFC Day 7 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, we 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.
- 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?
- Now that Week 1 is over, what is your fitness plan for Week 2?
Check out
other participants’ responses and join in the discussions!
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Day 7 was awesome, and went exactly to plan — other than being 5 minutes late for kickboxing class! I tried a new class at my gym (kick), and I loved it! It was a surprisingly good workout (my shoulders and back are feeling all those punches today!), I had fun, it is a great way to release stress and anger, and I felt really good doing it. That’s a win in my fitness book.
I did overcome some temptation to laziness; just before class, all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and read my book, but I told myself I just had to go, and I would feel better. Such a true statement.
My weekend was shaken up last night in terms of plans, so I’m not sure what my fitness routine is going to look like over the next few days, but I’m sure I’ll figure out some way to squeeze it in! I had originally planned to hit the gym today for some strength training, then attend Yoga class tomorrow, followed up by some elliptical and/or bike work on Sunday (which I may still get to do).
Congratulations to everyone on a completed week 1! I hope you have wonderful weekends and enjoy whatever active pursuits you have! :D
I have to say agree with you about ” just before class, all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and read my book, but I told myself I just had to go, and I would feel better. Such a true statement.”
Sometimes, ( it was always in the past =.=” ) I feel lazy and keep procrastinate my tasks and works till the last minute. I used to find it quite normal and not really pay attention to my bad habit. However, now I see the consequences of laziness and I also know that if I don’t do what I suppose to do, in the end I’ll feel regreted and disappointed about myself ( =.=” that feeling is not pleasant at all )
Yesterday was a good day as far as exercising went.
I done 15 minutes of Pilates. 15 minutes of the ab video I posted a link to. Finished out the day with yoga about 20 minutes.
I can really feel that I have been working ab muscles that I had forgotten were there. :)
Overall I am happy with my progress.
Plans for today are about the same. I would love to go walking outside but our mild winter just turned into a cold week.
That’s okay though because spring is just around the corner.
Also, I have used things I learned in the 21DHL in January, such as drinking plenty of water, eating properly, working on posture and breathing. So this challenge is only improving on everything we worked on last month. It’s great. :heart:
I love Pilates and Yoga, and I am trying so hard to incorporate them into my fitness routine! How are you liking the videos? Are they motivating you as much as a live class would?
Hello everyone!
This is the first time I’ve joined you on the comments because I’ve been so busy with stuff with my band and music and all sorts that i’ve been all over the place! I’ve been pretty good though, some days I’ve only had the fairly neccesary exercise (which I still would normally have avoided with bus/lifts etc) of getting off the bus a few stops early or walking to the bank to sort out some money stuff, walking to a place to go for breakfast with my sister and that kind of thing.
A few days I have managed more though, I’ve taken my dog for some long walks, done some aerobic step exercises at my mums house and some weight lifting (only small ones at the moment!)
I’m hoping to develop some muscle, not body builder Jodie Marsh style but I’d love some muscle definition in my arms and stomach and legs. I also want to generally lose fat as well so I’m hoping to combine lots of cardio and weight training :)
I’m having a fairly lazy day at the moment and going over a friends house for a jam soon so I can’t go jogging or walking yet but I’m going to do some weights until he comes to pick me up and then I’m going to walk back from his! I’ve walked home from Penclawdd once and it’s quite a walk – 4.3 miles! I stopped and enjoyed the scenery and wrote some lyrics because it’s a lovely area, i think i’ll do it all in one go this time though as it’s likely to be dark and creepy.. and very cold! so we’ll see :)
well done everyone, sounds like you’re doing very well!!
xxx
p.s. I’m on a system called Paul McKenna, I can make you thin – it’s NOT a diet. It’s about sorting out your relationship with food so you only eat when you’re actually hungry and stop when you’re full. You eat whatever you want and it’s about embracing and loving your body and changing it healthily and happily rather than fad diets and self-hatred. it’s honestly the best thing i’ve ever done, highly recommended for those of you who want to lose weight rather than just gain fitness :) aaand he has a mental exercise for increasing motivation to exercise! :D
I so admire everyone here for their dedication and determination!
Personally, I’ve gotten discouraged. Even the easy things like walking and going up and down the stairs has been difficult. Partly it’s because of arthritis, but there are other problems too.
I thought I was just out of shape, but it now looks like I might have the beginnings of some serious heart disease such as congestive heart failure. I know that exercise will be part of the treatment and/or prevention but I need to have some things checked out first so I will know what I’m dealing with and where to start.
But when I’ve had the tests and know what’s what, I’ll be able to plan a sensible exercise program and I’ll have all kinds of incentive to follow it, and lots of support from my family and friends.
Anyway, I wanted to post encouragement to everyone who is doing this challenge. Keep up the good work, Celes and everybody, and enjoy your health and energy.
Hey Celes, I know what you mean about having more defined features after weight-loss. It’s one of my favourite benefits of shedding pounds! And about barefoot running … I just watched the video explaining it and I think it’ll help me avoid having foot pain the day after I do barefoot jumping rope. Hope I do it right & it works.
Day 7: Most calories burned!
Turns out that on this day I burned around 900 calories from exercise, which is more than any other day during this challenge. Hooray!! :dance:
The exercises were 15 mins of aerobics, >30 mins mix(jumping,kicks etc.) and 20 mins of slow jumping rope while barefoot ( except for socks… floors are too cold).
Plan for week 2: Going to try (with God’s will) and jog part of the distance during the walks ( or joglks?). And I want to learn step dance! Saw a video on youtube & it looks complicated. But will give it a shot anyway since it burns the most calories compared to other forms of dance ( according to LoseIt.com )
Congratulations everyone for completeting week 1 ! :clap: :hug:
Wow 900 calories, that’s super-impressive!!! You must have been working mega-hard!! Good luck with learning the step dance, I’m sure you will master it & be dancing with joy in no time! :dance:
Thanks! But the day after that I ate much *much* more calories & exercised less…. so I balanced things out :mrgreen:
Coping with the munchies today, first time in two weeks my appetite wants to control me, but then, there is a lot of stress with an unexpected move coming up. That said, I walked the park for half an hour, and worked in another 15 minutes of yoga stretches. Yay me. :dance: Came home to meditate, and since my yoga instructor wants me in a different position, I wasn’t able to focus as well – I need to breathe through what’s hurting.
The key for me this week has been just doing it, and now that I am back to walking, along with really getting into yoga, I think I have finally found the right combination that will work for me from here on in. The best part of yoga is that I am not breathless and hurting at all, but I know I have worked out. :)
I floated and had fun in the pool for 30 min. or so and swam or actively moved around for another 30 minutes. I also had a random minute of exercise and put several others on my list (literally–I added “one minute movement” between every couple items in my to do list). I was inspired by an email I received talking about the idea of not trying to exercise for long periods of time, just adding exercise in one minute increments throughout your day. Since that flowed along with what I was hoping to be doing, it gave me some encouragement / a push into action. No strength-related stuff yet today, but I did some stretching as well while I was in the pool.
My plan for week two: to take this more seriously. I’ve been coasting along not being active enough to do what I want: lower my weight, build muscles, etc. So next week the goal is to really make sure that I get daily check marks.
What physical activity did you do (if any), and for how long?
– I did a 20 minute long walk. My knees and legs were feeling kind of sore and achy, so I decided to take it a bit easier than usual and just do a walk. It was still nice to be able to just go out and have my mind cleared, one thing that I have noticed fitness always helps with (clearing of the mind).
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?
– I once again did my exercise. It’s a priority, and since I signed it, I’m focusing on it.
Now that Week 1 is over, what is your fitness plan for Week 2?
– My fitness plan is to do some sort of running exercise for 20 minutes for one day, and then next day do a body weight kind of workout for 12 minutes, and walk until 20 minutes. After every session, I want to stretch for about 10 minutes. These two different kinds of days will alternate back and forth throughout the week.
Stick to it everybody! It will be worth it.
Everybody is doing so great! As one of the last people to post every day (time zone challenged :p ), I really do get inspired by all this enthusiasm. Keep up the awesome energy and activity!
Today I did aquafit again. I felt quite a bit stronger than ever before and worked really hard the whole class. I enjoyed my warm-up too — a sauna and hot tub before the class. ;)
So today was not such an active, exercisey day for me…
I still have that gum/tooth ache…may have to check in/find a dentist here in Ponce.
I was hoping to self-heal this area in my mouth. The pain comes and goes.
Most times, I wait it out and self-heal, so I don’t know what is going on yet. It’s been about a week now that I’ve noticed this discomfort and pain. Don’t really see any swelling, so why is it sore? Don’t remember the history of that tooth, or the ones near it, so I’m baffled why this pain is manifesting.
I did do the bands while listening to music, about 20 or so minutes worth, total, during the day.
My energy has been compromised, and I am missing the more active me.
So I’m pleased with that awareness and progress.l
I also have done some light cleaning at the house and some rearranging/organizing things in drawers. I have found some clothing that is waay too large for me. Was I really THAT huge? How did I carry all that extra baggage?!!?
One reason was that i disconnected my awareness from my lethargic, sedentary, verrry heavy body…another great reason to keep physically active so I AM aware of my body and its needing to move and exercise to be healthy. And so, I am getting together clothes for donating and discarding if too worn. Progress IS happening!
I have worked very diligently for years and have achieved enough weight loss to enable me to move much more easily, so move I shall. I am so happy to keep going, keep progressing. I desire increasing my fitness level on an ongoing basis and live life fully with health and vigor. Still have quite a bit of weight to drop…that is happening just about every day, so it’s about awareness and necessity and the heartfelt desire of living with mindfulness and on purpose.
I am planning to swim in the Caribbean for tomorrow’s activity, always a joy for me,so I am looking forward to that.
Bette
Wow gym membership for $30USD for 6months really IS a steal!
The membership prices in the U.S. are ridiculous. Most companies do crazy cheap promotions, but then when you want to quit, they will do anything to make sure you can’t -_- And even after you quit, they keep charging you! >_>
Anyway, I thought I’d be able to to more Yoga again with the Pocket Yoga app, but the Pilates and Yoga I did the past two days caught up with me and my body aches have been killing me. But! I forced myself to do five minutes of situps, crunches, and stretching.
For Day 8/Week 2, I’m really going to put an effort into walking more. And I mentioned this in my Day 6 comment, but I also want to work on being more flexible :shy:
Congrats to everyone for making it with me to Week 1! See you guys again for Day 8/Week 2!! :hug:
Hey Rosa! Gym memberships at the private gyms (California Fitness, Planet Fitness, Fitness First) can be quite ridiculous here too, along with the initial promotions to *lock* you into their gyms. Mine was so cheap because it was a neighborhood gym, and that I intentionally picked off-peak hours (it’s less than 50% of the peak hour rate). Plus I’ve a membership card for something else, so I got an additional $10 SGD discount. But yes, I definitely agree it was a real steal. :D
Congratulations for completing Week 1 of 21DFC. :clap: You have been doing such a marvelous job! I haven’t connected with you much during Week 1, so I hope to do so come Week 2. Keep your updates coming please, Rosa! :clap:
Day 7: and again despite the cold cold weather (32 F) I went for a 1.5 hour walk… I don’t think I have ever stuck to excercising continously for 7 days.
fFor myself to integrate excercise into my daily routine I have realised that I need to be flexible about whan I can get my 1 hour of excercise and also that I have to plan on a daily basis and remember that excercising or not is always a choice I make and not dependent on weather and the gazillion other excuses I used to make… I now have more confidence that I can successfully complete the 21 days fitness challenge.
Yay for week 1! I completed it by doing 30 minutes on my treadmill after work again! Lovin the feeling I get after the workout is complete. Thanks again to all of you for being such great inspirations.
Awesome work, Lory! :clap: I love the feeling I get after my workouts too. :D It’s a great sense of satisfaction.
I am happy today because i finally woke up on time and did a pilates workout for 50 minutes. Yay!!
I am so glad, for me it was hard to get to there because i not only had to exercise but i set out to wake up earlier since school starts next week.
Pilates is intense, even though there aren´t any additional weights into it, so that was a surprise. I hope to stay consistent with it, adding rest days in between. Although, tomorrow is a rest day i plan to do my yoga routine at least two times. Maybe after i wake up and later in the day.
Overall i’m happy with the progress because even though i missed day 4, i otherwise wouldn’t have done all the exercising if it weren’t for this challenge. Since i’m on a school break, i would be watching TV or using the computer all day long. The impressive part is that even I am actually enjoying it. :) Not dreading, but really ENJOYING. Yay!!
I hope to focus on achieving a balance for next week, and keeping consistency. Also, i will work on making sure my exercising is incorporated somehow into my college schedule. And that is all.
A big congratulation to all of have stuck to it for this whole week and get better cloudio!
My check-ins seems a bit boring as I’m generally saying the same thing! Today I walked about 5.7 km, less than I hoped but I stayed at work till nearly 9pm and I didn’t want my husband wondering where I was (I left my phone at home). It was snowing on my way back which was magical!
Not sure if I’ll have time to do all my floor exercises tonight but will at least do some stretches.
Reflection on week: have been pleased with my progress, have managed to incorporate exercise around my daily routine. If I get up early, then I have no impediment towards having a healthy day, as I can get a 3.2km walk in just on my way to work.
I may increase my floor exercises routine next week to include more exercises, as I build up strength.
Am hoping that the weighing scales will reflect my hard work soon, but I’m not worried if they don’t as I know that if I carry on like this (eating less and exercising more) they will get where I want them to be!
I really want to start jogging to work but due to weather/dodgy knee/clothes logistics I have been reluctant to do this. I’ll mull on whether there is some way I could manage it!
Yay for everyone on the challenge! And thanks Celes for continuing to inspire us!
:dance:
Hi zing! I do *not* think your check-ins are boring, so please continue posting and saying “the same thing”, if that’s what you’ve been doing! :lol: When do you plan to weigh yourself? I have not done any weighing since the start of the challenge as I don’t want it to affect my fitness momentum. As you said, as long as we continue with our good work, the weight loss will naturally happen. Remember that weight loss is an *effect*, not the *cause* (as I mentioned to Raymond above). Also, it may be more useful to focus on the overall look than the weight specifically, since muscle does weigh more than fat. Just some 2 cents which I find useful for myself! :D
Hi Celes!
Weight loss wasn’t among my objectives for the challenge, and I see it as a byproduct of what I’m doing. However, it would nevertheless be a welcome one! I’ve lost my tape measure so I’m using the scales for feedback.
You may well think I’m over-weighing myself as currently I’m doing this twice a day & recording it in my personal challenge book that I created from the 21 DHL challenge (weighing in first thing in the morning & last thing at night) – I actually quite like the night weigh-in as it’s an incentive not to snack in the evening as I might once have done!
As I am typing this, my co-workers have literally just bought 13 boxes of massive cookies into the office kitchen! (in celebration of a prize we won). Good thing I’ve had my lunch and no need to venture into the kitchen now!
:lol:
Keep in mind that when you start exercise regularly and build muscles, initially you can have a weight gain instead of a weight loss!
Of course nothing to worry about it, what’s really important is your fat % , which surely decrease with exercise.
I don’t know how anyone called the zing fairy can be boring. It’s just scientifically impossible!
Hey I want some magical snow too :( :!: Never seen snow before, but I did see hail…and rain so yupee! :dance:
Hope your knee gets better, and that the results will show from your hard work (maybe too hard??)
A big YAY for you too :hug:
Aw thanks Nadia :hug: Hail can be quite exciting, and if you get enough it can start to look like snow :) I guess you’re living in a place with lots of sunshine! :)
Wish it looked like snow but it looks like ice from the freezer instead :!:
Last night after dinner I finally did 20′ meditation after long time. Like any yoga student all physical exercise to me is mainly preparation for good meditation.
Today unfortunately I woke up lethargic and with a slight inflamed throat. I exercise anyway 20′ before breakfast. Again I want to emphasize that in my yoga routine the muscles are just a part of it: I do exercises for my throat, stomach and breathing, which are all very important.
This morning I exercised especially my throat and luckily It felt immediately better. But I still had to deal with low energy so I decided not to running.
In the afternoon I had a scheduled medical control for renoving my driving licence and decided to walk instead to catch a bus. It’s 5,6km on google map and considering I took the wrong road a couple of times, I did at least 6 km. On the way back I took the bus but still I walked a total 2km more before and after the bus ride. It was too much, I felt really tired once at home until I had a light dinner (just hot vegetal soup and bread) and a quiet time later. Now (23.00) I feel fully recovered.
The lesson from today is double: first do something even if you don’t feel well, second don’t do too much..
I don’t have plans for week 2 as I didn’t make any specific for week 1. After every session I say to my self to do a little more in the following one, but I have set backs all the time, especially on running, so my only plan is show up and trying something new every day.
Regarding how to incorporate this after the challenge is over..exercise is an everyday challenge since ever to me..I really like the fact that for this 21days because I committed to report my activty prompt me to do more, but once it’s over I need to invent something to keep pushing myself. As personal experience it’s much easier keep going then start over, but soon I am going to travel again and this will be a new challenge.
Hi cloudio, I know what you mean regarding challenge to keep fit when traveling. Where do you stay when you travel? If it’s hotels, they usually have gyms that can be used by all guests. If you find a way to integrate fitness into your travels, it’ll no longer be thwarted every time you go abroad. The difficulty you’re experiencing now is only a representation of what’s a barrier at the moment. Once you find a solution for it, it’ll no longer present itself as an issue.
Hotels are my very last resort when I travel. I usually stay in hostels, or guesthouse, sometimes couchsurfing. If I know I’m staying long term (at least 1 month) then I rent a room or a house.
The problem for me when I travel is not staying fit, because if I don’t have to work long hours on a computer I am usually very active, doing excursions or just wondering around many hours a day.
It’s more having a real exercise routine. As much as I hate routines and I need to do something new every day, it’s definitely easyer set up a time and a place for regular exercise when you don’t have to adapt to a new bed, find a a new place for eating, ecc. All things I enjoy a lot, but that makes more difficult keep an habit of real fitness exercise.
The other thing, not really related to travel, is that for me sport has always been fun and a social activity. I could play football or basket for hours without feeling tired, but if I have to run alone or exercise in a gym overcome boredom it’s often more than I can bear.
Day 7!! Where did that go? I was pretty busy at work today and didn’t get out of the office for long so I went to the gym straight from work tonight.
15 mins rowing, 10 mins cycling and then I used various weight machine for my quads and my chest. Then a warm down and shower.
About 50 minutes all in all but I had to get back for 7 pm, so I couldn’t spend much longer.
I’m away on a course for the weekend so it will be sit ups and squats in my hotel room. i probably won’t be able to post tomorrow or Saturday but rest assured, I will make sure I keep up the exercising. I won’t let you all down!
really great 45 min spin class today.
was a bit disheartened to see that i only burned 300 calories according to my body monitor
fyi if you are looking to track how many calories you burn all day whether jogging or cooking…consider this product. i recommend it and you can find it at costco. it tracks all sorts of info incl. sleep quality and steps taken and others.
http://www.bodymedia.com
for next week i am going to try to walk more.
goal is 8000 steps a day.
and maybe try working out earlier and going to bed earlier.
Hey stuart, burning 300 calories is a lot. I don’t think you should be disheartened? Considering most people burn about 1500-1800 calories a day, 300 calories is like an additional 17-20% more calories than usual. If you’re looking into fitness as a tool for weight loss, I find it’s a great reminder to eat healthily and consume in line with our calorie needs (what I shared in part-2 of the guide to overcome emotional eating), because it may be easy to consume those extra calories, but a whole different deal to get them off.
Thanks for staying through Week 1 and reporting in without fail. :clap: You’re doing marvelously. All the best for Week 2 ahead!
Wow I can’t believe it has been a week already :rolleyes:
Taking part in this challenge surely brings me a new feeling and perspective of exercises. :) I’m never into sport and I used to think that being not good at physical activities is my gene. Of course, not anymore :D I’m so much more active and thanks to exercises in the morning, I feel more energetic and awake, which helps my study a lot :dance:
My 1st week is quite normal, I guess. I’ve been exercisisng and doing activities that I hardly did before. But I think I’m getting into it slowly, not pushing myself too much :p . Therefore, I plan to increase the length as well as the intension of my activities.
I finished my plans for yesterday like I said. However today, I didn’t do the morning exercise as usual because I woke up too late and had to go to school quickly :( . I didn’t like this at all. I feel tired and rushed without my normal shower and exercise. @.@
Without a morning exercise, I tried to be active by running and stair climbing when I went to class :lol:
In the afternoon, I did a small exercise for about about 10 mins. I’m gonna do an aerobics work out for 30-45 mins after finish all my preps. :shy: And definitely, I’m gonna do my exercise before bed as usual.
P/s: Everybody seems to be doing really well :clap: Without joing the challenge, I may never get physical activities become a part of my routine and life :shy: Anyway, let’s finish this challenge greatly together, everyone :dance:
On day 0 I set out to walk a minimum of 10.000 steps a day.
I managed 73,832 steps in 7 days, averaging 12,305 a day! :angel:
Compared to last friday I lost 0,7 kgs. That isn’t as much as I’d hope for but on the other hand I am already feeling better.
And that’s what counts!
Next week will even be better!
Congratulations Raymond! That’s awesome! Feeling better is the start of good things to come I think! Pat yourself on the back & be proud of yourself!
You are right…..Next week will be even better!
Great work Raymond! 0.7kg in a week is a lot actually. Don’t let the number distract you – instead continue increasing your fitness as you’ve done. The weight loss is an effect, not the cause, so we should focus on the cause instead, which is our attitude towards fitness and healthy eating. The more our mind aligns itself towards that lifestyle, the more that lifestyle will manifest naturally.
I see muscles :dance:
It’s great to see some improvement on my body, I’m very happy..
I did 30min of cardio on the elliptical and 45 min of strength training.
I want to continue my daily workout after the challenge but probably not this vigorously..
I still need to learn how to do it the same time every day..
I also love listening to music when I’m on the elliptical, it keeps me excited and I don’t get bored if the music is fast =) So for those of you who can use pandora app, they have a “dance cardio radio” and it’s fast music to accompany you while you do your cardio..
Also I’ve started using an iphone app called MyNetDiary. It’s free and I can keep track of my workout as well as my food and water intake.. I really like it and I hope it’ll help me with my emotional eating..
Have a good workout everyone!!
Wow, vigorous indeed! I am simply amazed right now…Wow, haha. It’s nice to see that you’re committed but make sure you find a middle way, a balanced amount of time assigned for workouts, otherwise you might end up fatigued&sore all over and most likely you’ll stop exercising. Also good luck with the emotional eating, I am fighting against it, too, and I know it takes time and ambition to stop this unhealthy habit. Go, Ozum! :)
Thank you for the encouraging words!
You know before this challenge every time I tried working out I would feel soo tired afterwards that I couldn’t do anything else.. I’m not sure why, may be because we are doing it daily now, that I don’t feel like that at all.. But yes, I’m sore all over =)
I also eat when I’m bored, and it became such a habit that every time I’m worried or bored I eat.. I read in an article that we need to rewire our thinking.. That every time we feel those feelings that makes us eat, we should do something else instead.. But as you said it’s not easy to change it, but we should keep trying..
Actually, since 21DFC began I’ve also been monitoring my emotional eating and trying to “fix” it. I’ve read Celes’ article on emotional eating, too, she gives great explanations and tips about it. So now, whenever I feel like eating something (even though I’ve just ate or I’m not hungry), I stop and ask myself: “When did you eat last time?”, “Are you really hungry?”, “How do you feel?” and once I realize it’s actually emotional eating I engage in other activities: reading, watching a movie, calling a friend, going for a walk, etc. It worked until now :)
I should read Celes’ article as well, thanks for reminding..
I can understand that it’s difficult to fix it, since it didn’t occur overnight..
For me it’s been around 5 years. But now I feel like it needs to change, and I was thinking may be exercising daily can have a positive impact on the emotional eating. Didn’t happen though..
Hey Ozum! Great work your workouts – I’m so proud of you. :clap: Know that the soreness is just temporary. It’s our body growing stronger. I’m somewhat sore in my body, but it is a lot better than the beginning of the challenge, when I was just starting my exercises after a long period of not working out. :D In place of the soreness, is a feeling of strength and vitality.
On emotional eating, you may want to check out the 6-part emotional eating series which I wrote on PE (the same one Lina mentioned). It has a complete guide of how I overcame emotional eating in my life. I personally recommend beyond ‘rewiring’ our thinking, but to understand how the current sentiments about food were formed, so you can address them. I had extremely serious emotional eating issues in the past, and today my relationship with food is a lot healthier.
Thanks Celes! I would definitely read them..
Also may be you can give us some food/eating tips while we are doing the fitness challenge.. I feel like food and working out is related somehow, but I just cannot create a harmony between them..
Hey Ozum! I covered a fair bit regarding food/eating in last month’s Live a Healthier Life in 21 Days Challenge, so I recommend you take a look at the tasks there. Specifically Days 11, 12, 13, 15, and even Day 7/14 (the weekly review task).
The reason why both seems linked in your life in the moment is because that’s how it’s linked in your mind. For example, in the past I would eat a lot more if I plan to exercise. In retrospect, now that I’ve cleared the bulk of my emotional eating issues and having incorporated fitness as a mainstay in my life, I realized that it’s because (a) I used to see fitness as a burden/drag/chore (b) I saw food as love/energy (c) Making myself workout, would deplete my mental energy (since I saw it as a chore), which then led to me wanting to eat to replenish that. However, having unlinked food from love in my mind, and having fostered a genuine interest in fitness, the whole “eating more when I work out” situation disappeared. If anything, I actually more healthily / eat less when I work out, because I want to keep on with the momentum.
I again recommend the emotional eating guide, because I share in deep detail how I dug out my eating issues. The fasting series may be potentially helpful too (for those whose eating is extremely out of control).
I’v started reading emotional eating series, and a lot of the things you describes fit me..
I might have done fasting to learn to see the food as a source of living instead of something to be connected emotionally but I’m already underweight without doing any kind of diet thanks to my parents’ genes..
So my problem is not weight but the emotional ups and downs of the compulsive eating. For the last month I have been eating fairly healthy, lots of veggies and fruits, but as you mentioned in your article, I overeat even the healthy stuff.. Just 2 days ago I finished the whole relatively large melon, and then I had stomach ache and cramps for 2-3 hours that I couldn’t even move..
I really hope the articles can show me a way of correcting this problem..
Thanks for the tip about the dance cardio radio Ozum. I like to listen to music or watch something on netflix when I run on the treadmill. It makes me lose track of time as well and I find this works well for me :dance:
I know! The music really makes the time go faster.. And I can see that my speed increases if the music is fast too =) it’s like dancing, but on a machine..
Today, I went exactly according to my plan yesterday! ^^
My class finished at 1pm, went to have lunch with colleague until 1:30pm, rest for 1 hour+, then bought a ticket to the gymnasium in my college. I started to run on the treadmill at 3pm, and stopped after 30 minutes. I ran for 2.6km, burned 153 calories. ^^
After taking the bathe and came out from the club house, I could see the mountain at the back of the club house, felt the wind, the feeling was really nice and relaxing!!
Again, I hope that I can make it happen for every Thursday of this semester!! ^^
Tomorrow, I will go for cycling if it is a good weather, or else I will stay at home for home aerobics or running in place again. :)
Well done for sticking to your plan and getting some quality exercise in! :D
Thanks for your message, zingfairy! ^^
What zingfairy said – great job, Jaleen. :D I’m sure if you schedule a gym session for every Thursday into your calendar, and make it a priority on your list, it will surely happen! I realize the times when I don’t exercise is because I made something else a priority. When I make fitness my #1 though, I naturally have time to work out.
Thanks, Celes!
Yup, I hope that I can continue this activity as one of the high priority activities for the rest of my life~! ^^
Today was one of the first normal sorts of school days that I had planned for in that I would come home, talk to my mom a bit and then go upstairs to do my exercises. I think this system will work until I go to university and then I’ll have to sort something else out then.
Today I went on the exercise bike for 10 minutes (5km) and used the Wii Fit for around 20 minutes (got a lot of new things to try). It was good.
Good job! I always wanted to try wii fit, hopefully I’ll get one when I get a job =)
How is it? do you like working with it??
I really like it. I feel self-conscious when I exercise so it’s in my room and I can just do exercise in my room. It’s really good because you start out having 5-10 activities in Yoga, strength exercises and aerobics and you get a point for each minute of exercise and there’s a score that you get for each thing so it makes you want to do better each time. I especially likes that it measures your weight and BMI each time and makes a graph of how it changes.
Good luck with the rest of the challenge :dance:
That sounds fun actually..
I like that you can do different kinds of activities as well, and it keeps track of things for you..
I’m also self conscious while doing exercise, all that huffing and puffing =) It’s nice that you have some space in your room to do your workout..
Best of luck to you as well, and let’s keep working out!
Same as yesterday for me today. Another 30 minutes on the rebounder :)
That’s about it really.
Tomorrow will probably be the same :) We have to pick up a friend from the airport, so I don’t think I’ll get in that long walk tomorrow either.
Keep up the good work Glenn! It all counts :)
20 minutes of knee exercises, 20 minutes of upper body work w/ stability ball, and 20 minutes of core work w/ stability ball. 10 minutes of stretching and 10 minutes of meditation.
I’m finding it hard to be active throughout the day. I workout in the morning but then I’m chained to my desk at work and I come home to sit on the couch or play piano.
Anyone have any ideas on how to be more active but still relax in the evenings?
You did a good workout!
I read somewhere that sitting straight is some kind of a workout.
I generally clean/organize the house whenever I feel I want to be active when at home.. There is always something to clean, organize or change around the house =)
Well by the time we got home was after 10pm so trust WII to the rescue did 35 minutes consisting of bowling, tennis, golf & 10 minutes of boxing! Wow the boxing really gets your heart rate up & still 30 minutes later still pumping faster, that’s the best from the WII yet!!!!
Yipeeee i got to it, 25 minutes of a walk and that to, as to my expected standards of briskness….
thanks Celes its only your efforts, the motivation from being inspired by those on the forum and not forgetting my kids’ beliefs that i’d be able to do it…..
it may seem to y’all that i’m overdoing my excitement on this, but truly the art of achieving a goal set overshadows how high or low it was set…..
As I said yesterday i’d try listening to trance, I don’t take my tablet out during the walk, so i had the trance video from youtube converted to mp3 to play on my phone, didn’t work…. :(
would try so again….
but more-so-ever, i’m more expecting to try out what Celes and Kate Britt suggested, trying to listen to podcasts as when i take a walk…..would do so this very evening….
good day then…wishing you all a :D :D :D and fit day ahead
Oops missed the integration part….
well for me i’m not going to set space in my life as from now for exercise
you know why?
exercise is now already part of life for me, not just an essential but do-away-able bit…… :p
thank you sooo much Celes
“exercise is now already part of life for me, not just an essential but do-away-able bit”
I think that is the best possible result anyone can hope to get out of 21DFC, ASLO! :D And the biggest reward I can get for conducting this challenge. I’m so happy to hear that – thank you for your amazing work. :hug:
:hug:
Hey y’all i just tried out taking a walk while listening to the podcast…..to put it simply….its amazing…..
you know today i had gone out window shopping, ours is a small town, though we are developing rapidly and have huge malls, i browsed through 3 such places each at separate ends of the town and i went walking as i covered these distances….:-)
Celes and Kate, thanks for this, it really teaches you a lot more than when you listen to it in the comfort of your room…..
And by the way, i listened to Wayne Dyer, a great and very inspiring speaker….y’all should try out listening to some of his podcasts or videos from videos…..
P.S, Celes, looking forward to a day when we can tune in to your podcasts as well…..
Hey Aslo, I’m so glad we helped you discover something new to enhance your walking life. Listening to podcasts sure makes the time fly by, doesn’t it. I hadn’t ever thought about the aspect you mentioned, “it really teaches you a lot more than when you listen to it in the comfort of your room.” I’ve only ever listened to podcasts while walking! I think you must be right — according to various theories of mind and body, activity increases synapse activity in our brains. Plus, listening to ‘learning’ materials does too. So it makes total sense that putting the two together would enhance both of them synergistically.
I want to tell you that you’ve just gotten me excited about going on my next walk. I’m going to download some new podcasts for it, and I can hardly wait. Thanks! :hug:
I went out an school excursion to the Singapore Discovery Centre to commemorate Total Defence Day today, which was why I was pretty much on my feet for the whole morning.
Apart from that, I haven’t done any exercise today YET. I intend on swimming for about an hour or so at around 5 or 6 pm today. (And the update for that will be later)
But now, I have an answer for the question: How are you integrating them into your life after the challenge ends?
Daily, I usually swim and have duty (on school days). Since 21DFC, I’ve been stopping a stop earlier so I have to walk a little longer. I may also start a weekly habit of going to the nearby stadium and have a run.
As it turns out, school is canceled the whole week ’cause of the snow (yay, mini-vacation, lol).
My back and arms are really sore after yesterday’s 30 minutes workout and it’s again “that time of the month”. I don’t know how you, ladies, handle exercise during this period, but I had to exercise less than yesterday so I did again the 10 mins cardio workout. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll try and pull the 30 mins again.
“How are you integrating them [ the exercises] into your life after the challenge ends?” What I’ve realized this past week is that whenever I said “I don’t have enough time” or “I’m just too tired to exercise”, those were only excuses. So I intend to workout everyday, even if it’s 10 minutes or 30 minutes, important is to get up and move :D There is always enough time and energy as long as you’re willing to do something. :)
Congrats on the mini vacation! :lol:
I did that aerobics routine you shared with everyone the other day in the posts & I like it a lot even though I had no idea what they were saying :D The moves were simple & fun and sometimes painfully hard too … but as they say, “no pain no gain”!
Sometimes when I intend to workout for only 10 minutes, it lasts longer. So I think that what you said about getting up and moving is so true, well said :)
Glad you used it :D Haha, it’s the same thing as the video Jaleen shared, I’ve tried it although they speak in Korean and I don’t understand a thing xD But it’s effective!
Today there was a problem is my mobile and the stopwatch (of my mobile) got reset again. Which is why I am not sure how long I worked out. But I worked out less today. I danced, jogged in place, walked and did cross-over flings. I am feeling a little tired and have been feeling like this for some time so I am planning not to exercise today, and I hope I regain more energy for tomorrow’s exercise :D
I wrote, “so I am planning not to exercise today,”, sorry I made a mistake, it should be “so I am planning not to exercise today anymore“, as I already exercised today.
And sorry I didn’t notice this question: How are you integrating them into your life after the challenge ends?
OK, so my answer to this question is…Well, it actually depends on what I want. I change my mind a lot. So, I may not be interested in daily exercise later or I may have a lot of zest for exercise. But it really depends on my wants actually, whether I will want to be integrating them later or not. I may or may not integrate them later. Hope I was able to explain this properly :)
Nice mix of exercise! Thinking of incorporating cross-over flings in my exercise too..
I think i got what you mean in your answer… so maybe continuing to exercise daily will depend on whether you think of workouts as a necessity or simply as a low-priority activity? Hope the best works out for you Monisha :)
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