This is Day 8 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 Week 2 of the 21-Day Fitness Challenge! :D Today is Day 8 (Feb 10).
Throughout Week 1, I wrote about my pursuit towards a fitter life, obstacles faced in pursuit of that, how I overcame them, and reflections along the way. I hope you have found my logs useful in your 21DFC journey. :) Below are my journals FYR (for your reference):
- Day 1 – It All Begins!
- Day 2 – Building Up the Momentum…
- Day 3 – Turning it into a Routine
- Day 4 – Loving the Sweat, the Pain, and the Aches!
- Day 5 – Tuning Into Our Inner Self
- Day 6 – Seeing New-Found Muscles
- Day 7 – Celebrating 1 Week of Fitness!
Since my fitness regime will be pretty much the same moving forward, I’ll be using a different format for 21DFC as of today. For this week, Week 2, I shall present a daily question related to fitness for your introspection. One question every day, for the rest of the week.
The objective of these questions is to help you channel your natural passion for fitness, and use that to cultivate fitness as a lifelong habit. For all of us already have that in us – that’s what drew us in this challenge to begin with. I see my role (in the remaining 2 weeks) to be one where I enable you achieve your ideal fitness routine, by yourself, in the absence of the challenge and a support group. For the true objective of 21DFC is not to see who can work out the most in these 21 days, but to successfully cultivate fitness as a lifelong habit – one that occurs naturally without any force. That, is the best result anyone can hope to gain out of 21DFC.
On top of posting your progress in the daily posts, I invite you to seriously reflect on the question(s) for the day and share your answers with the group in the comments section. These questions may seem simple, but they can be powerful. All the answers we seek to life’s problems already exist in us – the key is about asking the right questions to invoke these answers.
Without further ado, let’s now proceed to our first question for Week 2! :)
Day 8 – What is Your Favorite Fitness Activity?
Knowing your favorite fitness activity / activities is important because fitness is supposed to be fun to begin with. It isn’t supposed to be a chore by any means. You’re not given your body to push it like it’s some machine. You’re given your body as a medium to do the things you love.
Me, I have a number of favorite sports.
One of my all-time favorite sports is definitely badminton. I’m not good at it (I’m a recreational player at best) but that doesn’t stop me from loving the game and playing it whenever I get the chance. I love how it’s so explosive and high-impact – I get such a good workout in every game!
I often initiate badminton sessions and invite my friends to join in, but that can be quite a hassle as I’ve to check others’ availability, coordinate the schedules, and book the court – which may not always be available. I’ve since adopted a different approach – I realize there are people who gather weekly / bi-weekly to play badminton, so I’m now joining them instead. All I need to do is turn up, put my best foot forward in the game, and contribute my share for the court rental – and in the process, meet new people!
I also like frisbee too. I was introduced to Ultimate Frisbee by a friend 3 years ago, and fell in love with the game.
For a period of time we got together almost every week to play Ultimate Frisbee, and in the process created a hub where new people would join each time, by way of word of mouth. I simply love the camaraderie built among the team members in each game – it’s such social connections that inspire me the most about team sports.
Swimming is another of my all-time favorite sports. I love the fluidity of our body from being suspended in water, and the surreality of navigating through it. It feels like we’re in a world of our own – with no one to step into it. I now swim 2-3 times a week as part of my fitness regime.
Some of you may have realized from my Week 1 fitness logs – Lately I’m falling in love with jogging, all over again (barefoot too, no less).
I find jogging to be an excellent form of meditation: As I jog, my mind empties itself of accumulated thoughts from the day/week – thoughts which I had not processed previously. My mind literally becomes freer – hence leading to more “spring” with each step I take. It’s a virtuous cycle.
Not only that, jogging presents itself as the most convenient sport for my lifestyle. I can go jogging alone without subjecting myself to anyone’s schedules, unlike group sports. I can also jog right away upon leaving my flat – as long as there is a pavement, it’s a plausible jogging path.
I’ve since made jogging a part of my staple – I now jog almost every day, either in the morning or evening, covering about 3.6km (2.2 miles). While it’s a distance I’m proud of, I look forward to pushing it a notch further in the upcoming sessions.
I’m also interested to try out water sports, like dragon boat, sailing, and possibly even surfing, in the near future. I’ve never tried any of them, but it’s a matter of time before I do.
How about you?
- What is your favorite fitness activity? Why? (Feel free to list more than one activity if you have a few favorites!)
- How can you incorporate it/them into your life moving forward?
Share Your Plans/Progress for Day 8!
What is your intended fitness plan for today? What physical activities are you going to do, and how long do you want to do them for? Share with us!
Update your progress as you go along. At the end of the day, review your progress and share your learnings.
Check out other participants’ responses and join in the discussions!
(Images: Silhouette of woman running, Badminton, Frisbee, Swimming, Girl jogging)
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My favourite activity is walking. I’m not sure what makes it the favourite, maybe it’s the beautiful nature along the walking route (seaside/park), maybe it’s the easiness of it or maybe it’s the fact that most of the time, I would be walking with family so it makes a nice family time activity too.
Day 8: No walking…
So instead i just did some exercises right at home like aerobics, jumping rope etc. and it lasted for 45 minutes.
On the exercise side, that day was ok, but on the eating side, it wasn’t ok! :( My mistake? Sweets. They seem to open the door of over-eating.
Oops, forgot to post my activity yesterday, though I was active in the forums here for quite a while. LOL, I spent so much time here I nearly forgot to do my activity!
I went on a great long walk, while listening to my hip-hop-producer-performer son’s very first podcast. Learned a bunch about the history of that field of music and enjoyed listening in on the conversation between him and two of his cohorts. The walking time just FLEW by! :angel:
Yoga lesson today! Still fighting sore throat and cough, but there was no way I was going to cancel this lesson. I do love the private lessons. I can’t relax and not do the work; I am being pushed, and I am seeing results. I am amazed at the positions Susan is getting me into. We are now at a point, after five lessons, of her writing down some patterns for me to begin incorporating into home exercise, which is exactly what I need. I feel energized at the end of the lesson, which is good, because I am headed into a really tough three weeks of stress.
Favorite exercise? If has probably always been walking, especially along the beach. On days when I do not have a yoga lesson, I am trying to walk in the park for at least a half hour. Because I am so limited physically, walking has always been something that worked. Now I can add yoga to the mix. And at dinner, my friend said I looked younger, carried myself better, and she was amazed at the subtle changes she has seen in three weeks.
Yay me! :dance:
Wow!! I absolutely love the comments here. I should have come by and read the comments before.
I know I haven’t been posting my progress but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been following the challenge. I’ve been doing my usual 20 min daily exercise. My shifts are odd so my day 8 actually ends at around 6 am the next day when I get back from work. The morning was so beautiful, there was no room for procrastination. Changed into my track suit as soon as I came from work and when out jogging. Couldn’t do much though, as my side started aching and so did my chest. So I settled for brisk walking for 45 min.
I’m in love with early morning walks!!! Wish I could swim too but no pool around! :(
ps. I saw a SPRINTING GRANDPA during my jog/walk. I hope I can be as fit as him some day and especially stay that way at his age!! :happy:
Hey Sejal, totally! No challenge experience in PE is complete without being part of the discussions. This is why I’m always encouraging all participants to share and engage in the comments. Look forward to reading more from you during this week and the next. :D
(PS: LOL @ sprinting grandpa!! That’s incentive to increase one’s fitness alright!)
Yup!! Lol…. that old man looked about 90 yrs old but ran better than a 20 yr old! He overtook me and kept on running!! AMAZING! He’s super-cool! :clap:
i love swimming i can do more of it at my gym i only need to start scheduling this time as you need to reserve lanes most of the time
i love biking but dont ever take my bike out. it sits in the apt. i need to find ways to motivate. and also learn more about the bike esp fixing a flat
today i walked 45 minutes.
but i ate crappy food later in day …total self-sabotage.
:(
Hey stuart, not sure if you missed my earlier reply to your previous post regarding eating junk food. I highly recommend to check out the emotional eating series – you may find some answers there with regards to your eating situation. You’re self-sabotaging for a reason, and I want you to uncover that reason, because it pains me to see you (or anyone else here for that matter) doing that to yourself. I hope the series will help shed some light on what you’re going through.
Took the dog for a walk 1hour & 20 minutes, it was very warm, the dog & I were exhausted, but happy that was in the morning, then later in the afternoon I mowed for 1 & a half hours, but it was on the ride on mower, then when I finished I rounded it up with 10 minutes on my mini quad bike, ready for bed then!!!!! :
I’m loving that I can always fall back on my WII when it’s late, or raining, it’s surprising how it gets your heart rate up, will probably us it over the whole weekend, as Sunday night we are going away on holidays, so it will be a whole different excersise program then, can’t wait, I always enjoy walking you get to see so much on your travels. I have to push myself everyday with lots of reasons why I cannot do it but as tired as I am the way it makes me feel for the next day so energized, it really is wonderful!!! Well worth pushing ourselves!! Thanks for making me commit to this!!!
Hey Christine, you’re a total living advertisement for WII now! ;) There are a few 21DFC participants who are getting their workouts by way of WII. I won’t be surprised if some readers get spurred to buy a WII after reading the comments here. ;)
It was Day 8 yesterday. From the blog post, a question was posted to ask what my favourite fitness activities are.
I have a few favourite fitness activities. When I do fitness activity, I always need to consider the weather if it is an outdoor activity, thus I prefer more on indoor activities, especially the activity that can be done at home. So, both home aerobics and run in place at home are my favourite activities. I don’t feel bored when doing these exercises at home as I have something to concentrate on. I usually concentrate on movie, anime or mucic.
For outdoor activities, I like swimming the most. I’m a person that easily get sweat, so I like to stay in water. XD
I like cycling, hiking and jogging too. With all these activities, you will know that I seldom join other people for sports. I love to take my own sweet time to do whatever I like, without bothering who I’m staying with, what time I should end my exercise. =.=”
Back to yesterday’s exercise, initially, I planned to go for cycling after I got back home, but I was exhausted when I reached home, so I went for a nap. By the time I woke up, it’s already 6:30pm, time to have dinner. =.=”
I finally decided not to go for cycling, and changed my plan to run in place in my room for 45 minutes while enjoying my anime. I watched an anime about playing piano, so there are a lot of time that piano music was played in that movie. Again, I enjoyed the piano music, although I haven’t learned piano before.
Besides, yesterday, I weigh myself, I have lost 1 kg!!! Yeah~~~ I hope that the number will keep on decreasing~!!! XD
P/s: Yesterday, I counted, I have climbed 10 storey of staircase, separately. Haha~~ In the morning, I went up to my office in the 3rd floor, so I climbed 3-storey staircase. Then I got down to the venue of my class in the first floor of another building, I climbed one-storey staircase. After the class, I climbed up the 3-storey staircase back to my office again. After that, I went out to have lunch with my colleague and came back, climbed the third time of 3-storey staircase. In total, I have climbed 10 storey of staircase… XD
I like volleyball because it’s a team sport, it really requires good communication among the team members and it’s a very challenging sport since you have to focus your attention to both the ball and the other members. I like badminton, too. However, volleyball I can play only at school, during sports class, and badminton during summer, when I go with a friend to a nearby green open area to play. What I plan to regularly do, since it doesn’t require team members or a certain type of weather, is aerobics :D I find a very fun way to exercise which engages your whole body.
Today I did a 30 minutes aerobic/cardio workout. :)
posting late….my bad…..
Well yesterday i accomplished another accomplishment…..took a brisk walk for almost half an hour, 27 point something minutes to be more accurate. did so while listening to the amazing Wayne Dyer, though had just one earphone head plugged in, (couldn’t find the plug-in pad for the other head) and to be frank it wasn’t as amazing as the first day, because you are interrupted by other sounds, so my take is that if you are listening to podcasts while walking/jogging you should have good quality earphones, plugged in at both heads…..hope to buy a good one today/tomorrow and take the thrilling roller coaster into meditation + exercise :D
Sorry couldn’t accomplish cycling yesterday and realize that i should definitely set a specific time for the cycling which isn’t so much like the walk which i love and wouldn’t dare miss…….
So coming into talking the which fitness activity i most like, well is there a question? of course its walking/jogging…..i love inhaling the fresh cold air (usually take my walk before 7.30 am), i love smelling the burning wood (you see, we here burn wood to heat up the bathing water), i love seeing the birds flutter and frolic like they are running late for some important meeting (my house has a lot of trees), i love looking up to the azure and cloudless skies, i love the peace and solitude of being interrupted by no one and last but not the least, i love the endorphin flow at the end of the walk…….
Love and fitness to all
What is your favorite fitness activity? Why? (Feel free to list more than one activity if you have a few favorites!)
I like badminton, but I am not sure whether it is the only activity I like doing. I’ll have to try out activities more to see whether I like them or not :). And I am still not sure whether I like jogging, frisbee, running and swimming :/ Anyway, I like badminton because it is fun for me! :dance:
How can you incorporate it/them into your life moving forward?
I could ask my cousins to play badminton with me, if they agree we can schedule times maybe.
Day 8’s progress: I walked and jogged, total time taken is more than 12 minutes.
What is your favorite fitness activity? Why? (Feel free to list more than one activity if you have a few favorites!)
– I do have a few favorites.
1. Although I haven’t done it in a while, (partly because I’m 18 and have grown a lot and therefore buying equipment every few months that will fit me is not a wise use of money) I love hockey. It was my favorite sport at a younger age and I love it. The energy involved, the chasing the puck around, the physical checking and exertion involved, the attempt at aiming and shooting the puck properly, and sooo much more. I just love it all!
2. I like running. I did it for 2 years in elementary school, then got serious for 3 years in high school before a problem with my growth plates caused me to stop. Running takes minimal equipment (doesn’t take long to get ready), can be done anywhere and almost at any time (compared to things like hockey or tennis or soccer which need specific places to play them at). Plus, when you are out there running, it clears your mind and just relaxes you so much, and if you go for a run in the summer, your body feels so good after you stop, its just great.
But really, I love almost all sports. I’m definitely an all sports guy.
How can you incorporate it/them into your life moving forward?
– It’s hard. Hard to make time to consistently and regularly fit them into your busy schedule. But, in terms of how, you can plan your week ahead of time to make sure they have their own slot of time, you can evaluate what is most important in your life and see if it’s worth giving up for a better and more healthy lifestyle. But mainly, it’s just going out there and actually doing it, not just waiting for motivation to come to you.
What physical activity did you do (if any), and for how long?
– I did a body weight workout. Squats, push-ups, side lunges, twisting abs (not sure what this one is called), side planks, and some weird one were you are in push-up position and then you use your legs and arms to push you butt up until your body is in a 90 degree angle to each other. Each exercise would be done for 30 seconds, and after the 3 minutes, you would rest for 1 minute. This would be done for 3 rotations. After the 12 minutes, I went out and walk for around 10 minutes and then stretch for 5-10 minutes. Altogether, around 30 minutes.
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 was able to stick to my exercise plan.
What physical activity do you plan to do tomorrow?
Another interval running workout.
Keep up the good work everybody. Let’s make it part of our lifestyles. :D
Hi again! I’m going to reply to some posts and post progress later but at the moment it’s almost 1am in the UK and although technically day 8, not really because I’m just awake late, buzzing with thoughts!
I was talking to a friend today and then did a lot of online research and took some tests because the friend is convinced I have ADD as he is an ADD sufferer himself and we seem to think and respond and act in pretty much identical ways and face a lot of the same problems and unusual thought patterns and responses. He is really convinced I have it just based on observing me in conversation and then when discussed further he became more and more sure as he asked me questions about myself (we’re relatively new friends) – also, this is not the first ADD sufferer that has told me they’re sure I have it!! I’m going to try and see a mental health specialist for tests and analysis asap.
The reason I tell you this is because this is something that causes a lot of organisation problems so I tend to suck at making plans and following through with them, however, exercise is meant to be absolutely brilliant at calming down the crazy, racing, noisy brain of ADD sufferers (especially useful if you’re not into drugging yourself up – which I’m not keen on the idea of!) so I need to make a concious effort to throw myself into exercise, just another reason to make it a priority!!
Now, questions:
What is your favorite fitness activity? Why? (Feel free to list more than one activity if you have a few favorites!)
I LOVE badminton too! and swimming, both amazing things but I kind of resent paying the money when I’m not very well off. I also enjoy walking a lot and yoga although I’m too easily distracted to focus on it for long without feeling irritated but I should do it in short sessions with breaks as relaxing, calming, meditative like acts such as yoga are good for stress control level which is a problem for people like me, but need to be combined with high intensity exercise sessions to shed excess energy!
I really like putting on music and dancing around (badly) freely as well, I find it liberating and fun :D
How can you incorporate it/them into your life moving forward?
I find it hard to sit still or do nothing else generally when listening to music so I could dance when listening to music, this would solve two problems at once. Must walk the dog more, long morning walks are great. I also love weights so the high energy burning activities e.g. weights/running/walking/dancing should be done early in the day so excess energy is expended early on, then do 10 minute yoga session when a bit calmer to chill me out and then I can move on with my day! and possibly occasional loud music and bursts of crazy dancing throughout the day to regularly burn away excess energy when I start to get figity would be a good idea :)
Hey Smash! :D A bit of a side note – it is actually Day 9 on your end, because Day 8 is Feb 10, while Day 9 is Feb 11. Not that it matters because ultimately it’s about getting our fitness in for the 21 days and reporting in daily. Seems like not having the dates line up with the challenge can be confusing for some, so for future fitness / habit cultivation challenges I will try to have them start on the 1st of the month.
Smash,
I enjoyed reading your post, and how you are willing to open up the ADD thing, how it impacts your life, and your strategy for living your best life, all things tolled. Love that you find value in and are planning to fit in practicing yoga and meditation at a time in the day where “sitting still” and slow-moving, focused yoga will work for you! I just :heart: that!
Also, even though I do not know about your eating habits/nutritional practices… what came to mind as I was reading your comments, was that for almost anyone, really, eating junk/processed food/sugar can really wreck havoc/increase the effects of hyperactivity/ADD/change one’s mood, focus, clarity and energy level. When I taught junior and senior high school, I had multiple occasions to observe students BEFORE and AFTER eating sugar, and it was an amazing difference, especially with the ADD/hyperactive students. I’ve also seen/heard about the hyperactivity,etc., that people suffer from when they eat sugar-related products, caffeine, processed, chemical-laden products, etc. And the addictive nature of the so-called “foods”…well, it’s all astounding, really.
And so the “WHAT ARE YOU EATING?” question always comes to the surface when I hear the subject of ADD/hyperactivity mentioned. On a physical level, WE ARE WHAT WE EAT! Which affects us emotionally and mentally too! Eating healthy foods has really dramatically changed my life, all across the board. People can and often do have a complacency or “whatever” attitude about what they eat regardless of the effects, and deal with the consequences later. Or they have pretty good health and function pretty well, until…”all of a sudden” happens, or “out of the blue” happens, and voila!…time to have a look at this, self-educate/get a professional/specialist if need be, and make decisions that will change things around for the better. I have had a lifetime of sticking my head in the sand, and then having to deal with the consequences later. The more head-sticking, the more consequences, the more damaging/heavier price.
Sometimes major life changes occur or are facilitated by what we are NOT doing anymore (dropping bad attitudes, bad habits, things like that.) ;) Imagine the b r e a t h i n g s p a c e that is then freed up to create what is for one’s best! :D Hope I am not going on too much about this, but I have seen the world of difference that happens when it comes to what someone is eating/not eating.
Smash,I do not know what you eat or avoid eating, but there is my two cents anyway, if that offers any help. I have traveled a long and winding road wheeling and dealing with the sugar blues, and have SOOO learned to avoid sugar-related products. (There are many verrry interesting books on this….”Sugar Blues,” Sweet and Dangerous,” and countless others…)
Again, congrats on your being physically active and being interested in living better, and going for it! :dance: I’m in awe of your energetic self, Smash, and your wanting to channel it and work with all that wonderful energy to live you best life with personal excellence! :angel:
Bette
Hello everyone! Seems like many of you are just posting your day’s progress, without engaging in the question-of-the-day reflection? If possible, I’d love for all of you to join in. After all, the fitness questions are part of the 21DFC process too. Look forward to reading your answers. :D
My favorite activity is soccer and dance.
I love how I can express myself in movement while I feel the music spread through every inch of my body. I just love it, makes me feel very alive and happy everytime.
And I enjoy soccer for it being a team sport. Plus it’s one of those sports my whole family plays so, always fun always challenging, it really brings people together and helps them get a real sence of who each person is like.
I am really enjoying this challenge, thank you Celestine for all the motivation and encouragement, you make a difference in the lives of many! Thank you :)
I read that few people in the challenge have chronical problems with knees and ankles, so please let me recommend to all of you MBT shoes. http://au.mbt.com/
They are ugly for sure but are so effective! Not only it seems like walking on clouds, they have been scientifically proven also reduce load and pain to the joints
I forgot to mention so far that I am wearing them every time I go out for a walk and even when I run.
They are not cheap, but were surely worth the money to me
Thanks so much for sharing, Cloudio!
Today 30′ yoga in the morning and 30′ in the afternoon.
Another freezing day, the coldest I felt in this crazy spell. Since I didn’t have any obligation I left home for a walk, but after going around my block I came back immediately
My favourite activity for many years has been playing football. Now I become very detached about it. Although I would like to play it again once in a while, I don’t watch games anymore, after I did it for so long, before as a fan, then as a sport journalist.
It’s almost 4 years my favourite activity is yoga. I reached to a level where I developed my personal routine, which is a combination of not only different styles of yoga, but also different for of exercise, like stretching, tai chi, dancing and every day I experiment trying to incorporate whatever I learn.
This way no practice is equal to another and I don’t get bored.
I also love walking. Not only in the nature (I enjoy as much walking on the beach or in the mountain or in countryside) but probably the setting I enjoy the most is in cities. I love go to a new place wonder around, get lost in the streets, watching at people.
Favourite fitness activity…
Well, the first one is unusual and not one I get to practice every day – live action roleplaying. That is, dressing up like Lord of the Rings in, say, cloaks and pointed ears, going out into the countryside far away from civilisation, and having battles with latex swords and the like. It’s invigorating!
I also like walking, as it’s so easy and pleasant and still counts as exercise!
Dancing – love swirling around and doing funky moves.
Running – when my knee is healthy, this is great, as it doesn’t feel like much effort (unlike other gym activities) and for me, burns the maximum amount of kcal in the minimum amount of time.
Today I estimate I’ve walked between 6.5 – 7km. In celebration of meeting my husband 5 years ago, we went out to a vegan restaurant this evening and I’m so full now that I don’t think I can manage any stomach muscle exercises tonight :D But at least I resisted the temptation to snack during the day, especially considering the unhealthy well-presented free snacks that were on offer!
:lol:
Ooh! Just remembered I used to love the ‘Body Combat’ classes at the gym I once went to. (There’s a whole series of ‘Body Attack’, ‘Body Pump’, etc classes). In this one we got to throw punches and kicks at invisible opponents to music: super fun!
Sadly I haven’t found a local gym that I can afford that offers these classes any more!
Wow, I’m impressed at your walking nearly 7k. One day I’ll get there…..
Happy anniversary. I enjoyed your story about your celebration. Hey, you ARE using your stomach muscles tonight — LOL, first you stretched them out, and now you’re using them to digest food. :twisted:
lol Kate!! I hadn’t thought of that :lol:
Hey zingfairy! Oh my, you are married? And you met your husband 5 years ago? For some reason I’ve been thinking that you are a teenager / adolescence (it must be the youthfulness and energy radiating from your replies!! :D ) How old are you, if you don’t mind sharing ??
Hi Celes! People who meet me “in real life” do always seem to think I’m in my mid-20s and indeed that’s how old I feel, but I was actually born 33 years ago! I suppose it does sound a bit odd for a fairy to be married but I guess it’s just another kind of fairytale :D
My answer to Day 8’s question: My favorite fitness activity is WALKING.
– My main reason is similar to Celes’s reason about jogging—walking is like meditation for me. It’s like a two-in-one activity; I get my fitness in as well as my meditation session.
– Also, walking is an easy, convenient, & inexpensive activity.
I want to share a HUGE INSIGHT I’ve had for myself. I wrote it when responding in a thread that 3 of us are having in the Day 6 comments. Now I want to share part of it here because it’s a real lightbulb-going-on thing for me! :idea: :idea: :idea:
Here it is. ***For me to stick with daily fitness after this challenge is done, I absolutely need to focus on the benefits that fitness provides for my spirit, joy, energy, mood, etc. I do believe in mind over body, in belief leading to action. “If the spirit is willing, the body will follow” — is that the quote? Anyway, it turns out that, for me, this challenge is less about doing something physically active each day and more about incorporating into my daily thought processes a deeper realization of the obvious influence that increased activity has on everything internal.***
Getting that insight has begun my change. Resistance is decreasing. Enthusiasm for activity is increasing! YAY! :dance:
great quote, Kate! – “If the spirit is willing, the body will follow” I will have to remember that! Thanks for sharing :)
Today I only did 25 min. of elliptical. I was aiming for 30min but I felt nauseous so I stopped.
I also couldn’t do my strength training because of that.
I have been enjoying mostly the strength training I think. It might be because I’ve started seeing improvement on my body.
As I said earlier I also want to do some yoga, and learn to run (can’t run).
Well done for listening to your body; if you’re feeling nauseous then it’s time to stop! Strength training is great for fitness so it’s good to hear you’re enjoying it :)
Hey Ozum! Great job on your strength training! :D I might have missed out on your earlier comments if you mentioned this before – Why can’t you run?
Today I did ten minutes of walking, and twenty minutes of Chi Gong/Tai Chi.
As for my Favorite Fitness Activity, swimming is on top of my list. But I haven’t done so in many years, because I never could make time for it. And I moved to a new state last year, so finding a well-maintained pool will probably take a while :( I’m hoping I can finally swim again during 21DFC, but it’s unlikely..
Martial Arts is also a favorite. I’ve learned Kung Fu and Tae Kwon Do.. It’s fun to learn how to kick butt :cool:
Tomorrow I’m really gonna go try Pilates and/or Yoga again. My body is 95% less sore now :shy:
See you guys on Day 9!! :hug:
Rosa!
Sounds like you ARE kickin’ butt!!! ;)
I too have swimming on the top of my list for favorite fitness activity. I hope you soon find the right pool!
Before I came to Puerto Rico for the winter months, I tried Pilates when I was in North Carolina (where I will return to in April). I really liked it. I also have done some hiking in my day, and really love to trek like that out in nature. More reason to stay on this lifestyle this challenge has led us to, so I can again hike! (Right now, and for some time now, walking is very difficult. I need a new knee, probably 2 new knees…daunting, but I’ll go for it after I drop some more weight, if that is what I must do for more freedom to be active in many ways.)
Anyway, I’m glad to be here, and I’m glad you’re here too! :D
Bette
Hello Bette! I’m sorry for the late reply :shy:
Hiking is something I’d like to try someday soon.
I’m really sorry to hear about your knee(s). Mine aren’t in great shape either after working in Retail for a while :( I hope when you eventually get surgery, it will lead to you to a better life :hug: See you around (and thank you for replying) :heart:
DAY EIGHT
We made it to the Caribbean Sea, despite early morning errands. Apparently the dentist I finally got a # for, is not at her office on Fridays. :rolleyes: I still am not feeling my usual best, and I certainly hope my sore gum/toothache stays calm this weekend. Why oh why, when I really decide I need something, it is the weekend, and I have to wait till Monday!i
ON A MORE ‘UP’ NOTE, we made it to the Caribbean this morning, despite pressing details and errands detaining our departure. REALLY glad and grateful to get in that swim and increase my fitness. The sea was rough, which make me work harder, and I really went for it! I KEPT MOVING in that water for over 1 and 1/2 hours! I am sore, and I can tell that I need to get more sleep, because I was nodding out when I was reading these posts!
I have gone further with activity and fitness in this challenge than I have in 15-20 years! Committing to this challenge is great, but actually being CONSISTENT despite all the reasons why I could be less consistent is remarkable! I am definitely taking MUCH better care of myself. The fire is back in me. I am motivated and have the burning desire to be at my physical best. The “shift” has happened for me. THIS IS A GREAT AND WONDERFUL CHANGE IN MY MIND/BODY CONNECTION!!!
It can only get better from the point on! :dance:
Glad to hear others are having realizations, insights, are better focused, seeing fitter bodies, and FEELING more fit!!!
Yea all of us!!!! :dance: GO TEAMWORK!!! :hug:
Bette
oooooh Bette, here’s what I’m lovin’ about your post:
—> Caribbean Sea [are you on holiday, or…?]
—> “The fire is back in me.” Wowzers!!! What a fantastic thing for you! And inspiring for the rest of us to think about.
—> “The “shift” has happened for me. THIS IS A GREAT AND WONDERFUL CHANGE IN MY MIND/BODY CONNECTION!!!”
The latter is exactly like what has happened to me. See my today’s comment, where I posted about this mind-body connection being my own key to success in incorporating fitness back into my daily life. I’ll suggest adding “soul” to your phrase — we’re reviving our BODY-MIND-SOUL CONNECTION! :dance: :dance:
Kate, I surely will add soul…soul food for thought! Thank you for your reply! Your posts give me much to ponder too! :heart:
BODY-MIND-SOUL CONNECTION IS TRULY WHAT’S GOIN’ ON,
I will say, though, that when I think of mind, I think of soul, of consciousness, of spiritual connection.
Which is a whole different thing than the physical brain, which is an organ, right?
Anyhoo, we are indeed on the same page here. And it is a great page to be on.
Truly, I feel like my Inner Self, my Highest Self has taken charge here, in my focus on health and fitness and my burning desire to be all that I can be. Regardless of lifetime old habits or outworn patterns of thinking, this Highest Aspect of me, that is both the best my soul has to offer and the Divine…anyway, It has the Upper Hand here, and I am totally on board. I have called It forth, and It has responded with vim and vigor! Or has It always called to me, and now I am listening with all my heart and soul and every fiber of my being!?!! And not a moment too soon! It’s like I have waited all my life for this to happen, and for what is to follow….THE BEST IS YET TO COME. and yet, I am living with both feet and full heart in this very moment, aware and present IN THIS VERY MOMENT!
The spiritual me and the physical me have hooked up in a way that I have never known. I have been tuned into my spiritual nature for decades, and yet, somehow throughout all those years, I just was not consistently, thoroughly connected to my physical self in the way that is occurring now with this health and fitness challenge. (was too complacent.)
BIG THANK YOU’S to Celes, for listening to her guidance and intuition that then encourages and leads us so graciously in our own individual directions. We are seeing generosity of spirit in action with our Celes! :heart:
I have given my physical being over to living a healthy, physically engaging LIFESTYLE, not a temporary program, just to lose weight, for example, been there done that!!! I truly am emerging from the “safe,” familiar cocoon, and flying more freely as my butterfly self.
I am being carried forward by the Grace of this Greater Momentum, burning desire fully intact, and I am committed to cooperate, doing whatever I can, which turns out to be even MORE than I think I can do!!! I am definitely in the flow of a whole domino effect of ‘WOW” moments.
In the moment of WOWDOM, :hug:
Bette
Kate and Bette, I love reading your comments every time. They are so BEAUTIFUL and RICH in wisdom! May I say that the soul-mind-body connection is also a big a-ha for me lately – it hit me 1 day before 21DFC started. I was listening to this audio book (A Course in Weight Loss by Marianne Williamson) and realized that the physical manifestation of my body is merely a reflection of my spiritual self. Body, or our current lifestyle, is merely effect, no cause. Thereby begs the question of – What are the mental beliefs causing us to maintain our current lifestyle today, and what can we can to change that around? Once we change MIND, BODY will naturally change to reflect that.
Celes, absolutely, I believe our mental beliefs can be either limiting or freeing. If we’re open to exposing our beliefs (even to ourselves!) we’re able to adjust them, change them, and grow from the process. And let’s also remember to not be too critical of ourselves in the process. Let’s honor where we are and where we’ve come from as much as feeling joyful about where we might be headed.
A dear friend taught me years ago about how much connection there is between our internal selves and the physical manifestations around us. Not just our physical selves, but the people and things and events in our lives can all be understood on some level as a reflection of our spiritual selves.
Right now in this challenge group we’re looking at our bodies and what we do with them, to them, and why. It’s one amazing way we can each give ourselves a mirror to look inside.
Couldn’t have said it better, Bette! Well let’s keep the insights coming, because now that we’re on a roll, we’re *really* on a roll! :angel:
Today I biked for 45 minutes, stretched for 10 minutes, and meditated for 10 mins. I’m still having my lack of movement during work hours and piano practice.
1) What is your favorite fitness activity? Why? (Feel free to list more than one activity if you have a few favorites!)
I love to run but I can’t do it during the winter (in US) when the temperature goes below freezing. I agree that it’s like a form of meditation and I love to be in nature.
I love to go hiking but again the cold is a factor.
I love to canoe/kayak. I want to learn to ocean kayak one day. (I currently only kayak in a lake.)
2) How can you incorporate it/them into your life moving forward?
Move somewhere warmer ;)
I had a plan to go jogging around the park in the morning today but completely missed it by not waking up. Well, I think/hope I made up for it by intentionally getting off the bus 1 stop earlier and walking to my destination!
Next time I’ll try to remember the yoga moves I usually do in the class and do some yoga at home too.
And I have set my alarm to wake up tomorrow for my jog.
The getting-off-one-stop-early trick works better than most people might think! Good luck with tomorrow’s jog :dance:
hi, Day 8, i did 45 minutes strength exercise with 10 deep breaths & some yoga pose also.
Just finished the 5K101 Week7 for the second time! I’m so proud of myself.
Keep up the good work everyone!
superb, Michelle! give yourself several pats on the back!!! :clap:
Day 1 week 2 – I went for a brisk 1 hour walk and it started to snow just as I was finishing up my walk. I am so glad I planned properly and got my excercise before the weather turned worse. I think my faviurite actitvity is walking since it is so easy to get a 1 hour walk in a day and no need to coordinate with others etc.. just need the will to get on the road and put one step in frontof the next :)
I feel very refreshed and hope to soon replace my walks with jogging..
Day 8 – Went for my usual swim of 20 laps in olympic-size pool. I went swimming at 1pm where it’s the hottest, so I’m actually slightly sun-burnt now! My skin is reddish, and I even have tan lines where my swimming costume was. I’ll probably swim earlier in the morning next time or later in the evening, when it’s not so hot. Or wear UV lotion before I swim (which I’ve done before but never found to be very useful).
On the upside, I felt very invigorated before, during, and after my swim. Planning a jog for tomorrow’s workout. Looking forward to it. :D
^^ I’m quite happy that I did finish my plan yesterday ( aerobics )
And today is great because it’s Friday :lol: I start my day happily and freshly :D because I get back to my morning shower and exercise
I’m going for jogging now. I’m going to update after I come back :)
^^ I said I’d update after I came back but I couldn’t connect to the Internet so here’s my late update . :)
I went jogging for 20 minutes and did exercises for 20 mins before bed.
And about my favourite activities, The first one that pop up in my mind is swimming :love: I love water. I learnt how to swim when I was very small. Actually, I don’t think it’s counted swimming at that time because basically I jumped into the pool and tried not to get drowned :lol: I love the feeling of being under water which is so cool and fresh. It’s so free and relaxing. :D It’s like I’m in a different world without any worries.
I wasn’t into sport before so I don’t have many activities. However, after joining the challenge and starting jogging, I quite like it. I want to make it a routine and become a good runner. It’s gonna improve my strength a lot :mrgreen:
I guess that’s it for day 8 ^^
Day 1 Week 2 Spent 45 minutes on an elliptical and 15 minutes on a treadmill. My wife joined me to the gym. She is very happy to see me participating in the challenge. Because of this morning exercise I feel fitter when I start my daily chores. :dance:
Hello guys, I’m heading for my 50 minutes swim (plus another 10 if possible!) soon. Update so far: had a mini-racing competition during school. Not the short one, a really long one, about a km or so. :)
Then I stopped two stops earlier, and walked about 7.5minutes back home. Yay for a triple exercise today. :D
Oh, and in answer to the question, my favourite activity is definitely swimming. :)
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