improve my fitness

It probably seems a little strange to mark this as done when I am still suffering a lot from colds and a lack of energy. However, I’ve definitely made progress on this and I’ve decided to collapse it into my respect my body goal as part of my goal list review.

I’ve still been struggling with my health. Sore throats and low energy have felt almost constant. I’ve been waiting to heal and in the meantime my body has been suffering. I’m unhappy with the way it looks and feels.

Starting housesitting has really eased my sore throats (even if it’s done nothing for my fatigue). I’m starting to wonder whether I’m allergic to something at home.

But the real point for this goal is that I’m housesitting with my boyfriend who absolutely insists on doing something active every day. We’ve been biking it back to his place every second day to walk the dog. The first time wiped me out completely. But it’s getting easier.

I also went back to Tai Chi on Saturday for the first time in a few weeks. It also felt good.

Progress is being made.

Over the last few weeks I’ve really come to realise that fitness and health are not the same thing. One must have health before one can work on fitness.

So that’s what I’ve been working on lately: building up my health. I feel it’s at a reasonable level now (although there are still a few niggles). I’ve been using Tai Chi to improve my fitness. It seems to be doing a good job, so I hope to keep it up for a few weeks before I look at doing anything more strenuous.

Under advice from friends, I need to learn to walk before I can run. Literally. So instead of going back to my running program I’m going to do some walking first. In a few more weeks that is.

I managed half an hour of Tai Chi and stretching today. Nice and gentle. I really enjoyed it and it felt good to be doing something again.

My wrist and shoulder are feeling a bit strained from overwork though. I’ll have to keep my eye on things.

As noted under my rest and recuperate goal, this hasn’t been happening much, due to injury and sickness. I feel like I’m starting to be ready to get back to things though.

I had my first Tai Chi lesson for the year today. While I was there I had a conversation with my boyfriend and a good friend of ours about the idea of yin exercise, or gentler exercise, and yang exercise, more active exercise.

I felt good at Tai Chi today, so I think I’m ready for some yin exercise—Tai Chi and some stretching perhaps. Running is going to have to wait until I’ve healed a bit more.

Well, although I made it through week one of the program things haven’t been 100% with my health over the last few days. So I’m taking a week off and will begin the program again the following week. I confess I’m a little discouraged, but I’m sure the “practice” will help me when I decide to begin again. At least I know I can do it.

Huzzah! I made it! I’m so proud of myself.

I confess I’m pretty tired this morning. Getting up early combined with all the extra exercise is taking it out of me a bit. But I was determined to finish off the week properly and I did.

There was another late thunderstorm last evening, so the world was still nice and fresh when I went out this morning. There was even dew on the grass. The sun wasn’t hiding behind clouds this morning though, as it was yesterday, so it was out with the sunglasses and the baseball cap.

I saw some interesting sights while I was out. A spider had spun a huge web right across the path—one of those gorgeously works of geometry which I thankfully saw before I walked into and managed to duck under it. It’s enough to make a girl wish she had a camera.

I also saw one of the Buddhist monks in the area striding around by the lake. His saffron robes certainly stood out, such a gorgeous burst of colour among the unaccustomed green.

Once again, I was left gasping for breath during the session. I’m not sure how I’m going to go with extending my running time next week. One of my legs has pulled up pretty sore, perhaps a pulled muscle? We’ll see how things go. I have a couple of days to heal. My feet will need it too. I got some raw spots from wearing sandals out yesterday and they bled a little after my run. But all in all, I feel like I’m recovering from the sessions well.

I intended to do the second session yesterday, and got up at 7 specifically to do so. The only problem was it was 20 C outside already and I knew that by the time I had breakfast, got dressed and was in the middle of my run it was going to be much hotter. So I reluctantly put it off until today.

And it was a good thing I did too. Yesterday evening we had a bit of a storm which cooled things off. When I walked out the door (Bon Jovi already blaring in my ears), the world smelled fresh and looked green, while the sun was still hiding behind the clouds.

It was a gorgeous run. I headed down to the lake, admiring the trees, and caught a few glimpses of the high school rowing teams hard at work. I’ve been a bit sore in my legs since starting to run, but it hasn’t been bothering me too much. It gives me a feeling of satisfaction, rather. It’s the cardio vascular I have the problem with, desperately gasping for air. I started out feeling surprisingly good, but toward the end I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish. But I did, so there!

If everything goes to plan, I’ll do my last session for the week tomorrow.

That’s what I’m seriously considering renaming this goal to. But that’s only because I’m making progress with it.

Yesterday I had some errands to run which necessitated a lot of walking around. Then I went on a walk with my dad after he got home from work. He does that to help battle his cholesterol. Then we ended up going out for coffee with my sister and my dad’s girlfriend. My dad insisted on walking his girlfriend to her car all the way over the other side of the CBD. By the time I went to bed my back and knees were so sore they kept me awake for a while.

I’d picked today as the day to start a walk/run 10k program. I was determined it was going to be today, as I had an appointment with the doctor over the far side of the (very large) suburb. Catching a bus there was easy enough, but the timing was all wrong for getting home, so I decided it would be good to do the first session on the way home.

I brought along an old walkman (no mp3 player for me yet) and a beaten up Bon Jovi tape. I thought the music might help get me through it. And it did. But I quickly discovered why I had this goal in the first place and why I chose to take up jogging. My cardio vascular fitness sucks. I think sheer determination had a lot to do with how I managed to finish the session. I was not going to let it defeat me.

My back, knees and ankles are aching again, but I feel triumphant for having made it through. Yet even so, I know this pain is going to make actually getting around to doing the next session harder. I know what I’m in for now.

I’ve promised myself a long soak in the bath tonight.

Yet another goal from 2006 I’m unhappy with. I think some of it is to do with constantly changing routines. Uni has finished, Tai Chi is on holidays and I’m not doing enough on my own. Yet at the same time it seems pointless to try and develop a routine when it may all go to pieces when I finally find a job.

Still, best go with the situation now and adapt it when the changes come. After all, if I can’t do it now when I have all this time on my hands, how am I ever going to manage when I get a job?

This is another goal that will benefit from breaking down into smaller goals.