Stick with and achieve my WEEKLY fitness goals, which I KNOW make me happier and healthier

I really love that however long we are alive, we have endless second chances… third, fourth… ten millionth…

I liked the way FireDragon broke out her week’s goals in all self-care categories, so I’m going to follow suit partly:

• Cardio goals: Three to five cardio workouts (moderate to intense): choose from:
  Neighbor’s Fitness Pool
  Vigorous walks
  DVDs that include cardio
  Maybe elliptical if I go to gym
  Couple of hours heavy duty housework (moving furniture, vacking) will also count this particular week.

ACTUAL:
one down, 3 to 4 to go.

• Yoga goals: Three long sessions (class or DVD). One evening, pre go to bed relaxation session, not too long, as an experiment.
  ACTUALone done (class), 2 to go

• Weight training goals: Three sessions each, upper and lower

ACTUAL:
one of each done (with BodyPump tape), 2 of each to go.

• Core goals: 5 sessions abs / core work
  ACTUAL:
• one done (FIRM 5-Day Abs, section 3), 4 to go.

• Conscious Eating Goals

  Eat at least one meal without reading… with full mindfullness and attention. This equals more food enjoyment from less food… when I do it! I always really like it when I do it, but jeesh, I love reading The New Yorker when I’m eating alone… one done, 6 to go
  Go easy on sweets and general mindless consumption at holiday parties; not arrive ravenous
  Eat something every 3 to 4 hours to keep blood sugar steady… don’t get so involved in projects I forget to eat. one day done, 6 to go
  Nothing but fruit after 10:00 pm. one NOT done: ) see cookie reference above)... but six upcoming chances…

ACTUAL>

• Other self-care goals*

  call one friend-I-haven’t-talked-to-in-awhile, then another… 3 to 4 X this week
  Use Neti pot daily: 2 days done, 5 days to go
  Deep clean one increment of house daily (this could be as small as my sock drawer or as large as a whole room).1 day done, 6 to go). *

The week:

Sunday, Dec 17:
Completed cardio in the form of vigorous, furniture-moving house-work… 4 hours worth! Plus, did upper & lower weight workout, plus abs using Bodypump video. Got start to the week! ( We will leave out the tree-trimming party and the really really good powdered sugar-covered almond cookies).
Other goals: used Neti pot, ate every 3 to 4 hours, deep-cleaned one room of the house.

Monday, Dec 18* :
Made it to yoga class ! Boy, I’m feeliing my oats now. Also have neti-potted…

Tuesday, Dec 19:

Wednesday, Dec. 20Work-out alert! Note to self… Picking up boyfriend at airport (3 1/2 hrs round trip) plus out of town engagement. Psyche yourself up for self-care, FF because A) you’ll feel much better and have more energy and B) If you don’t shoe-horn it in and make a conscious decision… ain’t gonna happen.

Thursday, Dec 21:

Friday, Dec. 22:

Saturday, Dec 23:

I tried, but really let time and too many commitments (some not truly neccesary) get away from. Also felt low-energy and… just didn’t / wasn’t able to / was unwilling, seemingly, to give it my all.

But I did give it my some. And as I just looked over this list and thought back over the week I had to change the B minus I was planning to give myself, back to another nice solid B.

Here’s why:

Of the Three to five aerobic/cardio sessions goal, I got 2 1/2 in. Still going a little easy on the recovering/almost recovered foot. But! The good news is, went over and used my neighbor’s brand new fitness pool, twice… made the effort, took the step, did this cool cardio thing I can safely do regardless of foot. Bit of a hassle, and I just feel good that I did it, twice, instead of thinking about doing it. Plus, on workout 2, I pushed it hard. (The water is quite cool – I could tell I hit the zone when it became warmly comfortable!) So, on this one: B-plus

On the Three weight sessions upper and Lower goal/ I got 2 of each type of session done, leaving me short 1. These were token attempts; One set of all exercises in my routine, not really pushing it. More to get back in the groove, and say I did and do something. Give myself a C- here.

On the goal of 3 yoga sessions ... wonderfully, magically, I got to class TWICE! The first time, last Mon, I felt in retrospect that maybe I had been a little too cautious and protective of my foot, so on Wednesday, I went all out – and really did hurt in consequence (had to go back to wearing boot briefly, which fortunately got me out of pain within a day).

The third session was on an INSANELY busy day: a total of 2 hours between engagements (during which I needed to fix something for a potluck, plus bathe and dress up). I am proud to say I managed to do a quick home practice! No, it wasn’t, and couldn’t have been, full-out, but I genuinely wanted to (in other words it wasn’t a token thing that I had to whip myself into doing, as with weights), and did as much as I could with the constraints.

So tho I’d generally count nothing less than 3 full sessions as A+ material, in this case, both attitidinally and physically, I have to give myself an A-+.

On the abs sessions goal, I got 4 sessions in, tough ones, not token…. have to go with an A* .

OVERALL, I GIVE MYSELF A SOLID B

Interesting note on doing this, thinking out loud here at 43 T: as I say, I started out thinking it’d be a B- , but as I really assessed here, honestly, I went up half a grade, I’m left feeling better about this week workout-wise than I thought. This is good!

Thank you, 43 T and teammates. *

On Monday when I did yoga I felt I was being overprotective of my on-the-mend just-barely-still-broken foot. So today, Wednesday, I went all out and really tried to stay focused and yet not push it too much… not coddle foot overprotectively.

Alas tonight I’m feeling, from reports in the form of kicked-up throbs from the foot in question, that perhaps this was NOT a good idea.

In other words, ouch.

In other words… sometimes you (I) do have to back off.

Sigh.

Where is the advil? Should I change back into the boot thing for tonight?

Yeah, maybe.

Later I did wear the boot thing and take some advil and the boot thing some the next day… did the trick. Relief to know I didn’t set myself back healthwise!

Okay, my broken left foot has healed even more… time to go back to THE GENERAL WEEKLY PLAN (followed by how it’s played out THIS PARTICULAR WEEK; cross-outs are done.

I’m also going to add the intention this week to

1) really-no-kidding get over to my neighbor’s house and learn how to use his new fitness (resistance) pool which he has so generously offered to let me use, written one day later: I did this! Now all I have to do is start using it!)and

2) since the days are so short (gets dark at 4:30!) make SURE to get out, even for just a 15 min walk, while sun is still out.

Three to five aerobic/cardio sessions/ 2 done, 1 to 3 to go (this is the one I still have go verrry easy on due to foot)
Three weight sessions upper/ 2 down, 1 to go
Three weight sessions lower/ 2 down, 1 to go
3 yoga sessions/ 3 done, 0 to go Yay me!5 five abs sessions/ 4 down, 2 to go

Sunday, Dec 10:
short walk (pretty wussy cardio… really more a token – but still tender-footed. Also abs (The Firm, 5-Day Abs session 5) ad lower-body weight work.

Monday, Dec 11 :
Goal: yoga class, cardio (swim?), abs
Actual: Finally made it to YOGA CLASS! Oh frabjous day… first time since foot broke.Also, later on, upper body weight work and abs (The Firm 5-day abs, Day 1).

Tuesday, Dec 12:
Goal:
Actual: I swam for 35 minutes in my neighbor’s lap pool! First sustained cardio I have done since the metatarsal break. Yay!

Wednesday, Dec. 13
Goal: Go to gym and do full work-out before driving to, or rather enroute to, Massachusetts. OR gto to yoga class again (if I do weight work on Tuesday).Or – if I’m really feeling my oats and have a reasonable amount done – BOTH? Naaah… unlikely. Later: did an abs session. Fretting about foot; it hurts… fear I pushed it too much in yoga class.
Actual: Made it to yoga class again, I am OH so happy to report. Foot’s doing pretty well. This was a tough class, harder than Monday’s. Gym today is indeed out of the question. But tomorrow…

Thursday, Dec 14:
Goal : Go to gym. Do improv (very physical) in evening
Actual: home upper & lower weight training & abs, followed by improv.

Friday, Dec. 15:
Goal:
Actual:40 minutes vigorous resistence swimming in neighbors “Endless pool”(kind of like a water treadmil… fantastic)

Saturday, Dec 16:
Goal: Last day of work-out week – complete anything not yet done. But hopefully everything WILL be done, because Saturday looks pretty wacka-wacka… Notes: Friday night: a Full Firm will knock it out. The big question is, will I do it? (Depends, in equal parts, on time, will/commitment, energy level… I am stating this here to really implant the intention to do this.)
Actual: Well… it was truly pedal to medal… but I did get it one short yoga practice (at home)... something of a miracle.

END OF WEEK ASSESSMENT: How did I do?

I’m going to give myself a B. Given that this is my first week back on it, or working towards being on it, after the broken foot, given it’s the holidays and pretty busy and there were deadlines bearing down… I say, pretty good, considering, FF… give yourself some propers. I did 5 sessions of abs (met goal); 2/3 of goal yoga sessions and weight sessions, not much cardio (but I expected that due to foot).

I’ll come back in a bit and list my goals and thoughts for next week…beginning of brand new week (in this case Dec 10-Dec 17) always reminds me that there always bright new possibilities, an infinite # of chances to start over, as long as we are alive.

A solid B. Bees make honey, and so will I. So DO I.

Okay, my broken left foot has healed sufficiently for me to go back to
THE GENERAL WEEKLY PLAN (followed by how it’s played out THIS PARTICULAR WEEK; cross-outs are done).

Three to five aerobic/cardio sessions/ 1 done (this is the one I will start verrry easy on)
Three weight sessions upper/ 2 down, 2 to go
Three weight sessions lower/ 2 down, 2 to go
3 yoga sessions/ 2 done, 1 to go
5 five abs sessions/ 4 down, 1 to go

Sunday, Dec 3: abs, upper, & lower weight work–. First in SUCH a long time. A relief. Used -the Firm 5-Day Abs

Monday, Dec 4 : Yoga home practice, abs. First time I’ve been able to do Sun Salutes since the break! Ahhhh…

Tuesday, Dec 5:
Goal: weights, upper & lower, and abs plus walk.
Actual: well… abs. And short, short mini walk uphill and down with picking up wood for woodstove. It was cardio, allright, but BRIEF. I could have done the real thing but let the usual (lack of time, Very Important Things) as well as unusual (“My foot really isn’t quite well yet”) get in the way. Why?

Wednesday, Dec. 6
Goal: Yoga class or home practice, abs, walk.
Actual: nada… this is gettin’ bad.

Thursday, Dec 7:
Goal : Full work-out at gym, going easy on the foot. Extra cardio in evening, at improv class, which is very physical.
Actual:abs and just a few park car far from where you are going and get in extra walking stuff, but really, not much.
I did go see the new ownership of my old gym (which had deteriorated under old management) and had written former members to come by and “let us make it right.” We’ll see if they do.

Friday, Dec. 8:
Goal: Cardio – swim in my neighbor’s fitness pool… maybe walk over there to do it.
Actual:45 minutes light step definitely hurt foot a bit… swimming would have been preferred. But it’s something.

Saturday, Dec 9:
Goal: Last day of work-out week – complete anything not yet done, and go to yoga class again.
Actual: yoga home practice plus a brisk 15 minute walk plus abs.

END OF WEEK ASSESSMENT: How did I do?

A broken foot, the Thanksgiving holidays, a four day visit to my mother (who was in a good state, a delightful change, but is always labor-intensive)... anyway, all conspired to some weeks of nominal activity. But I am SO HAPPY to say I’m starting back up again… Last night, abs, upper, and lower (boy, I have been out of it… did I ever HURT , pleasantly, this morning). And yoga and abs today. Hooray!

I think I’ll post my regular old weekly goals and start clicking ‘em off like in the old days.

I have missed you guys… I guess everyone falls off the edge of the world from time to time, but nothing serious… just too busy, and broken of foot. (I’ll take “of foot” any time over “of heart” or “of spirit”... the latter two, robust.) Thankfully.

Or, this is THE break – of the 5th metatarsal bone in my left foot. Criminy.

Time to figure out what my work-out CAN be during the 6 weeks of recovery time.

Abs, yes… cardio, no. Upper body weights, yes. Lower body weight, no. MAYBE some yoga – some seated, some supine poses.

This is a bummer, but - if I come up with something I can do and stick with it… maybe not a major bummer. There is that attitude thing…

Yesterday, fortunately AFTER working out, I took a misstep – I wasn’t still on the porch but came down, accidentally and HARD, on the left side of my foot… now way swollen, empurpled, and, needless to say, PAINFUL.

I need to get myself to doctor and make sure I didn’t break anything, then do what is recommended by doctor.

Then figure out a Plan B for this goal, this week.

Sigh.

Woman proposes, God disposes.

THE GENERAL WEEKLY PLAN (followed by how it’s played out THIS PARTICULAR WEEK; cross-outs are done).

Three to five aerobic/cardio sessions/ 1 done, 2 to 4 to go
Three weight sessions upper/ 2 down, 1 to go
Three weight sessions lower/ 2 down, 1 to go
3 yoga sessions/ 1 done, 2 to go
5 five abs sessions/ 3 down, 2 to go

Sunday, Oct. 22: intense abs, upper, & weight work – 45 minutes worth. Non-wussy, non-token… the real deal and a nice way to begin this next week.also lower

Monday, Oct. 23
Goal: Yoga home practice, abs, walk (if not raining) or aero
Actual: Yoga home practice, abs

Tuesday, Oct. 24:
Goal: Full Firm tape (the Firm knocks out one of each goal above except yoga), OR weights and abs plus walk. Not sure how possible this will be with a work deadline and taking DBF to airport (4hr RT).
Actual: I did it! A full FIRM – and in the morning, before taking dbf to airport! yaaaay me Good FF!

Wednesday, Oct. 25Goal: Yoga class or home practice, abs, walk or aero.
Actual:

Thursday, October 26:
Goal : weights and abs in a.m., plus a good walk or at least 30 minutes cardio… (Maybe a Firm tape?) Extra cardio in evening, at improv class, which is very physical.
Actual:

Friday, October 27:
Goal: Home yoga practice with tape, plus abs, plus a walk or aero
Actual:

Saturday, October 27:
Goal: Last day of work-out week – complete anything not yet done.
Actual:

END OF WEEK ACCESSMENT: Last week was a B+. Would like to make A or A + this week!